Second Chance
by imdoingthiswhy
Summary: Season 2 finale AU. Lanie sees the disaster happening as Castle leaves with Gina. She talks to Beckett, then goes behind Beckett's back to stage an intervention. Life, love, cases, crises, etc. follow.
1. Chapter 1

Second Chance

The little going away party the team planned for Castle was going well. The easy repartee with the others was fun; and it made him feel that, in spite of the teasing, his work there had been valued and appreciated, and that he had been a welcomed part of their group.

The only thing that hadn't felt enjoyable about his closing time at the twelfth was that he had witnessed Beckett kissing Schlemming. Not only had she kissed him, she had planned a weekend trip with him…would probably let him do things with her that Castle had so much wished she would eventually allow from him. That left him alone for Memorial Day weekend, and he had fallen into the supremely unwise decision to have Gina join him. They might make it amicably through the summer, but their history included a lot of unsettling arguing. By the time he had hung up the phone, he had begun to regret it; but Gina was between boyfriends, loved the lifestyle in the Hamptons, and she was someone familiar and willing. He felt a little guilty: but he needed to take his mind off Beckett and the robbery detective, and he knew Gina was taking advantage of the situation as much as he was.

Beckett arrived at the party late and seemed uncharacteristically flirty before she asked to talk to him, and they went into the hall to speak privately. Castle could see that she was taking a roundabout path to what she wanted to say; but it seemed she was about to make her point when Gina, the perfectly put together blond ex-wife/editor, left the elevator, enthusiastically laid claim to Castle, and made her summer plans clear. Castle explained the other woman's presence, then Beckett wished him a good summer, and he left with Gina.

Conscientiously facing away from the windows through which the people lingering at the party might see her, Beckett returned to her desk, and Lanie excused herself from the group and joined her friend.

"What was all that?" she asked.

"That was Castle taking his ex-wife to the Hamptons instead of me. Guess he didn't care as much as you thought after all," Beckett seethed quietly.

"Oh, no. Don't try that on me, girlfriend. I've been here for all of it, and you tell me things, remember? He asked you more than once, and then, accidentally I might add, found out you'd planned a trip with Demming. You don't get to blame this on Castle. If you're upset about it, I'll take you drinking to dull the feelings; but don't expect too much sympathy from me. You may have just single-handedly destroyed the best thing that could happen to your life."

"But he…"

"But nothing. He thought you were interested in somebody else, so he found somebody who actually admitted she wanted to go with him. There's nothing wrong with that, and he didn't need your permission to do it."

Beckett glanced over her shoulder at Lanie before dropping dejectedly into her chair without answering, and Lanie continued her less than sympathetic remarks.

"How did Blondie get her hooks into him again, anyway?"

Lanie received the Beckett glare and a recount of Castle's explanation of his previous night's conversation with the former Mrs. Castle.

"Well, they're divorced," the ME offered. "There must be a good reason for that. Maybe it will turn up this summer and he'll be available again when he comes back in the fall."

" _If_ he comes back in the fall," Beckett sighed. "I may have ruined that, too. And what am I supposed to do, sit here alone and wait for the possibility that they'll get tired of each other?"

"Well, from the anger at the fact that he invited Gina after you kicked him to the curb, I'd say that's what you expected him to do…wait around and moon over you until you got tired of Demming. That's just wrong, Kate. And what's good for the goose is good for the gander. You…"

"Okay, okay. I get it. You're right. It's my own fault."

"I don't understand why you're in such a snit, anyway," Lanie continued. "You're leaving with Demming tomorrow morning, and you can't have it both ways. This isn't like you. I've never seen you try to keep two guys interested at the same time."

"There's no trip with Tom. I broke things off with him so I could go with Castle. And then…

"Oh."

"Yeah." Beckett ran her hands through her hair, a sign of her frustration. "I waited too long."

"Hmphf! Now I'm finding some sympathy." Lanie reached out to touch Kate's shoulder. "Promise me something, honey."

"What?"

"Promise me that if you get another chance with Castle you won't blow it again. If you're with the wrong guy when he's available again, do what you did today. Leave him and give Castle a chance. Promise me. He really cares about you. He only did this because you hurt him."

"I promise to at least think about it."

"I guess that's better than I hoped for. I'm sorry I jumped on you so hard."

"No need to be sorry. Everything you said was the truth."

"Want to get out of here and go for drinks at the bar around the corner?"

"You have a date. Don't let me ruin…"

"It isn't until eight. Plenty of time."

"No. I'm going to get some clothes from my locker, make room to bring replacements on Tuesday. Then I'm going home. Some wine, comfort food, and a good movie usually help. You go and get ready for your date. I'll be okay."

The minute Beckett got into the elevator, Lanie went back for her purse, got out her phone, and returned to the bullpen to send Castle a text.

" _My girl broke up with Demming so she could go with you this weekend, and she's actually facing up to what she's done. If there's any chance of fixing this hot mess, you need to do it now before she turns back into a pumpkin."_

There was an almost immediate text from Castle, quickly followed by a second one.

" _Be there in a couple of minutes."_

" _Where is she?"_

Gina was settling herself in the passenger seat in Castle's Mercedes, and he had just closed her door when the text came in. He walked behind the car to the driver's side and stopped at the back door to read it before getting in; and in that instant, the full effect of his moment of supreme 'unwisdom' dropped on him with the weight of an unusually large sumo wrestler. He wasn't sure how, but he had to try to salvage the situation; and it would have to be done before he left town.

Opening the car door, he told Gina as calmly as he could, "I forgot something. Wait here," and he tossed her the car keys. "Turn the car on so you have some air conditioning. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Richard," she answered impatiently, "Can't it wait? The traffic…"

"It won't matter. It's Memorial Day weekend. The traffic will be bad for the rest of the day. Find some music you like. I won't be long."

As he forced himself not to run full tilt into the building while Gina was watching him, he knew he had told her the truth. Whatever happened, it wouldn't take long. Beckett might be reasonable and talk to him. Yeah, right. Hope was nebulous on that score. Or she might threaten to pull her gun on him, or maybe refuse to talk to him at all. Regardless of her response, he intended to say what he needed to say; and he was sure he could count on Lanie's help to keep Beckett corralled with him until he did. Whichever way it went, though, he was sure it wouldn't take long.

Too stressed to handle standing in the elevator for four floors, he decided to take the stairs, stopping at the bottom of the stairwell long enough to read the last text and answer it.

" _She's getting things from her locker. Do you want to meet her in the conference room?"_

" _That's good. Be right there. Thank you, Lanie."_

He took the stairs rapidly, two at a time, slowing down only when he entered the homicide floor, and went directly to the conference room. As he caught his breath, he realized he had no idea exactly what he would say to Beckett; and he tried to get his flustered brain to at least formulate an opening sentence. He was a writer; surely he could manage that much.

Leaving nothing to chance, Lanie walked to the locker area and told Beckett that the captain wanted to see her in the conference room before she left.

"Why?" Beckett asked as she closed her locker.

"I don't know. He just said to tell you… and that it wouldn't take but a few minutes."

Beckett growled softly, "I just want to go home." She roughly shoved her clothes into her duffel bag, shoved her purse in behind it, and huffed out of the room with the ME, finally calming enough to tell her, "You didn't have to walk this far. You could have called."

"Just being a friend…thought I'd walk you out." Lanie wisely kept her mouth shut otherwise until they reached the conference room where she insisted, "Give me your bag. I'll wait for you out here."

"You really don't need to stay. I can find my way home on my own, you know."

"You need to unwind, so we're still stopping for that drink. Now hurry up and get this over with. And…ummm… Before you go in… Try to keep an open mind. And remember that promise you made."

"Lanie?" The detective looked thoroughly confused.

"Go."

Beckett looked over her shoulder on the way through the half closed door. Her friend was behaving strangely. Then she saw the man who was in the room. Definitely not the captain. And she turned back toward the door just as it closed firmly behind her.

Castle had seen the look of understanding as the detective entered the room, though, and knew that Lanie was in deep trouble.

Still facing the door, her back turned to Castle, Beckett asked icily, "Shouldn't you be with your ex-wife?"

She had just given him his opening. "Probably not," he answered quickly. "Cards on the table for a change, Beckett. I never should have married her in the first place, and I sure as hell have no business rekindling anything with her now. After the divorce, I even had the entire beach house and most of the loft redecorated to get rid of all the ex-wife vibes; but I had a weak moment after I realized why you kept refusing to join me for the weekend, and I caved. I never wanted to take anybody but you with me this weekend."

Her stiff posture softened somewhat, and she looked over her shoulder for a short moment, brushing the fingers of one hand nervously over the edge of the conference table.

"Shouldn't you be with Demming?" he asked.

"Probably not."

Well, that was delightfully not what he had expected.

"Demming. Is it serious?"

"No."

"Is there an explanation for that?"

Getting no answer, he followed with, "Are you still going away with him this weekend?"

"No," she answered so quietly he barely heard her.

"Is there an explanation for _that_?"

She turned a tiny bit in his direction and looked down as she nodded.

"It's really hard to get complete answers out of you, you know," he teased cautiously. "Kind of like pulling teeth."

The corners of her lips turned up very slightly as she turned to face him, arms folded across her chest.

"I never should have started seeing him in the first place."

"Come on, Beckett. Your cards on the table, too. "Why?"

"You know he's a good man, Castle, even if you don't like him. He's a good man, and it wasn't fair of me. I tried to fool myself into thinking there could be something to it, but I had to face it today."

"Because?"

She paused as if she were considering whether to say more and looked down again. "Because my feelings for him weren't strong enough that it would hurt me too much if he walked away."

"Please tell me that your feelings for me are strong enough that it would hurt you if I walked away."

"I broke up with him today," she mumbled, still looking toward her feet; but Castle wasn't giving up this time. It was too important.

"I don't think you were about to wish me a happy summer when I left, and I'd like to hear what you intended to say…without anyone else interrupting."

Again there was no answer, just more staring at the floor.

"Were you about to tell me you would come with me this weekend?"

She nodded, and Castle knew how much that little nod had cost her pride.

"And I hurt you when I walked away?"

Another nod.

Castle moved closer to enfold her gently in his arms, and she didn't resist, just wrapped her arms lightly around his waist and leaned into him.

"Kate, I'm so sorry."

"Me, too. But it was my fault. You shouldn't have to apologize."

"I would never intentionally hurt you."

"I know."

"If I fix this with Gina, will you still come with me?"

He felt her nod against his chest, and relief poured through him. Breakthrough. Holding her away from him, he gave her a look that was more confident than he felt, accompanied by a joyful smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes; and Kate smiled too.

"I'll take care of this, I promise, but I'll need to do some writing this weekend. After I talk to Gina and take her back home, which I will do, one way or another, I'm not likely to get any extensions on deadlines any time soon. And I shudder to think of the editing arguments coming up," he explained. "Are you okay with that?"

"Getting to stare at you while you work? Sure. It should be a nice change."

Castle chuckled. "Not sure I can work with creepy staring."

"I'm a grown-up, Castle. I can entertain myself while you write."

"Then it's settled. I'll pick you up at your apartment in an hour."

"Okay."

Castle didn't want to stop touching her, but there was a problem to solve and very little time to solve it. He squeezed one of Kate's hands before he rushed out of the room, nearly running into an anxious Lanie, who had been pacing around near the door.

"How did it go? She didn't turn back into a pumpkin, did she?"

"Bippity-boppity-boo!" he answered, complete with a big Castle smile, a hand flourish worthy of Martha Rodgers, and a quick kiss on Lanie's cheek. "You're the official fairy godmother."

"We'll talk about rewards next week, Writer-Boy," she called out as he hustled off toward the stairs. Then she joined Beckett in the conference room.

Castle took the stairs once more, again too wired to handle the confines of an elevator, but for a different reason this time. He already felt guilt about Gina; but Beckett was willing to give them a chance, and he strongly suspected that they had something they could build into a future together. And consorting...or cavorting…with a wife he had already divorced once was likely to neither work out with Gina any better than it had the first time nor further any future with Beckett. What had possessed him?

He then became aware that just thinking about Beckett had put an undoubtedly stupid, smitten smile on his face…even in the midst of the Gina problem.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he paused to catch his breath and formulate at least a vague plan. He had to be firm and convincing without raising Gina's suspicions, so what would convince her? Pacing back and forth across the space in the stairwell, he tried to think of something. Several thoughts passed quickly through his brain, including his writing. Not that she wouldn't enjoy other aspects of being with him in the Hamptons, too; but in the end, Gina would always want to insure that the next money-making book was completed on time. The writing would be her priority. That would be it, then. Work with the good of the writing, and wing it from there.

Before leaving the stairwell, he allowed himself a brief moment of supplication to whatever forces of the universe might be of help. Sometimes it seemed the universe was trying its best to throw him together with Beckett, so surely there was help out there somewhere. He was willing to beg.

Ah. Beckett. The stupid, smitten smile was back. He could feel it. No, no, no. Not now. Suppose Gina saw it and thought it was for her…and then discovered it wasn't. That absolutely couldn't happen, so he had to get it under control. He schooled his features into what he hoped would look serious and contemplative, smoothed his hair and clothing to try to look less like he had just run at mach ten both up and down four flights of stairs in the last ten minutes, and strode pseudo-calmly through the lobby and out to the car.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Finally!" Gina greeted him impatiently. "I was about to come in to look for you."

"Sorry."

Well, that took care of his first problem. The thought of Gina overhearing any part of his recent conversation with Beckett was enough to wipe out even a hint of the smile that had threatened to escape again just seconds earlier.

"Richard?" She paused and looked at him questioningly. "You look so serious. Is something wrong?"

"I think maybe there is."

"What is it? Did something happen in there?"

"No, no. Nothing like that."

"Then what?"

"Us. This summer trip. I don't think it was a good decision."

"And why not?"

"You know we wouldn't have made this choice if we had other readily available options. Neither of us is seeing anyone else right now, and we had a conversation last night where we talked the way we used to when our marriage was new and full of hope. I think we lost ourselves in the moment and…"

"But, it could be good between us again. Who knows? Maybe we've learned from our mistakes. Even if it gets rocky now and then, the make-up sex was always great, remember? And we're two consenting adults." She gave him her best seductive smile and placed her hand suggestively on his upper thigh.

Taking her hand gently in his as if he were sorry he didn't think the summer would work, he re-situated their joined hands closer to his knee. He truly did feel sorry about disappointing her, so it was easy to keep up the pretense.

"That part of our marriage was always good…the consenting," he answered with a little squeeze of her hand and what he hoped would be an assuring smile.

"Then where is this coming from?"

"I just don't think the fact that we're both at loose ends right now warrants trying to relive a past that we know didn't work. We divorced for good reasons that we both agreed were valid. We both need to find partners who accept us as we are…because we spent most of our marriage arguing about things we wanted to change in each other. You know neither of us is likely to change. We tried mixing marriage and business, and it didn't work out."

"We're not talking about another marriage, just a summer trip, for god's sake."

"But we're mixing it with the business of writing. We might make it through the summer amicably, but think about it, Gina. What caused the vast majority of our arguments…still does for that matter?"

"The books," she admitted.

"And isn't that what caused this summer plan of ours to happen? Your being there to see that the writing is up to date?"

He could tell that Gina could see his point. He could also tell that she didn't like it one little bit. Although certain that this could all be going to hell in a handbasket sooner rather than later, he continued his argument.

"I planned this trip to the Hamptons to give myself some quiet, uninterrupted time for writing...no family in town, no murders calling me to the precinct, no distractions. Just a quiet house, sunshine, a nice breeze off the water, and time to stir up creativity my own way. You hate the way I go about writing, and you complain about it. I hate the complaining and get angry and obstinate, and then I can't think. My mind doesn't work the way yours does. That's why I'm the creative half of the deal and you handle the mechanics of editing. When it comes down to it, we both do our jobs really well, but we do them differently…and drive each other crazy. I know how soon the first deadline is, and I know how much you expect of me by the end of the summer. He took a deep breath and concluded his case. "And I honestly think you're more likely to get it if I'm alone."

He was rather impressed with himself. And, in reality, all of it was true…and even made sense. Winging it seemed to be working pretty well so far.

"So you're telling me you're rescinding your invitation now that I've packed and taken time off from work?"

"I really think I should take you back home before I leave. I'm so sorry to disappoint you, but…"

"But you're going to anyway." When she glared, he didn't back down, making it obvious that he wasn't going to change his mind.

"Fine! Take me home. The sooner the better."

He let her vent at him all the way back to her building. And he accepted it all without returning fire, only agreeing now and then or making random non-committal sounds because he knew he deserved it. And he listened to her talk about how she was looking forward to the beach and the Hamptons social life and how unreasonable he was being.

Intending to take her luggage to her apartment for her, he got out of the car at the curb to get the suitcases; but as he was about to get them out of the trunk, she called to the doorman.

"Keith, come and get my bags for me. He'd probably ruin them on the way up. With that, she stormed toward the building, muttering about never having met such an insensitive man.

Keith, unenviably caught in the middle, went to get the luggage from the trunk.

"Sorry about that," Castle told him. "Ex-wife."

"I've seen worse," he answered, returning Castle's sympathetic look with one of his own. "Don't worry, Sir. I'll take care of these."

Castle gave him a generous tip, shook his hand and thanked him, then he got back into the car and allowed the smile to take over again as he drove to meet Beckett.

xxxxx

In the conference room after Castle left, Kate voiced her displeasure as soon as Lanie entered the room. "Don't ever set me up like that again," Beckett ordered.

"Girlfriend, judging from the smile on that man's face when he left here, I think you should be thanking me. I don't feel the least bit guilty. Now, tell me what happened."

Beckett gave her a quick account of the conversation, and Lanie's triumphant squeal might have been audible all the way down in the first floor lobby.

"He's picking you up in an hour?! Well, come on. Get your skinny little butt moving. You gotta pack. I hope you have wine at home, 'cause there's no time to stop anywhere." Shoving Kate's bag at her, Lanie grabbed her arm and hauled her out of the conference room.

With Beckett chuckling at her friend's enthusiasm for her love life, they took the elevator to the lobby and quickly slipped out of the precinct. Then, consciously moving in the opposite direction from where Castle was in his car talking to Gina, they walked to the corner to hail a taxi.

When they entered Kate's apartment, Lanie ordered, "Get out your bags and I'll get the wine. You have half an hour, so throw everything you want to take on the bed and I'll pack it while you shower."

"I don't even know what to take."

"Wasn't that trip with Demming supposed to be a B&B near a beach?"

"I wish I hadn't started anything with him. It was wrong of me. I hurt both of them."

"Too late to worry about what was wrong; you can apologize to Demming next week. Right now, think about saving what's right. Just get out whatever you planned to take to that beach and take it to this one."

"No. That sounds wrong, too," Kate answered, making a face and shaking her head.

Lanie huffed in impatient understanding. "Then what else do you have? Bathing suit? Do you have a decent one?"

"Bottom left drawer in the back. Black one-piece."

"One-piece? Really? No bikini for Writer-Boy?"

"But I've never thought about that one-piece with another man in mind. Castle said that, after the divorce from Gina, he had the whole beach house redecorated to get rid of all the ex-wife vibes. I can't take clothes that have an I-meant-to-wear-these-for-another-man vibe."

"And yet he was about to re-introduce ex-wife vibes to his new decorating when he thought he couldn't have you. You're both pathetic."

"You don't have to rub my face in it, Lanie. I know what a mess I've made."

"Then try to fix it this weekend, okay? Shorts?"

"Bottom drawer on the right. The denim ones and the white ones. And these tops and these white slacks," she answered, taking those things from her closet and putting them on the bed. "As soon as I find a couple of dresses, I'll get underwear and shoes," she added as she rummaged through her closet for non-Demming vibe sundresses. "Then I'll take a shower."

"Found 'em," Lanie reported, "And I'm picking out the underwear, Miss One-piece."

"I'll have you know that suit looks really good on. He'll like it. I bought it for that trip you and I were going to take and then had to cancel because of the serial murders last summer. And it's brand new…meets all the standards. What do you think of these dresses?"

"Like the yellow, put the print back. Don't you have a green one?"

Kate took out a green, summery print dress, and Lanie passed approval; then she grabbed sandals and a pair of sneakers from the closet, threw them on the bed, took the clothes she intended to wear, and rushed into the shower.

Lanie folded and packed what was there and then took stock of the underwear and sleep wear, choosing enough for any possibility. Lingerie not taking up much room, she tucked it into the small spaces.

When Kate came back quickly and looking well put together, the ME grumbled from her perch on the bed, "I still don't know how you do that,"

"Murderers aren't too considerate about schedules. You have to do it, too."

"But you make it look so much easier. It takes me a whole lot of griping and throwing things around."

After lining up toiletries on her dresser, Kate tucked them into a small bag that she placed in the outer pocket of the suitcase and asked Lanie, "Can you think of anything I've forgotten?"

"Everything you need is in there. You should be covered for anything short of cocktail dress territory." Standing and smoothing her dress, she said, "I should get going now so you can have the place to yourself when Castle gets here."

"Thank you, Lanie…for saving me from myself…and for all this help."

"And for setting you up so you can have this weekend?"

"Yeah. That, too. And while I'm at it, I should probably include putting up with me. Sorry I jumped on you about it."

Accepting a big hug from her friend, Lanie answered gently, "Let yourself relax and enjoy the weekend away, Honey. I guarantee it's going to be good…for both of you. It's high time the two of you face what's obvious to everybody else."

The ME stood and headed to the door, picking up her purse on the way out, and just as she reached for the doorknob, Castle knocked.

Opening the door, she greeted him with, "Well, obviously I'm not the one you're looking for."

"Thank you for all this, Lanie. We _will_ talk rewards next week," he answered with a smile. "I don't know how to thank you enough."

"Just get over yourselves and work this out. That's enough for me. Too much angst."

He bowed gallantly and kissed the back of her hand. "I'll do my best," he promised.

"See that you do," she answered flirtatiously, and then called out loud enough Kate would hear her as she moved past Castle, "Have fun, you two. And, Kate Beckett, if you don't grab this man while you can, I'm going after him myself."

Castle closed the door behind Lanie and walked farther into the living room. "Do you need more time?" he asked, not seeing Beckett yet.

"No. I'm ready," she answered, pulling her suitcase from the bedroom. "Lanie helped...picked out some things for me while I took a shower. I love her, but I don't always entirely trust her with my clothing choices when I have no input. Sometimes she works at her own purposes. Had to check behind her."

Castle grinned. "Any problems in there?" he asked nodding toward the suitcase.

"I made a couple of minor adjustments…nothing big."

"Anything you want to talk about before we leave? I told you this weekend will be on your terms. Do you want to set them before we go?"

"Can we keep it low-key? Keep mostly to ourselves? I don't want some random picture out there on page six to hurt either Tom or Gina…or to have some opportunistic reporter dredging up the mess that's us while we're still trying to figure it out."

"Me, either. My family knows I'll be at the beach house. I guess your dad knows you were planning to be out of town."

"Yeah, no details, just out of town."

"So nobody but Lanie knows we'll be together. I know a couple of mom and pop, off-the-beaten-path sort of places if we want to go out for dinner one night, but I'm happy with a quiet, relaxing weekend at the house. No pressure, Kate. You have enough of that in the city. Anything else?"

"Are you expecting…"

"No expectations except to enjoy your company…and hope you enjoy mine. You know you can trust me, don't you?"

She nodded.

He put his arms around her gently and pulled her close. "That's what I want most from this weekend…for you to come back believing you can trust me with anything. I know I don't look like long-term relationship material, but it's what I want to be. It's what I've always wanted."

She leaned into his embrace and sighed softly, her head on his shoulder and her hands on his chest between them. "I think I might believe you, but it's hard for me…to believe anybody."

"I know. So, we'll work on that?"

"Yeah, we will."

He couldn't resist planting a little kiss on the top of her head.

"Anything else?" he asked.

"Traffic is going to be terrible, and we have all weekend to talk out anything else. Why don't we start by getting on the road?"

He released her from his arms, from which he realized she had made no effort to escape. And after the resulting enthusiastic, mental happy dance, during which his big smile returned, he took charge of her suitcase and said, "Come on. We can start arguing about radio stations."

She smiled at his familiar, playful tone, followed him out, and locked up.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Once in the car, they were silent for a few minutes as Castle pulled out into the traffic and took stock of how bad it was. The silence felt a little awkward, and he finally broke it by saying, "Once we inch our way out of Manhattan, it should be a little better."

"Shall I start looking for a radio station?" Kate asked, her response mischievous with a touch of nervous mixed in. That relaxed the atmosphere a bit, and they both made an effort toward their normal banter, finally settling on music about the time the traffic eased slightly.

After a couple of false starts, Castle asked, "Why did you start seeing Demming, Kate? What was it about him that attracted you to him rather than me? I need to understand."

She turned down the volume on the radio and seemed to take a moment to think as she looked out the window, not at Castle. "I was being selfish, and I'm not proud of what I did. It was easy with him. He made it clear he was interested in me. I liked him. He was a nice guy, easy to be around, somebody whose company I could enjoy without worrying about it. We hadn't been together long enough to talk about any kind of commitments, hadn't been out all that often; so either of us could end it whenever we wanted. He was safe." There was a small pause. "My heart was safe."

"Your heart was safe?"

"Yeah," she answered quietly.

"I thought you said you trust me. Did you think your heart wouldn't be safe with me?" That thought hurt him enough that it was visible on his face.

A tear trickled down Kate's cheek, and she turned to him and reached out to cover his hand with hers as he drove. "I trust you more than I've trusted anybody since my mom died. That's why it isn't easy with you. Except Montgomery, every man I've trusted since then, has let me down badly in one way or another, and it scares me to trust like that again."

"And you don't think you can trust me not to let you down, too?"

"Somewhere deep down, I think I can; but I'm afraid to trust my own judgment anymore. My track record isn't so good there." She took a breath, seeming to gather courage. "I've heard you talk about your flings, and ex-sex, and watched the ogling and flirting and the models and starlets and society people with you on page six. I can't compete with women like that, and… I don't know, Castle. We work so well together, and you're such a good friend. I don't want to lose that. I like working with you, spending time with you; but you scare me. If Tom disappointed me, I'd bounce back without a problem. If I discovered I couldn't trust you…"

Castle glanced at her in time to catch a fleeting glimpse of another tear as she looked away to try to hide it. Keeping his eyes on the road in deference to her hidden tears, he took her hand and brought it to his chest as he explained, "Kate, the girlfriend I thought I'd marry left me, and two wives left me; but none of that was because I cheated. I'll probably always flirt, but that's all it would amount to; I keep my commitments. They left because I wasn't what they needed, or wanted…or something; and that's left its mark, so you scare me, too. I don't want to lose what we have, either; but I want it to be more. Just wanting to take you to bed was over a long time ago. You're so much more than that to me." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and assured her, "And there's no competition between you and the models or anyone else. You'd win, hands down, any time."

She laced her fingers with his and swiped her other hand quickly across her face before looking at him. "I'm sorry they let you down…and that I did. We're quite a pair, aren't we?"

"Think we can figure it out together? We make a pretty good team."

"Maybe."

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it gently before resting their joined hands on the console between them, and the silence that followed for the next leg of their journey was much more comfortable. It gave him hope.

As they drove farther away from the city, Castle began to hum along with the radio. Later he was softly singing along, Kate soon joining in. Before long, they became the old Castle and Beckett again, laughing and teasing about who sounded best; and by the time they were close enough to their destination to see the ocean, they were no longer so hesitant with each other. Castle called ahead to one of the little mom and pop places he had mentioned earlier and ordered a meal for them to take to his house, stopping at the little restaurant only long enough for him to run inside and pick up their dinner.

When they arrived at Castle's beach house, the tension returned, though not to the same degree as when they started the trip.

"This is yours?" Kate breathed out quietly when he parked in front of his house. "It's beautiful…and huge, but it looks…"

"What? Pretentious?" Castle asked good-naturedly.

"Welcoming?" she answered with a shrug, as if she weren't sure why she decided on that description.

"Good. Because it can't wait to meet you, and I want you to be good friends. You get the food. I'll get the bags." He chose the house key on his key ring and handed it to her. "Here. Go on in and look around. The kitchen is on the left. I'll be right behind you."

Kate nervously unlocked the door, leaving it slightly ajar to make it easier for Castle to get in with their luggage, and was putting the food on the kitchen counter when he came in. He left the bags on the floor near the front door and joined Kate in the kitchen.

"I feel a little bit out of my element," she admitted.

"This weekend is for relaxing and getting to know each other better. This is part of who I am, Kate. I want you to feel comfortable with it."

"Sometimes I forget how much you have. And I have to wonder why you would be interested in me. You have so many other choices."

"I like that you forget how much I have. Not many women I've met do. Some of them wouldn't be interested in me at all if not for the money. It's made me a better man to work with your team. You and the boys only think about the money now and then, expect me to earn my place, pull my own weight and keep up with the team…no rich guy favors. And I like that you see me as Castle, not Richard Castle, famous playboy author. You let me be myself. And apart from an occasional moment of Castle induced insanity, you don't seem to mind so much anymore."

"Well, I hope you left Richard Castle, famous playboy author, back in the city. I'm here to spend the weekend with Castle…maybe Rick."

"I'd like being Rick to your Kate," he answered with a soft smile. "But I'd miss being Castle part of the time, too."

"And I'd miss hearing you call me Beckett."

He wanted her to call him Rick… softly, as if he were the only man she wanted for the rest of her life…while they… No. Too soon. Fighting the urge to kiss her, he changed the subject. "So, would you like the grand tour, or shall we eat first?"

"Food, Castle. Let's eat."

He pointed at a cabinet door. "Glasses are right there, plates in the one to the right. I'll get the wine and the silverware."

The table was set in no time and they both realized how hungry they were. In the stress of the afternoon, party rations were the last thing they'd eaten, and it was nearly dark.

"Eating first was a good choice. I didn't realize I was this hungry," Castle said between bites.

"I didn't realize I was, either, until you brought it to the car and I smelled it. This is so good."

"I had the kitchen stocked and called on the way from Gina's to have your room made up. I'll take the bags upstairs when we're finished. We can start the tour there. Are you almost ready for dessert?"

"No. If I finish this, I'm done for a little while. Dessert after the tour?"

"Sure."

After clearing the table, Castle got the bags and Kate followed him up the stairs. He left his next to his room and took Kate's to another room a couple of doors down the hall.

"You have your own bathroom, so you don't have to worry about bumping into me on the way in or out. Complete privacy. And when you wake up in the morning, you'll see the beach. It's too dark to see much now, but it's a beautiful view."

"Thank you. I don't deserve all this consideration and understanding, but thank you. It means a lot."

"Always." He took her hand…that seemed to be acceptable so far, and asked, "Ready for the tour?"

"Sure. Impress me."

He didn't release her hand, and she didn't try to separate from him; so he showed her the bedrooms, including his, before leading her down the stairs…still holding her hand as if she might disappear if he let go. They started in the living room, followed by his study.

"Is this where I get to stare at you while you work?"

"You don't think you'll be able to keep your eyes off me?" he teased.

"We'll see. Don't get too full of yourself yet," she answered as she peeked into the study. "You have almost as many books here as you do at home." she observed and asked mischievously, "Have you read all of them?

"I rarely put one on the shelf if I haven't read it."

"Impressive. I like that they aren't just for show."

"And I like impressing you," he answered as they moved to the next room. "This is the game room. It was a playroom for Alexis when she was little. We gradually added the game table and the video games as she got older, but the board games are still in the closet. We still get them out now and then." Pointing to his left, he said, "This goes to the laundry room. There's a changing space there and a door that opens to the back yard. Convenient when our clothes are full of sand or salt water. The beach is great, but it has a few inconveniences."

"Totally worth it, though," Kate answered.

"You can't see much tonight, but would you like to walk down closer to the water? I'll show you the pool tomorrow."

"I love hearing the ocean. It's…relaxing."

"Then come on. You need relaxing. There are a couple of benches out back. We'll walk down close enough to see what we can without getting wet, and then we can sit out here for a while and just listen."

He finally released her hand, opened the door near the kitchen for her, and followed her out. The sound of the waves rolling up on the shore increased on being outside, and the ocean breeze ruffled Kate's hair. When they reached the edge of the sand, she sighed and closed her eyes, a peaceful look on her face.

Castle couldn't help himself. He put an arm around her shoulders and dropped a little kiss on her head. "Kate, Beckett," he said softly, "I don't think I've ever seen you look this content."

"I'd forgotten it was possible," she answered, looking up at him before leaning her head against his shoulder.

They stood that way for a few minutes, enjoying the ocean and the moment, and then walked back to one of the benches and sat down together. Encouraged by the fact that she had voluntarily leaned her head on his shoulder, Castle sat down and stretched an arm over the back of the bench in invitation and wrapped it around her shoulders when she sat beside him; and she again leaned against him. They sat for a while, doing nothing more than enjoying the absence of distractions and the possibility of being called in. He eventually voiced his curiosity.

"We've both been uncommonly honest today. I know why I was. What was your excuse?" he asked gently.

"Esposito said you might not want to stick around and have to watch me with another man. Montgomery said something about the case reminding him how short life can be…that it makes you realize you need to say the things you want to say while you still can."

"That's why you broke it off with Demming?"

Kate nodded. "There were things I needed to say to you…and I needed to be free to say them. Lanie made me promise I wouldn't miss another chance with you if I got one. Then she staged her intervention to make it happen. I thought I had waited too long and ruined us."

"We have good friends."

"We do," she agreed "I was afraid I might never see you again. Why did you bother to come back and give me another chance?"

"Because I think there's something between us that's worth fighting for," he admitted, absent-mindedly drawing small random patterns on her upper arm with his fingertips. "And there were things I needed to say, too. I think we've said some of the most important ones. You look exhausted. Want to table the rest until tomorrow?"

He felt her nod against his shoulder just before answering, "Please?"

"Then, may I see you to your door, M'Lady?" He stood and held out his arm, and she stood and took it as if they were leaving in tuxedo and ball gown.

"Thank you, kind sir. Chivalry is not dead."

"Not here. A gentleman should always see his lady home safely."

When they reached Kate's bedroom door, Castle put his arms around her and kissed her head again. In flats instead of the tall heels she usually wore, her head was in the perfect place for kissing; and he loved being allowed to do that. He thought she seemed to like it, too. It felt right.

She responded by standing on tiptoe and kissing his cheek, lingering a tiny moment longer than necessary, and he began to back away toward his room.

"Thank you for the separate room…for understanding."

"I told you …no pressure. My bed and I will be more than happy to have you any time you're ready, but that isn't the reason for this trip. I'd like to think we'll end the trip wanting to be ready sometime soon, though."

"This weekend seems wrong for that. We both planned to spend it with somebody else. It kind of feels like…bedhopping…without the other beds. And we hurt two other people to be here. I hurt three, and I really hate that it included you."

"I think it was four, Kate. It doesn't look like you escaped unscathed, either."

"I guess not," she agreed, then added hesitantly. "And, since we're being uncommonly honest today… Your bed… I think I've been ready for that for a while…just too stubborn to admit it to myself. So…the next time I'm here…when I come back to visit later… "

"If you say anything else like that, there may be a murder."

"You'd kill me? For being honest?" she asked with mock seriousness.

"Of course not. Not you."

"Then who's your victim?"

"Chivalry…in the study, with the candlestick…or whatever blunt object I can find."

He couldn't stop himself any longer. He walked back and planted a teasing kiss on her lips around their easy grins and leaned back in for one extra; then he backed away, pointing to his room with his signature smirk, and picked up his large duffel bag, which was still in the hallway near his door. "Until tomorrow, Detective."

"Until tomorrow, Rick."

This was who they were together when they set their minds to it…capable of accomplishing things effectively while merging serious, sincere, and silly into a single short moment of conversation. They both smiled as they went into their separate rooms, a lot more comfortable with their situation than they had expected to be so early in their trip.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Castle woke the next morning with sunlight streaming through his windows and memories of Beckett in his mind…and the smell of coffee and bacon wafting in from his kitchen? Was she cooking for him? He threw the covers back and went downstairs to investigate.

There was Kate Beckett in his kitchen, coffee already made, the table set, a plate of bacon over the warming area on the stove, bread in the toaster, whisked eggs ready for the pan, and probably fresh squeezed orange juice in the refrigerator, since he could see that the small juicer had been used.

"Good morning," she said as she adjusted the burner and started the toast and eggs before greeting him with a smile.

"You didn't have to do all this. You're my guest, and I intended to do this for you. But it's a nice surprise. Anything I can do to help?"

"It was time for me to do something for you. Consider it another thank you for going to such trouble for me. And if we have any chance at making this work, I have to share the responsibilities. Count breakfast as a start."

"I like the sound of that…making us work," he answered, smiling back. Best morning he'd had since she moved out of her temporary room at his loft and into her new apartment.

"Orange juice is in the fridge. You get that and the bacon, and I'll have everything else on the table in a couple of minutes.

He leaned around her to leave a kiss on her cheek before he got the orange juice and came back for the bacon. She transferred everything else to the table, and they talked as they took their time with their meal.

"You're going to need to get some writing done today, aren't you?" she asked as she sat down.

"Before our weekend plans, Gina already wanted two chapters by Tuesday. She doesn't understand that inspiration doesn't strike on a regular schedule. I have half a chapter written, and I know how I want to finish it. We'll see how the next one goes. I hope it comes easily 'cause there's going to be hell to pay if it isn't in her inbox first thing on Tuesday. I'll probably hear about it…loudly…if it isn't there at whatever ungodly hour she opens her eyes that morning to check."

"Is she an early riser?"

"Sometimes. This time she'll probably have her clock set for five on Tuesday so she can ream me out again if it isn't there. I was definitely not her favorite author when I dropped her off at her place yesterday. Was Demming angry when you talked to him?"

"No. He was really nice about it, and he understood right away that I wasn't just backing out of the weekend. Maybe, somewhere deep down, he already knew, too. I should probably wear a sign. 'Caution. Do not date this woman. She can't handle relationships.'"

"You're doing fine this weekend…so far, anyway."

He looked down and fiddled with the silverware as he admitted, "Some of this is my fault. Demming asked me if there was something between us before he asked you out, and I told him we were just friends. I wanted to tell him there was, but I didn't have the right to make that decision for you…and I… When you talked about him, you said he made it clear that he was interested in you. If I had done that before you met him, would it have made any difference?"

"I don't know. I was pretty deep in denial then. I wish I hadn't been." She reached across the table and covered his hand with hers.

"He hesitated before asking, "Did you and De…" Then he stopped. "Forget I even started that sentence. I'm sorry. I shouldn't…"

"No. I want you to know. That's probably what would have happened this weekend. But I finally realized it was a line I didn't want to cross with him. That one will be yours."

Castle took her hand in his. "If we're together, Kate, there will never be another woman. I need you to believe that. God, we've made such a mess of this. You'd think two normal adults could do better."

"Nothing about us is normal, Castle," she said, sounding resigned. "We talk about ugly murders and autopsy reports while we eat hamburgers at Remy's. We even met because somebody created a real murder to imitate the one you put together for a book. We've both been hurt often enough we can't believe anyone can be what we need. We're both strong, intelligent, independent people; but when it comes to this relationship between the two of us, we're as bad as kids in junior high. At least we're trying now, but normal may never be us." Sliding her thumb over his fingers, she added, "And I do. I believe you. There won't be another man, either."

He started to say something but didn't. Instead, he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it lovingly, smoothing his thumb gently over her knuckles when he returned their hands to the table top.

"That last piece of bacon is yours," she told him, lightening the mood. "Don't hold back. I know you want it."

He grinned and made a little show of enjoying it, and she laughed.

"What are you going to do while I'm writing?

"I think I'll clean up the kitchen and then go for a run along the beach before it gets too hot…give you some thinking space."

"Not too much. I like having you in my space."

"I like being there, too."

"So the honesty didn't disappear overnight?

"The new us?"

"I hope so. Beckett, I'll take any kind of us; but I really like the version where I can kiss you and not worry about whether you'll pull a gun on me."

"That layer of the Beckett onion is history," she answered with a smile.

He leaned over and kissed her gently then moved back and took the last bite of his breakfast.

"Where do you usually write?"

"The study. Sometimes next to the pool or sitting on the couch. I get a little lost in it sometimes, so don't think I'm intentionally ignoring you if I don't notice you're there."

"And what would get your attention? Would I have to do a little dance or something?" she asked mischievously as she stacked dishes to return to the kitchen.

"That might work," he answered. "But I'm pretty sure a kiss would do it."

Returning for the rest of the dishes, she asked, "Like this?" She placed her hands on his shoulders, leaned over from behind him, and kissed his cheek.

Covering her hand on his shoulder to keep her there, he quietly answered, "Or this," and kissed her lips gently.

"I think I can manage that."

"Well, now that I'm inspired, I should get out the laptop. Maybe I'll start writing this book's version of page 105."

She laughed. "I'm not sure I want to know."

"Let me know when you get back…no matter how zoned out I might look," he instructed as he stood and cleared the rest of the dishes.

"Leave those and get busy. I refuse to be any part of the reason you don't meet your deadline."

Beckett ran on the beach for a little over an hour. Before leaving, she hung a bright pink beach towel over one of the Adirondack chairs behind the house so she would recognize her home base when she got back. Seeing the bright terry cloth that marked the end of her run, she slowed her pace and ran a little way past the house and back to cool down; then she took off her shoes and socks and waded in the surf for a while.

When she went inside, she got a drink of water and stopped with it at the door of the study where the tapping of computer keys could be clearly heard. As he had said, he looked oblivious to everything around him, concentrating on whatever he was writing. She watched his fingers flying over the keys for a couple of minutes and smiled at the sight before going upstairs to take a shower. The shower accomplished, she dressed in shorts and a tank top, took her time, and wandered around the house finding things she had missed during the quick tour the previous night…some family pictures, small decorative objects and such. Eventually finding her way back to the study with its oblivious occupant, she walked in and did as he requested. She came up from behind him and leaned to kiss his cheek to get his attention, and then his lips when he turned to her, surprised.

"Just letting you know I'm back. I don't want to slow you down, though. Will it bother you if I pick out a book and read by the window while you work?"

"No. Help yourself. I made some iced tea before I started working. I like it sweet, but I didn't know about you. Sweet is in the clear pitcher. Unsweet is in the red one. It's there if you want it."

"Thanks. How is it going?"

"I'm only about a page short of finishing the chapter and have some ideas for the next one."

"Congratulations."

"Thank you. You can take some credit, too, you know. My inspiration is close by. How long have you been back?" He turned and pulled her around beside him, putting an arm around her waist.

"About forty-five minutes," she answered, draping her arms around his shoulders. I took a leisurely shower, dried my hair, and wandered around looking at things for a while. I love this house."

"Glad you like it. I want to see you in it often, and Alexis and Mother will love having you here."

"You really think so?"

"They liked having you at the loft for a while. Why wouldn't they like having you here?"

"Being at the loft was meant to be temporary. If we…" She stopped and let that comment go in favor of, "They knew they didn't have to have me there too long."

"Don't sell yourself short. They missed you when you left…talked about it off and on for a week. I missed you when you left, too. I wanted to keep you there. It felt right."

"And I missed you. I didn't really want to go; but I felt it, too, and it scared me witless. So I ran…pushed harder to find a new place."

"You won't run again, will you?"

"Don't let me. Keep me reminded that I don't want to."

"I will." He smiled as if she had given him a gift.

"Back to work, best-selling author. This won't get your chapters finished."

She kissed the top of his head, and he smiled up at her, recognizing the reversal of roles.

"I'll take a break when I finish this chapter," he promised, rolling his shoulders back a few times.

"Are your shoulders tight?" she asked.

He nodded. "Sometimes I lean over the keyboard at a funny angle and get into the story long enough to forget that I need to move now and then. Gets to my back sometimes, too."

"Lean back," she ordered.

Castle leaned back and Kate massaged his shoulders and the base of his neck. "You're still in your pajamas, aren't you?" she teased as she worked. "Is this what I'll have to look forward to?"

"Probably. I never worry about how I'm dressed when the magic is working." He leaned his head forward, closed his eyes, and all but moaned. "Oh, that feels good. You have some magic working, too."

"You get another minute, then it's back to work. I'll find a book and go somewhere else where I won't distract you."

"No. Sit and read by the window like you planned. It won't bother me. You saw how involved I was, and it makes me happy to have you close by."

"Even if you don't notice I'm there?" she asked, sounding amused.

"Yeah. My subconscious knows," he answered mischievously.

"Okay. If it makes your subconscious happy."

She finished the massage and kissed his head again before leaving the room, saying, "Be right back." Returning with two glasses of iced tea, she put one on his desk and took the other to the table near the window before walking over to peruse the bookshelves. "Let me know if you want a refill later. Do you want something to eat?"

"Not now…and thanks," he answered, lifting his glass to her before taking a sip; then he sighed contentedly, read the last section he wrote, and returned to the world he was creating before he stopped.

For most of the early afternoon, Kate read and Castle wrote, not entirely ignoring each other, simply satisfied with what they were doing and happy to be existing in close proximity.

Finally Castle stopped, saved his work again, closed his laptop, and stretched. "My breakfast is getting lonely in here," he announced with a hand on his stomach. "Do you want a sandwich?"

"If you let me help."

"We can eat by the pool if you want. Get some fresh air."

"Sounds good."

They put together a meal and ate it poolside, relaxing in lounge chairs afterward.

"Sorry to desert you like that for so much of the day."

"You didn't desert me. You even told me ahead of time to expect it. It was enlightening to see you in writer mode…all quiet and intense…and to know you're creating a book millions of people are going to love…and calling me your inspiration for it. I might even have fan-girled just for a minute or so. But if you tell anybody I said that, I'll swear you're lying."

He gave in to his little smirk. "Your secret is safe with me." He sighed and said apologetically, "I hate to desert you again, but the words are just dying to get out of my head. Sometimes it happens that way, and I can't afford not to take advantage. If I get well into another chapter today, we'll have most of the next couple of days free."

"Hey, this is your real job, and mine distracts you from it all the time. This weekend, I'm working with you. There are plenty of books on your bookshelves, and I can make us a late dinner when you're ready. Do what you need to do."

"Will you come back and read in the study? Even when I'm distracted, something in me knows you're there and wants you to stay. It feels good."

"I liked it, too," she answered with a shy smile.

They returned the dishes to the kitchen; and, hand in hand, they went back to the study and then to their earlier positions, both comfortable with the feeling of quiet partnership.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Castle would stop now and then to stretch or roll his shoulders then lean back in the chair to read what he had just written and make an adjustment or two, or to jot down something he didn't want to forget when it came up later. Then he would dive back in for a while. With the exception of a few words exchanged after quick bathroom breaks, the couple hadn't communicated, and yet neither of them had felt ignored.

Later, Castle was roused from his writing haze with another kiss on his cheek and told that dinner was almost ready.

"Do you want to look for a good stopping place, or would you like me to keep it warm for you until you're ready for it?"

"Is about ten minutes okay? I need a break, anyway. I should put it away for the night…let it percolate while I pay some attention to the beautiful, patient woman in my house."

"Ten minutes is perfect. I'll finish up and put it on the table. See you in a few."

She trailed her hand over his shoulder as she left, and he closed his eyes to relish it before finishing his last few paragraphs of the day and saving his work. After closing his laptop, he stretched several different ways and then walked to the kitchen, reveling in the idea that Kate Beckett was in his home for the weekend, taking care of him while he was absorbed in his job. That thought was on his mind when he entered the kitchen, and there was an amused smile on his face.

Kate looked up from where she had just put the last dish on the table and asked, "What has you looking so entertained?"

"The role reversal. You're making sure _I_ eat when I've been totally absorbed in my work."

She looked at the table then back at him and chuckled. "My turn, I guess. Looks like we both have some work to do on that score. As long as one of us is aware, we'll both probably survive."

"This looks good."

"Here's hoping," she answered as they both sat down.

"No more writing today, I promise."

"Think you'll meet the deadline?"

"I might even get it in a day early if I take some time to work tomorrow. This morning, I made some revisions in what I had already written; and after that, it just started happening. One of those times when the story falls together and it's like they're talking and I'm taking dictation. Then there was some action, and I had to work through describing that, but I think it went well. I don't even consider procrastinating when it works that way."

"You kind of light up when you talk about it. It looks good on you."

"So, putting up with a writer might work out?" Seeing her smile, he asked, "You really didn't mind having to entertain yourself for most of the day?"

"No. You don't need to worry about it. I haven't had an entire afternoon to spend lost in a good book for a long time. And I got in a little creepy staring of my own a couple of times, watching you writing what will probably be another best-seller that I'll be able to read later."

"I missed catching you staring at me?" he whined disappointedly, and she grinned at him.

"I'll do it again sometime when you're paying attention.

"Promise?"

She nodded, and they both smiled and went back to their dinner without feeling the need for more conversation.

After the kitchen was put back in order, Castle suggested, "Why don't we sit on our bench out back and enjoy the ocean again?"

"It's already 'our bench'?"

"It is in my head."

"Then let's go watch the ocean on our bench," she agreed as she reached for his hand.

They sat for a while, in the same positions as the night before, talking about inconsequential things until it was nearly dark.

"Could we walk a little way down the beach?" Kate asked, "We've both been sitting most of the day."

Castle stood and offered her his hand. "Anything you want."

"Just a walk on the beach, Castle. That's all I need."

They wandered down the sand at a leisurely pace, staying on the flat, wet part of the sand but away from the water.

"I like being with you," he said suddenly, and she looked up at him with curiosity. "It's more than that," he continued. "I feel…at home when I'm with you." Pausing without looking at her, he closed his eyes with a nervous look as he asked, "Was that too much? Did I just make you want to run again?"

It worried him when she took her hand from his, and he opened his eyes to gauge the damage he might have done. When he realized she had moved her hand only to allow her to slide her arm around his waist, relief washed in like the waves they were skirting.

"I feel at home with you, too…and it scares me half to death," she admitted. He put his arm around her shoulders; and, in spite of her proclaimed fear, she leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked.

"Alexis and I used to take walks like this. Sometimes I'd take her out about this time of day when she was little…usually to wear her out so she'd sleep. I can still see her excited little three year old self stomping at the edge of the water and squealing with excitement when a wave splashed over her feet."

"And when she's here now? Do you still take evening walks? Does she still get excited about the beach?"

"Sometimes. Not as often. But she still likes the beach." He looked over at her and squeezed her shoulder. "Most women don't bother to ask things like that…aren't the least bit interested in Alexis."

"I don't even know how to answer that. She's your child. One conversation is all it takes to see how important she is to you."

"Very few of them ever met her. That was the litmus test. There had to be some unsolicited concern for her…more than once."

"Did Meredith come with you on your walks?"

"Meredith wasn't around that long. We were divorced before I bought this place. It was a once in a lifetime deal, and I bought it with the proceeds of the next best-seller after the divorce. I've brought Alexis here with me for the summer every year…until this one."

"So her mother was gone by the time she was three?"

"And didn't seem to give us a second thought for a while." He took a deep breath, deciding Kate should know. "She cheated on me. I caught them. Her director…in my own home, while she should have been spending time with our daughter."

Kate held his waist tighter and leaned closer to him, seeming protective. "That had to have hurt."

"When she left and followed the other man to California, it was a relief. I didn't have to decide how to throw her out. I was handling almost all of the parenting responsibilities anyway, and she didn't make any attempt to gain custody. So when she was gone, I had my little girl to myself without the distraction of the arguments or the constant going and coming 'because she was bored', or the frequent auditions, or the whining that we never had fun anymore. Home was a much more peaceful place. But Alexis cried for her…asking for Mommy. That hurt, too."

"And Gina?"

"I was lonely. We got along well working together, had interests in common, gradually got closer…then a _lot_ closer. She understood about Alexis…had already been around her enough that Alexis was familiar with her. It felt like the right next step at the time. I may have married her as much for Alexis to have a stable woman in her life as I did for myself…still not sure about that. I don't think she was ever happy with the real me…the dad who needed time with his daughter, had toys, played video games. It was as if she'd started believing the hype she and Paula had created for me and was disappointed with the real thing. By the time it was over, Gina and I argued about everything…especially the books and the writing. It wasn't healthy for any of us."

"Were she and Alexis close?"

"She didn't have a raging desire for motherhood, but she was good to Alexis. I never let her get too close, though. Maybe I could feel that it wasn't going to last, or maybe I just didn't want to let Gina into our bubble. I don't know. Either way, some of the blame is mine. I've never let a woman get too close to Alexis."

Kate seemed surprised. "But you moved me into the loft and barely warned her. You've always let me…"

"Says a lot, doesn't it? I trusted you with my child, my family, almost as soon as I knew you. You're the only one I've trusted that much. The only other woman who's been in my home more than a time or two is Gina, and I married her."

"Castle… I…"

"You don't have to answer. But, since we're being uncommonly honest, I thought you should know."

She wrapped her other arm around his waist for a few steps and said, "Thank you."

"Enough about my marriage fiascos. Tell me about your childhood, Beckett."

"It was great. I had two parents who loved each other and loved me…in spite of my stubborn streak."

"You, Beckett?! A stubborn streak?" he asked feigning surprise.

She bumped him with her hip and grinned at him.

"I had the whole family experience. Stable family. Nice apartment in Manhattan. Not nearly as big as yours, but very comfortable…two successful lawyers for parents. Never got everything I wanted but probably had more than I needed. Never lacked for anything. Lots of encouragement. Vacations together. My childhood was happy."

"I always wanted that. Two parents, a place of our own, siblings, a dog. I wanted to give that to Alexis, but it never worked out."

"I had a storybook childhood. And I took it all for granted until I was in college and lost Mom, and then lost Dad for a while."

"It had to be hard to lose all that."

"Must have been hard to want it so much and not be able to have it, too."

"Do you want that for yourself…some day?"

"I think about it now and then," she admitted.

"Do you want children?"

"Not now. Maybe sometime in the future. This isn't a good job for a parent, though. I wouldn't want to leave a young child to go through what I did."

"Police officers have kids all the time."

"Which is why there's a fund for widows and orphans. It's something I have to consider."

"I can see that," he conceded.

"Alexis graduates soon. You don't want more children, do you?"

"Under the right circumstances, I wouldn't mind. I loved being a dad….probably would again."

"What would the right circumstances be?"

"A wife to share the parenting with me, to feel certain that we would be a family our child could count on…someone I could grow old with, enjoy grandchildren with. I wouldn't want to be a single parent again."

They were quiet after that statement, both seeming to need time to process that last piece of conversation; and after they had walked a little farther, Castle suggested turning back. When they separated and turned back toward the house, Kate reached out and took his hand.

"Did you ever want to look for your dad?" she asked after a long moment.

"Now and then. He was never a part of my life, though. It's hard to miss something you never had."

"But you did?"

"The family thing again. When I was in school, everybody I knew at least knew where the other parent was living."

"Your mother never told you who he is?"

"She says she doesn't know his name…says she fell in love that night and he was gone in the morning. I've never known if it's true or not. It wasn't easy for her to take care of me alone without much of an income, but she did. And she loved me…in spite of my mischievous nature."

"You?! Mischievous?" she asked with a grin. "Does that translate 'I was always in trouble'?"

"Maybe," he answered, moving his hand to tug gently on her hair in retaliation. "I wasn't a bad kid, but I did get into mischief sometimes. I was always curious."

"Always had to touch things?" she teased.

"I still like to touch things," he answered, wiggling his eyebrows as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder again, tickling her upper arm; and she laughed.

"Tell me about _your_ childhood," she said, slipping her arm back around his waist.

"It wasn't the storybook variety like yours, but not unhappy. I always knew I was loved unconditionally. Small children don't know that other people might have easier lives. They live the one they have and assume that's how everybody else lives, too. We had very small apartments, as a result of very small income. Mother spent as much time with me as she could, but she worked long hours, sometimes two jobs, to keep us afloat. The small parts she could get in shows would replace one job until the show ran its course…usually not too long back then; so there were lots of babysitters from the cast and crew, or other aspiring actresses who weren't working, etc. A few of them had kids I could play with. That was always fun. I spent a lot of time backstage when I was younger. Lots of time in the library when I was older. Mother was married a couple of times, so there were stepfathers, one in sixth grade, and one in high school. I was lucky enough that I could peacefully co-exist with both them; but neither of them lasted long. We moved a lot. I was the new kid in too many schools."

"I've never seen any of that in your bios."

"And you won't. Paula knows my childhood is off-limits. When Mother's acting began to attract attention, there were questions. I was obviously hers, and she had to explain the history behind that; but she skirted the issue with reporters. So what's known is that I never knew my father. The story is out there in the theater circles, but it won't be dredged it up for Mother to re-live because of me," he stated firmly. "Once was enough. She fought the odds and won, and she deserves to enjoy the victorious end of the journey. It isn't of much consequence now, but I still…"

"Want to protect her?"

"Yes."

"Did she ever talk to you about your father?"

Castle huffed a little laugh. "I was in kindergarten before I realized that the other kids knew who their fathers were, even if they didn't live with them. The next year the 'You don't have a father.' answer didn't fly anymore after another first-grader told me, with great conviction, that you had to have a father or you couldn't be born."

"Quite a revelation, I'd guess."

"I confronted her, and Mother's story changed to 'He left and he won't be back. We don't need him.'; and when I brought it up again a couple of years later, she finally said she didn't know his name. Later, when I was old enough to fully understand what that meant, especially in the late sixties and early seventies, it was a whole new kind of revelation. Then I began to remember comments neighbors had made behind her back when they thought I wasn't paying attention. The world wasn't as forgiving a place for an unmarried mother in those days. To have a child out of wedlock was still socially unacceptable in most families back then. But not to be able to identify the father…"

"That must have been hard for you, too. I know how much you love her." She put her free hand comfortingly over the hand he had on her shoulder, and he looked at her appreciatively.

"I've never told anybody all of that."

"Why me?"

"If I want you to trust me with everything, I have to reciprocate."

"You don't let people in either, do you?" she asked, with a look of sudden understanding. "You mention dating, and marriages, and embarrassing situations, and things you enjoy; and you give the impression that your life is an open book. You aren't as obvious about it as I am, but you hide your feelings away the same way I do."

"You must be a detective," he responded with a little smirk.

She smiled up at him and tucked herself a little closer; and they walked a bit farther before the silence was broken.

"How did you handle the…um…revelations about Martha?"

"I kept it to myself with Mother. I didn't want her to know the things I had heard. A month or so into junior high, I was learning to fight. It wasn't all the time, but there were remarks about her sometimes…mostly teenagers in our neighborhood, who had probably heard remarks from their parents. Mother and I only had each other, so there wasn't anybody else to stand up for her. A couple of the boys who liked causing trouble pushed me pretty hard when they needed a target, and various forms of the word 'bastard" were thrown in my direction now and then…mostly in the locker room or on the way home from school where it was easier to get away with it. I'd always make up another reason for the fight when Mother asked. I don't know if she knew or not, probably guessed sooner or later; but I never told her. After I hit puberty, I didn't have to fight much. I was suddenly a lot bigger than most of the others, and they already knew I could hold my own even when I was smaller. Fortunately for Mother, she was in the theater community where people were generally more accepting. Times changed, and the social outlook changed with it. And the gradual acquisition of wealth and fame, has always seemed to move a person's status from socially unacceptable to eccentric and interesting. Things eventually started moving her way, and she seemed happy."

"But how did you handle it personally?"

"She's my mother…my only family. I loved her as unconditionally as she loved me, and it hurt to watch. She never made me feel like a burden…except when I got into trouble, and then I got the full treatment. But I knew I was the reason she had to put up with all that. I knew having me made her life harder. Her family cut all ties to her because of me. They should be my family, too, but I don't even know them. Multiple jobs, lack of sleep, fighting twice as hard for the career she wanted…"

"Stop," Kate said firmly.

He did. Surprised by her demand, he stopped in his tracks, and she turned to him and looked him in the eye forcefully.

"Stop blaming yourself."

Oh, that's what she meant. He quickly understood that she was defending him, from himself. She looked like a mama bear…and it was for him. Well, that was another revelation.

"You weren't the reason for all that," she stated with no uncertainty.

"How can…"

"It was your mother's decisions that put her in that position."

"Beckett…" He looked angry.

"Please, hear me out before you get too angry. Have you ever talked to your mother about that idea? It was her decision that she liked, or loved, your father enough to want to be with him. It was her decision that she didn't want to give her child away to somebody else. It was her decision that she loved you, and that you were important enough to her to make it hard for herself in order to have you. And she made those decisions knowing those comments would happen. She was a tough, brave woman, Rick; and you were a well-loved little boy." She rested her hands gently on his chest. "You should stop blaming yourself. Think about it, Castle. Put yourself in her place. Would you want Alexis to go through her life blaming herself for your choices? You need to let yourself off the hook at least a little bit. The two of you like to give each other a hard time, but I'll bet your mother would be horrified if she knew you've been living with all that guilt."

He pulled her into his arms and buried his face against her neck, leaving a little kiss there; and she wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him protectively.

"Kate," he whispered, and then seemed at a loss for words.

"What else are you hiding in there behind that easy-going, positive personality? And how do we take two people as closed off as we are and make a healthy relationship out of them?"

He lifted his head and kissed her softly. "We've been open with each other so far…something we hadn't done until now. Isn't that a good sign?"

"Maybe it is. So, should we be more scared or less?"

"Could we settle on hopeful instead?"

"Hopeful. Yeah. We can try for hopeful."

"That's my house," he said, pointing it out. "We're almost there. How about a movie? A comedy, maybe? Heavy subject matter on this walk."

"Sure. Your choice. Race you back?"

Castle counted to three, and they took off, laughing like children and releasing the lingering effect of the emotional conversation into the ocean breeze.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Kate woke later than usual on Sunday morning and put on her running clothes before going downstairs. Castle's door was closed when she passed it, indicating that he was probably still sleeping; so she headed for the kitchen to find them something for breakfast. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, though, a quiet, steady clicking of computer keys was issuing from the study; and she went to investigate.

She stopped in the doorway, leaning against the door casing with her arms folded across her chest, and watched for a moment before finally asking, "How long have you been at this?"

Castle's sudden, jumpy movement showed his obvious surprise at hearing her voice, but he was just as obviously glad to see her.

Turning in her direction, he dramatically grabbed his chest and smiled at her. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Good morning to you, too. How long? Most of the night. I slept for a couple of hours, woke up with ideas I didn't want to forget, and I've been here ever since."

She grinned at his theatrical response and asked, "Do you do this often?"

"It's how I work. When inspiration strikes, I take advantage." Then there was a mischievous smile. "Those teeny little running shorts are inspirational."

"They aren't _that_ short," she answered flirtatiously. "I was about to make us some breakfast and then go for a run. Do you want something?"

"I took a break a little while ago to make coffee and get out some muffins. They're on the counter. Why don't you have that before your run, and we can put together something healthier for brunch after you get back."

"Sounds fine. How is it going?" she asked, nodding toward the computer.

"Great. The second chapter Gina is expecting is nearly finished. Most of the initial work is done. I just need to flesh out a little more of the cliffhanger. I need you with me all the time. Writing has been easy this weekend. No telling how much writing I'd get done if I always had my muse around."

"What did I tell you about that word?" she reprimanded menacingly as she walked to the desk and picked up Castle's coffee cup. She left and returned shortly with a cup of steaming hot coffee and a muffin on a little plate.

"This is so you don't have to slow down," she explained. "I'm leaving now." She leaned down and kissed his cheek, and then his lips.

"Thank you." He caught her arm and pulled her back to return the kiss, wanting to say more. He wanted to tell her all the reasons he wanted to thank her, certainly for more than hot coffee and a muffin…and a couple of kisses. But he needed to finish the chapter and have time with her; so he settled for, "You'll let me know when you…"

"As soon as I've had a shower," she promised, with one more kiss on his cheek. "You probably wouldn't want me around before that," she said over her shoulder on her way to the back door.

"I'll always want you around, Kate Beckett," he called after her, and she started her run smiling.

As promised, about an hour and a half later, freshly showered and changed, Kate went to the study to report in; and she greeted him with another neck and shoulder massage and a kiss on his head.

"I could get used to this," he told her. "A beautiful woman taking care of me just because she wants to."

"You take care of me when I'm working…as much as I let you. Even if I don't always make it clear, I appreciate it. It makes me feel…" Her voice trailed away before she finished the sentence.

Castle wondered what she was about to say. Maybe a word neither of them was ready to bandy about quite yet; but if it was on the tip of her tongue the way it was on his, using it might not be far off. He suddenly realized Kate was speaking again and pulled himself back to her words.

"And I'm enjoying taking care of you. It feels good to take care of you."

Leaning his head back to look up at her, he said, "And that's it in a nutshell. Will you remember your last sentence when you argue about my doing things for you? It feels good to take care of you, too."

She kissed his forehead and promised to do her best, then he pulled her around his chair and into his lap and heard a little squeal as she landed.

"Another fun sound I've never heard from you."

She adjusted herself in his lap and put one arm around his shoulders and the opposite hand on his chest, then seemed to think better of it and slipped the hand on his chest up to his neck and sighed as she rested her forehead next to it.

"Did you get your cliffhanger worked out while I was gone?"

"I did. Gina's demands are essentially met. There's a little more work to do, but if I sent her what I have right now, she could get by with it; so I'm all yours for the rest of the day," he told her.

"What would you like to do?" she asked.

"Such a loaded question," he teased, "with you sitting in my lap voluntarily and all."

She sat up and swatted him on the chest. "You're incorrigible."

"That's been said before," he acknowledged. "Come back. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

She leaned back against him, and he sighed in relief, holding her again and happy that he hadn't pushed her away with his teasing. He was determined to stick to her terms for the weekend. He promised, and he needed her to know she could trust him. But he had no intention of missing out on any physical contact she was willing to allow.

They sat for a few minutes, not talking, just enjoying the closeness, small movements of hands on arms or shoulders adding to it. Nothing sexual, just sensual. It felt easy and promising. Eventually someone's stomach growled, and they were too close to decide whose it was. That made the decision that it was time to consider brunch.

As they cleaned up in the kitchen afterward, Kate asked again, "What would you like to do?"

"Does an afternoon of surf and sand have any appeal?" he asked.

"It sounds great, but what about the book? You said you had more to do, and I don't want to be the reason you have any more difficulty with Gina."

"There's no way I can write and not have difficulty with Gina. And, except for this particular moment in time, that difficulty has nothing to do with you. I've ignored you long enough. You're going back to the city tomorrow evening, which is a real downer, by the way; so I intend to spend the rest of the day with you. We could go out for dinner tonight…the little place where we stopped on the way here. It's quiet, mostly local residents. It isn't the kind of place that draws gossip columnists."

She nodded uncertainly, and he asked, "You'd rather stay here, wouldn't you?"

She nodded again. "When I'm here later in the summer, we'll do whatever you want. You can show me all your favorite places."

"Deal. Then let's get our suits on and take advantage of having a private beach."

"You really are rich, aren't you?" she joked.

"Yep. You might as well get used to it." He grabbed her hand and started pulling her toward the stairs.

"You don't really hide it, but you don't make a big show of it, either," she observed. "How do you manage that balance? We see people all the time who may not have as much as you do but still think the world should revolve around them. They don't seem to see anybody else as worth thinking about. But you seem to see the person."

"Part of it is the writer in me. Everybody has a story. But mostly it's Mother again. I watched her rise to the top of her profession without forgetting who and what it took to get her there. She's a good person to have in your corner."

"I know that. I've experienced it first-hand. So are you, Rick Rodgers," she said softly.

"You like him, don't you? Rick Rodgers?" he asked hopefully as he stopped them on the stairs. "That's who I need you to want. It's who I'll always be behind the money, and book titles, and shiny covers, and interviews."

"I like him a lot," she assured him, and placed a soft kiss on his lips to make her point.

He gave her an extra little peck on her lips and they continued up the stairs and changed into their swimsuits. They spent some time swimming in the ocean, then riding the waves before coming in to sit in the sun on their towels for a while. After wading in the surf and playing around in the water for a while longer, they turned to go back and sun themselves again, and almost literally bumped into one of Castle's neighbors, an older man with a winning smile.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed.

"Stan. Sorry. I didn't see you."

Looking at Kate both curiously and appreciatively, Stan answered. "Better things to look at, I suspect. Who is this lovely creature?"

"This is Kate. Kate, my next door neighbor, Stan. We've been friends since I bought the house. His daughter used to babysit mine."

"And I helped with many a sandcastle," Stan told her, shaking her hand. "I might be as big a kid as Rick. Nice to meet you, Kate."

"Nice to meet you, too."

"I'll be right there, Kate. Stan, can I talk to you a minute?"

When they were where the sound of the surf would cover their conversation, Stan said, "She's a knockout, Rick. You did good."

"It isn't what you think. I have a writing deadline to meet. She needed a break from work. She just broke up with a short-term boyfriend, and I didn't bring her here to take advantage of that…well, not exactly. There's been something between us for a while, and this weekend we're…"

He ran his hand through his hair looking frustrated, and Stan seemed to catch on.

"Ooooh. Are you trying to tell me that this one is special?"

"Yeah, she is. Long story, but we're trying to lay low…keep this weekend to ourselves. We're trying to work some things out. Next time she's here, I'll introduce her to everybody. But for now, could you not tell Polly?"

"Sure, kid. But if you want to keep it from the 'voice of the Hamptons', you should probably move your sunning up to the pool. Polly should be here in a few minutes. She told me to start my walk without her and she'd jog down and join me in about ten minutes. Half of that is probably gone, and you know she can't keep a good piece of news to herself for long. She tries sometimes, but it nearly kills her."

"Thanks. We'll get moving."

"Good luck…on all scores. I'll backtrack a little, and if I see Polly, I'll stall. You'll let me know how it goes?"

"Sure will. Thank you."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go!" He laughed as Castle moved quickly back to Kate. "Nice to meet you, Kate," Stan called as he waved and turned back in the direction of his house.

"His wife can't keep a secret to save her life, and she'll be here any minute. Let's move our center of operations to the pool before she gets here. Stan is going to stall for us." Castle told Kate.

"Center of operations? Are we spies now?"

With a very bad Russian accent, and a very playful look, Castle told her that if they didn't move now, their cover would be blown and their mission would fail.

"Castle, that's probably the worst Russian accent I've ever heard." Then she launched into a much better Russian accent, with an equally playful look and said, "We can't allow our operation to be compromised. Get the towels. The codes are sewn into the labels." And she threw things into her bag, grabbed it, and ran toward the pool.

Castle stood in shock for a second before taking off after her, laughing. On reaching the pool, he found Kate hiding behind a lounge chair near a table, taking a seemingly serious look at the beach. "Is that the enemy approaching?" she asked.

Castle stooped to the ground close to her. "That's her. Get down." He looked at Kate and grinned. "You played spies with me."

"Yeah," she answered, using her own voice. "Too silly?"

"Of course not. I thought you were about to make fun of me with the center of operations thing."

"I like Ricky Rodgers, remember?" And she grinned back.

"Is the enemy gone?" he asked.

"Walking out of sight on the beach," she reported, both of them standing and checking to be sure the neighbors were gone. She turned to face him more seriously. "It probably seems silly to you that I want to keep this weekend to us…and want to put off something we both want."

He sat down on one of the wide lounge chairs and pulled her down to sit with him. Taking her hand, he said, "It isn't silly. And I think you were right. All I've done is kiss you and hold you, but I already feel closer to you…and I understand you a little more than I have before. We needed this weekend entirely to ourselves, and we needed to be respectful of the people we left behind in order to have it. We took time to talk about some things we needed to know about each other. And sex, as appealing as the thought of it is, would probably have distracted us from some of that. See? You're not as bad at these things as you seem to think you are."

"Neither are you."

"I wanted to take you for dinner at the little place we stopped on the way here." It was presented as much as a question as a statement.

"Do they deliver?"

"They do for me."

"Is there a story there?"

"Alexis and I got to know the owners over the years. They treat us like family. I try not to take advantage, but I will tonight."

"You're enough, Rick. I don't need to be wined and dined. Maybe next time."

"We're going to have a next time. I haven't frightened you off yet." He smiled contentedly as he leaned back in the chair, propped up his feet, and closed his eyes."

"You must be exhausted," Kate said as she watched him. "You were up writing almost all night, and you've spent the entire afternoon trying to entertain me."

"I've spent the entire afternoon entertaining myself by being with you. Don't feel guilty about my choices." He opened one eye to see if she recognized her words from the night before. When he saw that she did, he patted the space beside him, encouraging her to lie down with him; and she chuckled and stretched out beside him.

"Good comeback," she answered. "You could be a writer."

He chuckled then, and they settled in each other's arms and gradually drifted into a long nap, waking up at dusk when a thunderstorm was rumbling in the distance and dropping rain on them.

"In the house, now," Kate ordered, grabbing the towels and her beach bag.

"Right behind you.

They had just reached the open space between the house and the pool when they saw Stan and Polly jogging back up the beach toward home. Kate plastered her back to the back of the house and used her Russian accent again. "Enemy approaching at three o'clock," she reported sharply. Stand in front of me, big boy. The codes are still safe."

Castle did as he was told, and waved as Stan looked toward the house, after which he turned to assure her that 'the enemy' was out of sight. Then, in absolute glee that the extraordinary KB was still playing with him, he scooped Kate up in his arms, bag and towels included, and carried her back to the house, both of them laughing.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Kate reached down and opened the back door, and Castle maneuvered them inside the house without running her into a door or a wall. He would normally be congratulating himself for that, but both of them were too busy laughing at themselves.

"We've been together for two and a half days…just the two of us, non-stop." Castle said with a big grin, "We haven't had an argument yet, and we're having fun. Stupid, silly fun. And that grin on your face is as big as the one on mine. You loved being goofy."

He planted a solid kiss on her lips before he eased her into a standing position, and she stayed close enough to him to stretch her arms around his neck and return the kiss in kind.

"You didn't expect goofy, did you?" she asked, teasing.

"So you admit it?"

"Yep. I can be goofy…and love it." She followed her statement with a ridiculous face that included crossed eyes, her tongue sticking out, and her mouth twisted in an odd direction."

Castle laughed out loud and asked "How can anybody look that silly and still be that sexy? Detective Beckett, you would fit right into my family."

"Your family wasn't all that goofy while I was there. But all of you could probably pull that off."

"So, you think I'm sexy?"

"That's what you got out of that exchange, huh? But I do wonder how in the world do you manage to hide all this at work, even under those jackets." she said, running her hands down his arms to his elbows and up over his chest appreciatively.

Taking her hands in his and holding them against his chest, he answered, "Too much of that could put chivalry in serious danger again."

"Sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"No need to be sorry. A man's ego can always handle another compliment."

"Somehow I think chivalry is safe with you." She stood on tip-toe to leave a little peck on his lips. "And I think I probably am, too. You're a good man, Richard Castle." She squeezed his hands before letting them go and backing away. "We should probably clean up and put on some actual clothes…rinse the salt and sand out of these suits."

"You go ahead and take a shower. I'll call and order something for dinner, then I'll get cleaned up, too. I should be done by the time the food arrives."

After dinner, Kate asked again about the chapters he needed to finish.

"I really don't want to be the reason you don't have time to turn it in the way you usually do."

"The first one is ready to be proofed. Alexis usually does that for me. I just leave out anything I don't want her to read and go over those parts again myself before I turn it in. She's good."

"But, since she isn't here, you have to do it yourself? If you want to get back to it tonight, I don't mind reading while you work on it. I didn't quite finish my book…well, your book."

He looked at her speculatively for a moment, then asked, "Would you be the least bit interested in proofing the finished chapter while I take another look at the other one?"

She looked delighted. "I get to see it before anybody else? Your unpublished work?"

"You're not planning to spill the beans to anybody, are you?"

"Of course not!"

"Then, yes. You see it first."

"So what do you want me to look for, grammar, punctuation, and typos?

"If you want to comment on something, jot that down, too. You don't mind doing this?"

"I'll feel better if I contribute to getting it done on time." She paused a short moment and added shyly, "And I'm kind of excited about it."

He smiled at that and stood, "I'll go and print it out for you, then."

She stood and followed him to his study, taking the pages he gave her to her chair near the window and sitting down with a pencil. After reading through the chapter once and making a few corrections, she went back and read it again, afraid she might have been lost enough in the story to have missed something.

Castle sat at his desk making adjustments to parts of the other chapter and was satisfied with all but one paragraph. He looked up and caught Kate staring at him. "What?" he asked.

"I told you I'd stare at you again sometime when you were paying attention," she said mischievously. "Since I've finished proofing, now was as good a time as any."

"You're staring at me while _I_ do paperwork. Lots of firsts on this trip." He was sure she could tell he was pleased. "You've finished?"

"There wasn't a lot to correct. I even went through it a second time while you were working away over there. There are a couple of comments in the margins. I hope I didn't overstep." She took her completed assignment to him and kissed his cheek as she left the pages on his desk. Noticing the annoyed look he was giving the computer screen, she observed, "You look like something doesn't suit you."

"Just this one paragraph. Otherwise I think I'm satisfied enough to turn it in."

"Which one?"

"This one." He pointed it out on the screen. "The content is okay, but I don't like the way it reads. Something's wrong with…"

Kate was reading over his shoulder as soon as he pointed it out. "What would happen if you took the last phrase of the second sentence and moved it here?" She pointed at the screen. "Then you could…"

"Do this," he said excitedly, reworking the middle of the paragraph exactly the way she was about to suggest.

Looking up at her and seeing the surprised look on her face, he asked confidently, "That's exactly what you were going to say, wasn't it?" She nodded. "So we're good at this together, too," he stated with a touch of triumph in his tone.

"Looks like it. Do you want me to proof that, now?"

"Not now. I thought we could watch a movie. No book involved. Snuggle on the couch, maybe?"

"Sounds nice."

"Go pick out a movie. I'll save this and be right there."

After deciding on one of Kate's movie suggestions, they watched it, commenting now and then as they sat cuddled together through most of it. When the movie ended, Castle clicked it off with the remote and turned off the television, but neither of them was in any hurry to move from where they were.

"I don't want this weekend to end," Kate said softly.

"Neither do I."

"I think I like being honest with you, but it takes a lot out of me. I'm fighting myself all the way."

Castle kissed her head, and knew she could feel his smile as he lingered there.

"Seems to me we've done remarkably well for two non-communicators," he observed. "How is hopeful going for you?"

She moved so she could look at him. "We both know we aren't ready to make any big commitments yet, but I think hopeful looks pretty good. How is it going for you?"

"Looking better all the time."

"You know I don't care about the big beach house or the money or the private beach, don't you? If we were both living on civil servant pay and had to rent a place near a public beach on the Jersey Shore to have a couple of days at the ocean, I'd enjoy being with you just as much."

"I think I already knew that, and I think it's one of the reasons my family likes you so much. They could see it, too." He took a few seconds of feeling wary before he asked, "Knowing that I'm hoping… Knowing I can see a family in… I don't want to get too far ahead of… Do you think you can see any of what we talked about…with me? If you can't, please tell me now."

She touched his face as she answered, stroking her thumb back and forth slowly across his cheek. "I don't see it right away. Sometime in the future… But I've never seen it this clearly with anybody else. It feels good being here with you. It does feel right. I'm so glad you gave me another chance."

He held her tighter and sighed contentedly into her hair. "Yeah. Hopeful is looking better all the time." They sat for a long moment, and he said quietly, "Sleep with me tonight."

"Castle…" she began as she moved away.

"Not what I meant, Kate. Just sleep …but close to me. I don't know when we'll see each other after tomorrow, and I don't want to miss any of what we have left. Sleep beside me tonight."

"Next time I'm here will be different. It's going to be planned for nobody but us. The first time we make love, I don't want the shadow of anybody else hanging over us. Does that make any sense at all?"

"Perfect sense. Didn't I already tell you that you made the right choices?"

"I'll go change for bed."

"I'll lock up and meet you upstairs."

Castle changed into pajama pants and a T-shirt in his bathroom, not wanting to push Kate too far if she got there before he was ready for bed. She came in wearing cotton knit pajama shorts and a tank top.

"Which side is yours?" she asked, standing at the foot of the bed.

"The right," he answered, "unless you have a strong aversion to the left."

"Looks like we work well here, too," she agreed with a little smile, and both slid under the covers on their respective sides, meeting in the middle and being close, nothing more.

Castle kissed her goodnight, she turned away from him, and he spooned against her back, wrapping his arm around her waist; and both of them fell asleep peacefully in no time.

When the sunlight was bright enough to rouse them again, it was Monday…their last day together for a while…and they lingered in the bed in that gauzy, befuddled state between sleeping and waking. Neither of them was in a rush to face the reality of the day, both of them content in the little bubble they had created for themselves. Now and then one of them would mumble something that sounded somewhat like the need for packing, or breakfast, or getting back to the city; and eyelids fluttered open and then closed again, hands wandered lazily over backs, and lips kissed shoulders or arms off and on.

Once she was fully awake, Kate propped herself up on her elbow. "I need to pack. And I need you to take me to rent a car to drive back. Everything happened so fast I hadn't thought about that."

"I'm going to drive you back," he answered. "I'll hand deliver the chapters first thing Tuesday morning as a peace offering for Gina…try to calm the waters. It's much easier to work with someone with whom you can carry on a civil conversation. More importantly, it gives me more time with you."

"But you'll still be spending the summer here?"

"I need to work on the book, and it's easier here. I've told Black Pawn to stop expecting more than one book a year; so when they tell me what they want for a release date, I feel the need to deliver. They want this one out for the holiday season, and…"

"So your helping with my job is limiting yours?" There was a sound of distress in her voice.

"My choices again, Kate. I had done enough research for this whole series when I left last summer, but I like working with you and the guys. It gives my life more purpose. I feel like I'm contributing more than mystery novels. And I like being where you are. You make my day better."

"You make my day better, too." She looked thoughtful and hesitated before saying quietly, looking down at the covers, "You never know how you may touch somebody. For some people they're more than mystery novels."

Seeing her hesitation, Castle turned toward her and propped himself on his elbow, too. "Are you one of them?"

She nodded. "My mother was a big fan. She wanted me to read your books so we could talk about them; but I was a bull-headed teenager who was into much more serious stuff. I couldn't understand why a lawyer, a woman as bright as my mother, would be all excited about murder mysteries. After she was gone, I found them on her bookshelf and read them because they were things that made her happy. And she was right…as usual. I enjoyed them a lot. They made me feel closer to her, left me with a momentary feeling that justice might happen for her someday, like it did in the books. You did that for me when I needed her…and an escape and a little hope."

"Come here." He drew her next to him and held her tight. "I never imagined my books would do that for anybody. I'm glad it was you. Was that after your dad…?

She nodded against his shoulder. "I found them between Stanford and the summer semester at NYU. I didn't have anybody to turn to right then. So, you've been helping me longer than you knew."

"So, that charred around the edges copy of _In a Hail of Bullets_ on your bookshelf?"

"That was hers. After the explosion I couldn't bring myself to throw it away."

"I wish…"

"No. I was a bigger mess then than I am now. It's better this way. And just to keep your ego going…and don't expect that to keep happening as often as it has this weekend by the way…the man is much better than his books."

"The man is happy when he's with you. It's enough of an ego boost that you want to be with him."

She kissed him gently, several times. "It's nine-thirty. I should pack. What time do you want to leave?"

"Want is a strong term. Is there a time you'd like to be back home? You have to be at work tomorrow morning."

"Before ten? The traffic will probably be terrible again, won't it?"

"Probably. We should leave around five. That should get us back by ten even if the traffic is at its worst."

"If I pack now, all we have to do is pick up my bag and leave when we're ready," she said, swinging her legs over the side of the bed."

He caught her hand before she stood and asked, "You're planning to come back here when you have time, right?"

"Yes. Did you think I might not?"

"No. Hopeful, remember? I was just thinking you should leave your clothes here. This morning, you can take care of washing anything that needs it and put it away in your room. When you come back, most of what you need will already be here."

"That makes sense."

"When can you take some time off again?"

"Theoretically I'm not working or on call the last weekend this month, but you know how that goes if we have an open case."

"Then we'll plan on it."

"If the case load works out, maybe I could get a couple of days off before the weekend. Could you stand an extra couple of days of me?"

"Any time…the whole summer."

"You do know this no arguments bubble is going to burst sometime, right? Sooner or later, we're going to get back to annoying the hell out of each other periodically."

"Yeah, I know. But we always get over it."

"Okay, Mr. Hopeful. You have my clothes living in your house without me, a promise that I'll be back as close to the last weekend this month as I can, and most of today left before I have to head back to reality. Anything else keeping me from the increasingly necessary trip I'd like to make to the bathroom?"

"That'll do for now," he conceded and laughed as he released her hand and she hurried into the master bath. He got up and went downstairs to start the coffee and was getting out things for breakfast when she came downstairs with her laundry.

"Do what you need to do with that. I'll take care of breakfast this morning."

She went to take care of her task, and he turned back to the job at hand.

After the meal and the laundry were taken care of, they spent several hours at the pool. They swam laps in lieu of Kate's run, sat and talked for a while, and went in the pool again to simply enjoy it.

"Next time I'll show you the sights around here, and we can walk on the beach without avoiding anybody. We'll go somewhere nice for dinner, and we can go shopping if you want. With two ex-wives, a mother, and a daughter, I'm well-trained for that. So is my credit card."

"That should be fun, but I'll still be here to spend time with you, not your credit card."

"I know. Maybe I just want to show you off."

"Just so you're not trying to get us on page six."

"I'll do my best not to, I promise."

They enjoyed the rest of the afternoon, and reluctantly left for home a little after five o'clock. Arriving at Kate's building, Castle parked the car and took her small duffel bag to her apartment for her.

She let them both into the apartment and sighed, "Back to reality. Thank you for this weekend."

"Even if we hadn't made this much progress on us, it would have been worth it to see you so relaxed. You need that now and then. You work way too hard."

"You do, too. You're there with me for most of it, then you go home to be a dad and stay up all night writing. You come to work with us after some of those nights, don't you?"

"Once in a while," he admitted. "But you forget how many ways I know to procrastinate when the writing isn't going as well as it did for the last couple of days."

"What will you do tonight?"

"I'll go back to the loft and correct the things you found when you proofed the chapters. I haven't seen the one you did in the car on the way home, but those were good comments on the first one. We make a good team at a lot of things."

"Do you want something to drink before you go?"

"I should let you get some rest. First day back after a break is usually busy. And if I stay, you might not be able to get rid of me."

"That wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen."

"Thank you for giving me a chance to prove myself."

"Same goes here." She wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled her face against his neck. "I'm going to miss you," she said softly.

"I'll miss you, too," he answered, holding her close, They stood that way for a moment before he pulled away enough to kiss her several times. "I should go. I've been a gentleman all weekend, and I'd hate to disappoint you now; but temptation is getting harder to ignore."

"Yeah, it is," she agreed, kissing him another time or two.

"Check on those extra days off tomorrow so somebody else doesn't get them first."

"I will. I have plenty of vacation days piled up, and Roy reminds me of them off and on. He may die of shock when I ask to use some of them."

"I'll take these chapters to Gina first thing and get back to the beach house. And, Kate, if anything suspicious turns up on page six, please trust me, no matter how they make it look. I'm not interested in anybody else."

"Neither am I." She looked up at him. "Just so you know… I know they wouldn't intentionally give anything away, but I'm not telling the boys about this weekend, and I trust Lanie to keep it to herself. Next time we're together, we don't have to worry about being covert."

"Unless there's another mission?" he asked with a grin and his bad Russian accent.

"Yeah, that." Kate grinned back.

"Lanie. We owe Lanie a lot. I want to do something for her. Do you think a spa weekend would appeal to her? I can send her a gift certificate for the place Mother and Alexis disappear to sometimes. They rave about it."

"Yeah, we do owe her, and I think she'd love that."

"Then, I'll take care of that tomorrow, too," he promised.

"And I'll take her shopping and buy her something new to wear when she goes."

He kissed her again. "Going now. See you in about three and a half very long weeks."

"Goodnight, Rick." She kissed him once more and then reluctantly backed away.

"Goodnight, Kate," he answered as he left.

On his way out of the building, the doorman asked, "Did you and Detective Beckett have a good trip?"

Keeping up their pretense, he answered, "Each of us did. I drove her where she needed to go on my way to the Hamptons and drove her back on my way home." Leaning toward him as if to share a confidence, he said quietly, "Maybe a trip before too long, though. I think I'm finally wearing her down." The doorman laughed, and Castle waved without looking back as he walked out the door and called out, "'Night, Leon."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Beckett arrived at work early on Tuesday morning to see what had developed while she was gone. Nothing new was on her desk, and she had no new notices on her phone; so she sat down and fired up her computer to check her emails. Just as she sat down, Ryan exited the elevator.

"Hey, Ryan. How was the cookout?"

"Loud, crowded, and busy…with good food. We invited every neighbor on the block because we would probably have alienated all of them if they weren't part of the noise. Then we all piled into a bunch of cars and went to watch the fireworks. Good party," he reported, looking like it was a fond memory.

"Sounds like it," she said with an amused smile.

As he sat down to get into his computer, the next ding of the elevator signaled their third partner's entrance.

"'Morning, Bro'. Good family thing yesterday?"

"Yeah. You do anything?"

"Mami cooked. You know I don't pass up free food."

"What about you, Beckett?" Lowering his voice to keep it between the three of them, he said, "I heard a whisper that you and Demming were going away for the weekend."

"Didn't happen, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't whisper it to anybody else."

"No?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Just didn't feel right. Sometimes that happens. That's as far as you get into my business."

"So Castle is off with his ex and you didn't go anywhere?"

"He wasn't with his ex."

"But we saw them leave."

"He took her back home and left by himself."

"What happened with that?"

"Something about having no business revisiting something that didn't work before…and the definition of insanity being repeating the same thing and expecting a different result. He said he wasn't her favorite author when he took her back to her place."

"I guess not," Ryan chimed in.

"So what did you do for the weekend, Beckett?" Esposito asked. "And how did you come by all that information?"

"I stayed in and relaxed. It was nice. I haven't had time to relax like that in a long time. And Castle and I talked."

"I thought he was in the Hamptons."

"We both know how to use a phone, Espo," she responded, rolling her eyes.

"So he called you?"

"Yeah."

"Why you?"

"His daughter is at a summer seminar at Princeton, Martha is on tour, and you know Castle. How long do you think he'd hold out in a house, probably a big house, with nobody to talk to? He called a friend. Gina had set today as a deadline for the next two chapters, and he knew he'd better have them in on time; so he got them done. We talked when he needed a break."

Esposito looked at Ryan. "This is weird, Bro."

Beckett laughed suddenly as she looked at her phone.

"I'm guessing that's not a body," Ryan stated.

"It's Castle. He got up early and took Gina to breakfast…to calm the waters, he said. And he hand-delivered the two chapters she demanded." She spoke aloud as she texted back, _"So where do you stand with Gina?"_

A new text came in, and the boys were waiting.

"He says the waters are still troubled but the storm is passing. He's headed back to the Hamptons now."

She sent another text without narrating it. _"I miss you."_

" _I miss you. too. Don't forget to check on those vacation days,"_ came back from Castle.

"So what else did he say?" Ryan asked.

"Nothing. Just signing off," she answered, putting her phone back on her desk.

"The man lives a charmed life. So he isn't going to stop by on his way out of town?" Esposito grumbled.

"Black Pawn wants the book finished by September, so he has a lot of work to do. And he stopped by my place for a little while last night. Knew I'd be in, figured you two probably wouldn't be."

"Oh, really?" Esposito said suggestively.

"Sorry guys. He didn't stay long. You don't earn any money on this."

"Money?" Ryan sort of squeaked.

"No idea what you're talking about," Esposito answered.

As both men suddenly became very interested in checking their emails, she responded, "Don't think I don't know." Then she turned to her own emails with a smirk.

Half an hour later they were called to a crime scene, and they were back to everyday business.

By the end of normal business hours, they had done all they could do until two witnesses were available and reports came in from labs. She sent the boys home; but before she left, Beckett stopped at Roy Montgomery's door.

"Got a minute, Roy?"

"What is it?"

"I…um…have a lot of vacation days on the books…"

"Are you telling me you're actually going to use some of them?"

"I'd like to. Could I possibly get four days…two before and two after my weekend off at the end of the month?"

Roy checked his duty calendar, and answered, "Will wonders never cease? You're asking for that much time off, _and_ it's available without my having to juggle a thing. I hope you're asking for time to do something you'll enjoy."

"I think I will, Sir. Going to see someone I enjoy."

"You could have the two days before and take the whole week after your weekend if you want. Just be back for the following weekend on call."

"I think I might do that. I'll turn in the paperwork tomorrow. Thank you."

"No problem. I thought it might take a command from the chief to get you to use any of those days. Glad to see you taking some time for yourself."

Once in her car, she sent Castle a text. _"I have Thursday through Friday of the following week off, the weekend we talked about included."_

A couple of minutes later, as she sat at a red light, she had time to see Castle's answer. _"Can't wait."_

Another text alert sounded, but traffic was such that she had to wait until she reached home to check it before leaving her car. It read simply, _"I miss you…a lot."_

" _I miss you, too."_

" _I have nobody to play with."_

" _Stan sounds like a kid at heart."_

" _Not the same."_

" _Call later tonight?"_

" _I will."_

Later that night, Castle called his daughter before he called Kate.

"Hello, Father," Alexis answered. "How's the writing going?"

"Very well, Daughter. Both chapters were delivered to Gina by the deadline, which was today. I'm feeling temporary relief."

"Did your weekend company work out?"

"That's such a convoluted story, but yes. I wasn't alone. No "getting lucky" as you so elegantly phrased it…and _you'd_ better not, either, by the way, young lady. You have no idea what comments like the one you made do to a father. Anyway, my weekend was good conversation, good company, and getting to know each other better. Just about perfect."

"Anybody I know?"

"Yes, but we're not letting anybody know about that weekend. Anything after that we'll be open about.

"Why not?"

"For reasons covered in the convoluted story I mentioned. I'll fill you in when you get home."

"Are you at least going to tell me who?"

"Detective Beckett."

"What?!" she sort of squealed. "I thought she was seeing that other detective."

"She broke it off with him…for me. Part of the same story."

Alexis gave a frustrated little growl.

"I wanted to tell you because she and I did a lot of talking and being honest with each other, and we decided we're going to see if we can make whatever this is between us work. I've never felt this way about a woman, but if you hate the idea…"

"I don't hate the idea. And Grams won't either. Is Beckett there now? Do I need to tell her that?"

"She went back to work today, but she'll be coming to visit again at the end of the month. We're taking our time, not jumping into any major commitments; so maybe the 'welcome to the family' sort of comments could wait a little while."

"Well, I'm still excited."

"Don't mention it to anybody outside the family yet. Beckett is a very private person, but she knows my life isn't all that private at times. We'll be honest publicly when we have to be; but while we work things out, the quieter, the better."

"I'm really happy for you, Dad.

"Thanks, Baby Bird. I'm glad you approve. Now what are you doing? Are you having fun?"

"Right now I'm studying, but a few of us went for coffee earlier and hung out. I'm having fun, too. I like it here."

"Not too far from home. Sounds great."

"I'll just let you keep believing that I'll go to college close to home."

"Deal. I'll be delighted to live in my fantasy until you see fit to shoot me down. I'll let you get back to your studying now."

"Love you."

"Love you, too."

Castle ended the phone call feeling much better. His daughter approved of his new relationship. He then called Beckett, knowing he had the rest of his night free for as long as she wanted to talk. He could almost hear Esposito telling him he was whipped.

xxxxx

During the next few weeks, Castle and Beckett made frequent phone calls and shot off random texts when the spirit moved them.

Beckett and her team cleared two cases and were feeling close to working out another one.

Castle was churning out pages for his new book faster than he had in a very long time. At first, he thought Black Pawn's insistence on a holiday release for the new book was asking too much of him. Then he spent the weekend with Kate Beckett, full of hope for a future with her, and it seemed to light a fire under him. He had finished the outline for the rest of the book and a partial outline for the next one, and he was so full of ideas that he could hardly wait to get back to his computer. There was very little procrastinating. By the week Kate was due to arrive, he had completed one chapter more than Gina had demanded for an early July deadline and had another one well on the way. His plan was to send in the number of chapters requested and hold the extras in reserve in case his burst of creativity waned later on. If he kept going at this pace, he could chance giving Gina a heart attack and send the extra chapters in early.

The week before Beckett's scheduled vacation the team caught a particularly bad case.

At first it seemed to make sense, and then small pieces of the puzzle started turning up that made earlier pieces not seem to fit anymore. Every time they thought they were about to make sense of it, something else would go wrong.

Well after work hours, at the end of the day on the Monday before Beckett was supposed to leave, Esposito stood to stretch. "Man, we could use some of Castle's wild ideas. Ours are going nowhere."

"Can you call him, Beckett? See if he can see anything we don't? Ryan almost pleaded.

"I mentioned the case when he called last week. I'll call and update him…see if anything comes to him. Go home, guys. We need to get some sleep. We're all so tired we can't see the forest for the trees."

"I can't believe you're saying that. Somebody else usually has to drag you out, kicking and screaming," Esposito answered as he shut down his computer.

"Neither can I, but I'm going home right after I put together everything I want Castle to see. A picture is worth a thousand words and all that."

She picked up her phone and took a picture of the murder board, followed by several more that isolated things she wanted Castle to see clearly. She then went to her computer and organized copies of all the pertinent reports and case notes to send him. After getting home and calling for take-out, she composed a short message and sent everything she had to him; and about the time she was going to call him, her phone rang. It was Castle, sounding excited about being included and asking enough questions to bring him up to speed on what had happened so far.

"This one has been complicated. We're taking the night off. If you have time to take a look, we could use fresh eyes on it."

"If Kate Beckett is taking the night off, it must be bad."

"I don't want to walk off and dump this on somebody else. It's too big a mess. When it's done, all of us will get some time off, and Montgomery will work with me on the vacation time if I have to reschedule. But I don't want to reschedule. I need to see you."

"I wasn't counting on anything other than your weekend of down time. I figured if the extra days materialized, it would be a bonus. Can you still be here for the weekend? I need to see you, too."

"I think I can manage that much."

"I'll look at all this tonight and call you in the morning, whether I find anything or not."

"Okay. Ryan and Espo will be happy to hear from you, too."

"Get some sleep."

"Exactly where I'm going now. Talk to you tomorrow."

"'Night, Kate."

In the bathroom, she got as far as stripping down for a shower but settled for taking care of basics, pulling a sleep shirt over her head, and falling into bed. She was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Morning again. Waking in the same place and position where she had fallen asleep, Beckett groaned and groped around for the alarm; and after dragging herself out of bed, she showered, dressed, had coffee, and went back to work.

All three detectives on the team reached the precinct about the same time; so within minutes of her arrival, the boys were asking Beckett if she had talked to Castle. She relayed his promise to call that morning; and they all took another look at the murder board, engaging in some speculation while they waited.

When Castle called, Kate let him know she was putting him on speaker, and the three detectives gathered around the cell phone on her desk. Following some brief small talk, he pointed out a few things he'd noticed and made a connection they hadn't yet seen. Then Castle asked a couple of questions, one of which triggered a new association in Ryan's mind. That linked to another piece of evidence, and after ideas were bounced around between them for another few minutes, things were looking more promising.

"You think you'll be back at the precinct after you finish the book?" Ryan asked Castle.

"If you can still use my help."

"I guess we could stand it," Esposito answered.

"How about you, Beckett?" Castle prodded.

"I guess I can stand you, too." She rolled her eyes, putting on a show for the boys.

"What about that vacation time you were telling me about? Think it might work out for you?"

"I'm not sure, but between a new set of eyes on the case and all of us getting a good night's sleep, it's looking better."

"So you're feeling hopeful?"

"Yeah," she answered with a little smile. "Hopeful is looking better all the time."

Castle laughed, enjoying her reference to what he would always think of as "their weekend".

"You're off speaker now. Thanks for the help."

In the background, the other two detectives called out their guy versions of appreciation loud enough that Castle could hear them.

"I hope it's helped enough to get you here when you planned," Castle answered quietly.

"Me, too. I'll talk to you later…let you know what happens."

"Let me know when you can leave. I'm sending a car for you…no argument. You're exhausted, and this way you can catch some extra sleep on the way. You can argue with me another time. See you soon."

"We can do that when I call with a progress report. Bye." Turning to the other two detectives, Beckett picked up the file, wiggled it in the air at them, and said, "Let's take this to the conference room, spread things out, and see what we can do with it. Espo, roll the murder board in. Ryan, get in there and boot up the computer. I have a good feeling about this."

They spent most of the afternoon matching their new suspicions to actual evidence. By Tuesday night, after interviewing a couple of witnesses again, the puzzle pieces were falling into place. There was still a lot of work to be done to pull it all together and round up the key players; but by Wednesday night, it was clear that Beckett wasn't leaving her partners with more than a normal workload. And, after the excessive overtime they had all put in on this case, the boys would be given a couple of extra days off as well. Ryan and Esposito insisted that Beckett leave on time and get out of town the next morning before something else could happen.

"So where are you off to?" Ryan asked.

"To see a good friend I haven't seen in way too long," she answered.

"We should have this wrapped up by the weekend, and Roy gave us Monday and Tuesday off. Don't worry about it. Have fun," Esposito told her.

"Thanks, guys. I'll owe you."

Watching her leave, Ryan asked his partner, "What do you think is going on with her?"

"I don't know, Bro', but something's different."

Beckett called Castle as soon as she was back at her apartment, and she jumped into conversation as soon as he answered.

"Hi. Warrants were served, suspects are in holding overnight, evidence looks good… The boys sent me home. They'll have all the details handled by the weekend, and they get the first of the week off, too. I can leave tomorrow morning."

"The car will be there at nine. The driver will call when he arrives."

"Castle…"

"Already done, Beckett. I just sent the email. All I had to do was fill in the time. The driver's name is Darrell. You'll like him."

"Believe it or not, I'm too tired to argue; so I'll just start packing. Wait. I hardly have to do that. Some of my clothes are already living with you."

"Can't wait for their owner to join them."

"Me, either. See you tomorrow."

"Take care of yourself. Until tomorrow, Detective."

Beckett's alarm the following morning wasn't met with any of the reticence of the day before. It was welcomed with enthusiasm. She showered and dressed in a new sundress, chosen a couple of weeks earlier especially with Castle in mind. Coffee was next, and she sat down to drink it with her cell phone beside her. Her purse and overnight bag were already placed next to the front door so when the driver called she could leave immediately. But when the phone finally rang, it was Castle.

"Couldn't wait to talk to me, Castle?"

"No. Just wanted to hear your voice to hold me until you get here."

"We're getting sappy."

"I can live with that."

"When Darrell calls, I'm ready to go. Aaand it looks like that call is coming in right now."

"Answer it and get in the car. I don't want to slow you down. See you soon." He hung up before she even had a chance to say good-bye.

She answered the other call and met the town car at the corner north of her building...and smiled. In spite of his occasional excesses, it seemed that Castle had known better than to annoy her by sending a limo. Darrell addressed her by name, attended to all his expected duties, and they were off to the Hamptons. "Mr. Castle requested that we have coffee and a bear claw waiting," Darrell informed her. "He said the coffee is your usual."

"I'm sorry he put you to all that trouble, but I do appreciate it."

"No trouble, Miss Beckett. Several of us have been driving for him for years. He takes good care of us, and we take good care of him."

She smiled and saluted him by raising her coffee cup where he could see her in the rear view mirror, and he smiled back.

After finishing the coffee and the bear claw, she watched the scenery for a while and eventually drifted into a nap. Checking the time when she woke, she thought she recognized a landmark she had identified relatively close to Castle's beach house.

"Are we almost there?" she asked, sounding surprised.

"Less than half an hour now."

"Oh. A much quicker trip than I thought." With a mischievous twinkle in her eye, she asked, "You're not speeding, are you?"

"Oh, no, Ma'am. Mr. Castle told me you're with the police," he answered good-naturedly.

"Enough of the 'Ma'am', Darrell. I'm Kate."

After Kate checked her hair and brushed it, she asked about a building they passed, and Darrell told her about it. Hair and make-up checked, she settled back in the seat and they talked about a couple of other interesting sights on the way.

"We'll be there in about five minutes, Miss Kate."

She immediately took out her phone and texted Castle. _"Five minutes away."_

" _I'll be impatiently waiting,"_ came back right away, and Darrell caught the smile that followed it in his mirror.

When the car pulled up in front of the house, Castle was waiting for them in the front yard; and Kate was out of the car before Darrell could get to the passenger door. She uncharacteristically ran to Castle, and they just held each other for a long moment, faces buried in necks, each simply breathing in the other. Then Castle lifted his head and leaned in to kiss her long and gentle and slow before realizing Darrell was standing at the back of the car waiting with Kate's bag. The driver had also retrieved her purse from the back seat while he was being completely ignored.

"Sorry, Darrell," Castle said sheepishly without entirely letting go of Kate, who was blushing at her own behavior. "I can take those."

"I'll put them inside the door, Sir. You take care of Miss Kate."

Castle turned her toward the house, and they followed Darrell up the steps and into the foyer. Telling her he'd be right back, Castle walked back out with the driver. "Thanks for taking care of everything for me."

"Looks like Miss Kate is worth it."

"She is. It shows, huh?"

"I hope to see her again, I don't think I've… Sorry, Mr. Castle. It's not my business…"

"No. I want to know what you were going to say."

"The smile…the look on your face. I've never seen you look that happy for anyone but Miss Alexis."

Castle looked down, a bit self-consciously for him. "You might be right. Keep it to yourself for now?"

"I will."

"I know that."

"If it makes any difference, Sir, I saw the same kind of smile from Miss Kate when I told her we were only five minutes away."

A smile lit up Castle's eyes. "Good to know. Thank you for that." Castle gave Darrell a manly clap on the arm as a good-bye and pressed a generous tip into his palm; then he returned to the house to enjoy Kate's arms and lips again.

She met him at the door, willingly allowing his close embrace. "I thought you'd never come back," she admitted. "I already embarrassed myself in front of Darrell once. I wasn't going to do it again."

"He sees it, too," he responded, leaning his forehead against hers.

"What?"

"Us. He said he hadn't seen me look this happy for anybody but Alexis…and that you had the same smile when he said you were almost here."

"What have you done to me? I don't go running across the grass into men's arms like a rom-com, and a total stranger doesn't usually get that kind of read on my feelings."

"It's just Darrell. He won't tell a soul. And he didn't say it in so many words, but I think he's rooting for us."

"I guess a few other people rooting for us can't hurt," she answered, moving her head to lean it on his shoulder. "Lanie's rooting for us, too."

"Did she demand a girls' night and give you the third degree?"

"Oh, yeah. And couldn't believe we kept it to kissing and snuggling. She's so proud of us for talking things out…and totally disappointed in both of us at the same time."

Castle chuckled. "I can almost hear the conversation."

"I think she knows that we were both happy with the way the weekend went, though. And I'm absolutely certain she knows how much we appreciate what she did for us. She loved the idea of a spa weekend, by the way."

Castle lifted Kate's chin with one hand and engaged in more kissing and cuddling, finally pulling away to take her hand and to pick up her bag and purse.

"Let's put your stuff upstairs…get you settled."

He led her up the stairs and stopped outside his room. "I know what we said last time you were here; but no pressure this time, either, Kate. I'd like to move your things to my room, but if you'd rather…"

"I'd like that, too. It was nice…waking up with you, but we don't need to put any pressure on ourselves about anything. How about no plans for anything but moving my clothes?" We just go with whatever feels right."

"Good plan. Let's empty the guest room now," he answered enthusiastically.

Both of them felt more at ease after clearing the air about expectations, and they accomplished their moving task in one trip. Castle hung her clothes in the closet while she filled the drawer he had cleared for her. The bag they had just brought upstairs was emptied; and, as she moved some necessities into the bathroom, Castle looked content. "It's nice seeing your things here with mine."

"It's looking awfully domestic," she answered, looking around.

"We looked pretty domestic last time you were here, too. Making meals together, neck massages, sitting together and just being… Anybody watching might think we'd been together a long time. It felt natural…to me, anyway."

"To me, too."

"But you look nervous."

"We got here so fast."

"I thought about that, too," he admitted, "but it wasn't all that fast. Think about it. We've been finishing each other's sentences since the beginning. We've felt something between us since the beginning, too. For you, it was probably laced with loathing, but you can't deny there was an attraction. We've been getting to know each other for a year and a half…seen the good and the bad. We work well together at the precinct. I trust you enough to take care of my daughter if anything happened to me…and to know you'd do that. I don't think it's odd that we fell into working well at home, too."

"Maybe not, but we're still not ready for big commitments."

"We'll still take our time," he promised, holding out his hand for her.

She melted against him instead of taking his hand; and he wrapped his arms around her protectively, knowing how hard she was pushing herself to be as open with him as she had been so far.

"It feels so good to be back here with you, Rick," she said softly.

"And it feels at least as good to have you here."

"So, you're ahead on your chapters?"

"Yep. I have one in reserve if someone gets demanding again, and another one very close to finished. You get a lot more of my time this trip, if you can stand it."

Pulling back far enough to look at him flirtatiously, she asked "So, do you need more proofing?"

"Looking for another sneak peak, Miss Beckett?"

"Me? I'm just trying to be helpful."

"You don't mind knowing what's in the book before it's released?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, because I love sitting down with one of your new books and getting lost in it. I might miss that when it comes out, but I kind of liked feeling like a tiny part of what you're doing." She chuckled suddenly and looked up at Castle. "My mother wouldn't have believed this, but she would have loved it. She would have loved you."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"How about your dad? He's still around to hurt me. How is he going to feel about trusting his only child to a man with a two marriage/two divorce record?"

"He's going to like you, too. I think I may have been talking about you more than I realized. Last time we had lunch on Sunday, he asked when he gets to meet you."

"Could Alexis and I have lunch with you and your dad one Sunday when we get back in the fall?"

"He'd like that. Will Alexis meet you here after her seminar?"

He nodded. "Mid-July. You should try to join us."

"We'll see."

Castle didn't push any farther. "Want to see some of the sights around here? We could take a car tour and you can decide what looks interesting.

"Sure. Sounds like fun. You going to play tour guide?"

"I could even bring my microphone if you want."

Kate laughed and rolled her eyes. "I think I can hear you from the other side of the front seat, Castle. Let's go see if you can impress me."

They locked up and got in the car for the tour, which Castle made as entertaining as he could.

"I'd love to see you as the father of a small child," she observed after one exceptionally theatrical explanation of a landmark. "It's enough fun seeing you with a teenager. Alexis must have loved growing up having you for a dad."

Castle just grinned at her, imagining a small child he and Kate might create…maybe a little boy. He wouldn't mention that thought yet, though. Small steps. Both of them needed to think in small steps for now.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

They ended their tour around dinnertime, at Bernie's, the little place where Castle bought dinner for them over Memorial Day weekend.

They arrived a little ahead of the dinner rush, so the place wasn't too busy yet; and a man about Castle's age met them as they entered the lobby. He was wearing an apron, was shorter and stockier than Castle, had a receding hairline, and wore a smile that said he was happy to see them. As he moved in their direction, he called out, "Rick. Good to see you. Where's that little girl of yours?"

"At a seminar at Princeton this summer. I brought Kate to meet you instead. "Bernie, this is Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD. Kate, this is Bernard Peterson…Bernie to his friends."

As Bernie shook her hand, a woman appeared behind him with another welcoming smile. "Kate Beckett?" Turning to Rick, she said delightedly, "You brought Nikki Heat with you?" Reaching for Kate's hand, she said, "Hi. I'm so glad to meet you."

"Just Kate," Beckett responded. "Nikki is his imagination. Nice to meet you, too."

"Well, I loved the book. Will there be another one?"

"I'm working on it now," Castle assured her. "Kate, this is Bernie's wife, Inez."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was so excited to meet Nikki…um…Kate…that I forgot to introduce myself."

Castle put his arm around Kate's waist and looked down at her. "I used to think I'd like to have you at book signings with me, but now I'm not so sure. Nikki shows up and suddenly I'm chopped liver."

"Never, Rick," Inez assured him. "You want your usual table?"

"That would be great."

"Take Kate to the table, would you, Honey," Bernie said. "I'll walk Rick back. I haven't had a chance to get a word in edgewise since you joined the conversation."

"Don't take too long," she warned. Turning to Kate, she said, "You don't want to leave those two alone together for too long. It's just courting trouble."

When Kate turned to see two equally mischievous smiles, it looked like a possibility. "So, does Stan ever come here with you?" she asked Castle.

"Oh, yeah," Bernie answered with a grin.

The two women were smiling and shaking their heads as Inez showed Kate to their table.

Obviously curious about Kate, Bernie quietly tested the waters. "You've never brought a woman here before…except your wife once, but she never came back with you."

"Kate is…" Castle hesitated, looking for appropriate words and settled for, "pretty special." He looked longingly in her direction.

"Yeah, I can see that," Bernie answered as he watched his friend. "We can talk another time." He elbowed Castle's arm and said indulgently, "I can see you'd rather be somewhere else."

"Sorry. She just got here this morning…and I've been missing her."

"Come on then," he said, picking up a couple of menus. "I'll drag Inez away so you can have her to yourself." When they reached the table, Bernie placed the menus on the tabletop and good-naturedly said to his wife, "Back to the kitchen, woman. Let's leave them to decide what they want."

Kate smiled when Inez waved and left with her husband. "She's fun. Are they always like that?"

"A lot of the time. They're good people. Look at the menu. Everything on it is good. You can't go wrong."

After they ordered, Castle pulled out the small notebook he kept in his pocket and flipped it open. "Here's the list we made while we were out today. Want to decide where we go tomorrow?"

"I don't even have to look. Let's go to the lighthouse. It's the farthest away. We might as well do that first. We can decide on anything else tomorrow."

"Lighthouse it is. Looks like we have a plan."

They were seated in a small space, a little out of the main seating area. Castle had preferred it when Alexis was small. It allowed him to avoid having her in the midst of adult guests who might not be as smitten with the toddler as he was; and as she grew up, it became their table. They were both disappointed the few times someone was already there when they came in.

"Inez said you only come here with Alexis."

"I brought Gina here once, but it wasn't classy enough for her. She liked to dress up and go to the places where we'd 'be seen'." The last words were accompanied with air quotes. "She enjoyed the social life; and mention on page six was good for documenting that, as well as good publicity. So now I bring _you_ and Alexis here, but I'll take you somewhere we can dress up and be seen if you want to go. I'd be more than happy to show you off."

"You're here, Rick. I'm happy with that. And if those places lead to page six, let's avoid them…at least until we figure out what we're doing. I know we can't avoid it forever."

He reached across the table and took her hands in his. "I'm sorry that's a part of who I am. I know it isn't something you're comfortable with."

"You've worked with my job for a while now. I have to learn to work with yours. But I'd like to put that part off for a while longer if we can. If it throws itself in our path unexpectedly…"

"I'll talk to Paula. She's going to have to tone down my image soon, anyway."

"She won't like that, will she?"

"I don't care. I pay her, not the other way 'round."

They talked until the meal arrived, planned a little for the next day's trip, and exchanged a few more words with the Petersons before they left. After visiting a craft center and window shopping at a few stores close by, they went home.

"You interested in walking off dinner?" Kate asked.

"A walk on the beach?"

"Yeah. It's a little cool tonight, though, and it's close to dark. Let me go up and change first."

"I'll come with you. I might want something a little heavier than this shirt."

In his room, Castle pulled on a sweatshirt, and Kate took clothes into the bathroom and changed into jeans and a hoodie, switching her sandals for sneakers.

They didn't talk as much on this walk, content just to be together. They held hands as they walked and engaged in conversation sporadically; and on the way back to the house, they walked with arms around each other.

"Are you comfortable here with me?" Castle asked when they were about halfway back to the house.

"If I weren't, I probably would have stalled about coming back."

"And sharing my room?"

"I'm happy to be here with you, Rick. You still think I'm going to back out, don't you?"

"You're not the only one with trust issues, remember? I'm sorry."

"Looks like we both doubt ourselves."

"Then I guess we'll have to help each other get over that," he said, pulling her a little closer.

"I guess we will," she answered, leaning her head on his shoulder.

He leaned and kissed her head, and nothing more was said until they were close to home.

"I know you said you're ahead of your writing deadlines; but if inspiration strikes, you know I'm okay with hanging out and reading, right?"

"I know. But I'd rather spend the time with you while we have it."

"Just know you don't have to worry if you need to exercise the option."

"Duly noted." Changing the subject completely, he asked, "Will you have time to come back again before I go back to the city?"

"I was planning on coming back on my weekend off in August, but your mom and Alexis will be here then, won't they?"

"That doesn't mean you can't be here, too. I've told you, they'd love having you around."

"We'll play that by ear, okay? Why are you asking now? she asked flirtatiously. "I just got here, We have almost an entire week ahead of us."

"I'm greedy. I want more of us."

"Not a bad thing."

As they walked toward the house, Castle guided them to their bench, and told Kate, "I'm going to get us some wine, and we can drink it here if that's okay."

"Sounds nice."

She settled herself on the bench and closed her eyes, breathing in the ocean air as she waited for Castle. When he returned, he handed her a glass and sat down with his own, putting his free arm around her shoulders, and they sat and sipped their wine and looked for constellations before they went in.

"I'm going to take a shower before bed. Do you want to go first?" he asked.

"You go ahead," she answered, taking his glass from him. I'll take care of these and be up in a minute."

"I'll make it quick."

Kate washed and dried the wine glasses and put them away, then went upstairs, undressed, and put on a long, satin robe while she could still hear the shower running. She then went to the dresser and pulled out one of the things Lanie had packed and Kate had unpacked before she left her apartment last time he brought her here. She folded the soft, silk negligee into a small, neat bundle and waited until Castle left the bathroom in silk pajama pants…and no shirt.

"Your turn," he announced.

She kissed his shoulder as she passed him, and he smiled. It took so little from her to make him happy. As he heard the shower start, he wondered if she felt the same way about him. She seemed to want to be with him, but she was still wary. He could tell.

The shower stopped. That was quick. He wasn't sure he had ever known a woman to take that short a shower. When she opened the door, she was wearing her robe with something he couldn't identify under it. He was sure it was shorter than the robe, though, because he had caught a glimpse of bare leg when she turned.

"I need to dry my hair, and I'm done," she reported.

"Do you mind if I shave while you dry your hair? Two sinks and two mirrors and all."

"Don't mind at all, as long as I can watch. I used to like to watch my dad shave."

He smiled at her, got out his razor, and lathered up; and she dried her hair giving it only half the attention that it usually got. He glanced at her now and then and found her paying close attention every time. Her hair was dry about the same time Castle put his razor down.

"That was a lot more entertaining than when I watched my dad," she said; and with a little eyebrow wiggle worthy of Castle, she added, "And kinda sexy."

"You like that? How about this?" He kissed her playfully before he had removed all the shaving soap residue, leaving a little of it on Kate's face.

She laughed, pushed him in mock protest, and rinsed her face; and Castle laughed as he cleaned up and patted on some after shave.

"Ready for bed?" he asked.

She nodded, and he took her in his arms and kissed her, gently at first, but the kiss gradually grew deeper until they lost track of who was pushing it farther. Castle maneuvered them to Kate's side of the bed, pulling her closer to him, and he encountered no resistance.

"You're sure?" he asked, stopping to let her know it was her choice.

"I'm sure."

He untied the belt of her robe and slid the satin covering off her shoulders, exposing the not quite knee length negligee. It wasn't overtly revealing, but it was soft and sexy and fell perfectly over her body. He looked at her appreciatively. It certainly looked like she was sure.

"Do you like it?" she asked, watching his expression.

"I can't imagine you'd have any doubts at this point. And you...in this. Extraordinary. As always."

"I like the silk on you, too."

"Should I get the robe to add to the picture?" he teased.

"No," was her emphatic answer as she smoothed her hands over his chest. "This picture is just fine."

He turned off the lights, and they both slipped under the covers, moving toward each other like magnets. Their hands moving over silk…then under silk, they took their time. The loving was slow and gentle…and extremely satisfying, and was repeated more playfully before morning.

Morning found them sleeping with their heads on the same pillow, snuggled close under the covers with arms and legs tangled together. They drifted in and out of sleep the way they had the first time they slept in the same bed, and eventually woke fully with smiles for each other.

"Last night was magic, Kate," Castle whispered before he kissed her gently.

"It was perfect," she agreed, leaning her forehead against his.

"You were right. I had no idea."

"Me, either." She smiled, looking amused. "I used to think our first time would be fiery and aggressive after we put it off so long…well, after I put it off. I kind of thought we'd…"

"You fantasized about us?" He asked incredulously.

She nodded and smiled. "I guess I can admit it now."

"Do I get details?"

"Didn't you fantasize about us?"

"Let me count the ways," he answered suggestively, making her giggle. "So, were you disappointed that we didn't rip each other's clothes off and…"

"Rick, there was nothing about last night that disappointed me. I told you…it was perfect."

"It was. We're good at this together, too."

"Yeah, we are."

He lifted the covers and peeked under them. "Looks like we're still naked."

She looked under, too. "I think you're right."

"We could always try for more amazing…"

"Less talk, Writer-Man."

He growled against her neck, and they played and laughed for a while before they got around to re-creating seriously amazing…with a couple of new twists.

Afterward, he kissed her as he balanced on his forearms above her, his breathing still a little ragged. "Variations on perfect?"

"Yeah." Her breathing wasn't too even, either. "But still perfect."

He teasingly collapsed on her for a long moment before he rolled himself over to his own side of the bed, and they pulled up the covers and both stared at the ceiling as they caught their breath.

"Are we going to be insatiable?" he asked.

"If it's always as good as this, I can see it happening."

"And happening, and happening, and happening?"

She laughed. "As soon as we can move again, we need a shower."

"Together?"

"Why not?" She lifted the covers and took another peek. "Looks like we're still naked."

He took his own look. "Yep. We're shower ready."

"In a little while."

"Yeah. A little while."

Before they made it to the shower, they had fallen asleep, holding hands. When they woke again mid-morning, they both recognized the need to get out of bed. They shared the shower, washing each other's hair and taking turns washing one another, holding and kissing as they went. Then they made themselves a much needed brunch.

As they were putting the dishes in the dishwasher, Castle asked, "Does the lighthouse still sound like a good idea for today?"

"Not as good as it did yesterday."

"What happened to change your mind since yesterday?"

"Last night."

"Last night." Castle stopped what he was doing, sighed contentedly, closed his eyes, and savored the thought for a moment. "Soooo nice to remember, Miss Beckett." Opening his eyes again, he added, "But I'm having trouble relating it to sightseeing."

She grinned at his dramatics before explaining, "Well, before last night, we could have gone sightseeing as far away as we wanted…the lighthouse, for instance…but after last night, being that far away might not work so well," she answered flirtatiously.

"And why not, pray tell?" he asked in the same manner.

"Because after last night, at any random time, I might be stricken with an overwhelming need to rip your clothes off and have my way with you. And to avoid page six at best, and the front page of a tabloid at worst, I think we should be closer to home if that urge strikes."

"Rip my clothes off?" he repeated, quite clearly delighted.

"You heard me."

"So we could shop in town, or visit a little museum not too far from the house?"

"And not have to travel far to get back here for said clothes ripping."

"Are you just messing with my mind?"

"Maybe a little bit," she answered, then paused a beat for effect. "But not entirely."

"I've imagined ripping your clothes off many a time, but the idea that you're after mine is going to take some getting used to." He went back to his original question then. "So, seriously, you'd rather stay close to home today…or …"

"I think I would. You kind of wore me out last night…and this morning."

"There was mutual wearing out, Kate," he responded, kissing her gently. "We'll find something else to do today. I don't care what it is, as long as it's with you."

They didn't rush to leave the house, enjoying that there was nowhere they had to be. Later in the day they parked the car and wandered around a few places close by, Castle relating the history behind them. Then they went to dinner before going back home.

The week was spent talking through a few more things that needed to see the light of day, familiarizing Kate with her new territory, spending time at the beach, meeting a few of Castle's friends, enjoying each other's company, and making love. And it went by way too fast.

On the last evening Kate was there, it was raining and stormy as they finished straightening up in the kitchen. Castle was standing at the French door, hands in his pockets, watching the burgeoning storm while Kate put away the last couple of dishes. She joined him, slipping her hand over his arm at the crook of his elbow, and they stood side by side looking out at the roiling ocean.

Without looking at her, he asked, "How is your honesty holding out?"

"Still making me nervous, but surviving."

"There's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" She turned to him, sounding worried.

"I think I'm falling in love with you."

"That sounds awfully close to one of those big commitments we weren't going to make yet."

"It doesn't have to be a big commitment to be falling in love. It can be a small commitment to hope for a bigger one. We're still being hopeful, right? And honest?"

There was a little pause as if she were gathering her strength. "We are. I think I'm falling in love with you, too."

He finally turned to look at her and saw how vulnerable she seemed. "Your heart is safe with me, Kate. I'll never be careless with it."

"I know."

He put his arms around her and rested his forehead on hers. "I'm falling in love with you, Katherine Beckett, and I'm hoping for something much bigger for us."

"Do you think we can get there one day?"

"I do. I think we can."

"I don't want to run anymore, Rick. I want your heart to be safe with me, too." She put her arms around his neck a little desperately, and let him hold her close. "Can you be the strong one for now…until I can catch up?"

"We'll take turns being the strong one," he promised.

Unable to simply let her go back to the city alone, Castle packed an overnight bag with a couple of changes of clothes and went back with her when Darrell returned to pick her up. She was on call over the weekend, but they had until Sunday afternoon together before she was called in. This time it was Castle who went home with an empty overnight bag, leaving his clothes at her apartment.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

When Beckett arrived at the crime scene, the boys weren't there yet. Lanie was already stooped beside the body in the alley, and she looked up as Beckett stopped beside her.

"Nice to have you back. How did it go?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

"Great. Not here, though. I'll get your favorite take-out and wine on the way home, and we can talk there tonight."

"Oh. Must be something to tell. You're volunteering a girls' night."

"Lanie, I owe you big. I know that. Just trying to pay up a little bit. Now what have we got?"

"Caucasian female, looks to be in her late twenties. First glance looks like blunt force to the back of the head; but I'm just getting started, and I'll need to get her back…"

"I got it. I'll see if there's any sign of a possible murder weapon."

About that time, Ryan and Esposito pushed up the crime scene tape and walked over to the two women. "What are we looking at?" Ryan asked.

"Looking for something that could be the weapon…blunt force. See if CSU is done over here."

Esposito walked over to one of the techs, exchanged a few words, and returned. "We're clear over here, and they're almost done near the street. Haven't found an ID yet, but he said to look in the corner next to the dumpster. Might be our weapon."

By the time they returned to the precinct, they had security footage from the alley and from two stores across the street from it. Half an hour later, as Ryan was scanning the videos, Karpowski brought in two bags that had just been delivered by a young officer who had been sent on dumpster duty in nearby alleys. Putting on gloves before taking the purse from the bag, Beckett checked the contents. The second bag contained a letter.

"Looks like the victim is Rebecca Saxon, 27," Beckett reported. "Espo, I'm sending you this address. Ryan, we'll finish the scan later. Right now, see if you can find us next of kin. We need to notify her family. And check her place and talk to her neighbors, find out where she works." I'll meet you at her apartment."

By the end of the day on Wednesday, they had the boyfriend in custody. It turned out that the victim was leaving him. The letter was from a family member in another state, telling her that she had a job there and a place to live. The boyfriend had found out. His fingerprints were on the letter. He met her at a restaurant near the alley and they argued; and when they left, he pulled her into the alley to make his case again. In a rage when she turned to leave, he grabbed the closest heavy object at hand and hit her with it. Then he went back to their apartment. It didn't overwork the detectives to put it all together.

"Well, at least the first case after vacation was easy," Beckett observed, erasing the board after boxing the contents.

"Celebratory drink on the way home?" Ryan suggested.

"Sure. You in, Beckett?" Esposito asked.

"Right behind you," she agreed. "I can't stay long, though. The usual place?" Hearing affirmative answers, she told them. "I need about five minutes. Go ahead and get us a table."

When they left, she pulled out her phone and texted Castle.

" _Case closed."_ she sent.

" _Already? Awesome!"_

" _I miss you."_

" _I miss you, too. I'll be there in a week for a meeting."_

" _Will we have time to get together?"_

" _Count on it."_

" _Gonna go have a drink with the boys. And Lanie's coming over tonight."_

" _Another third degree?"_

" _No doubt."_

" _Call and tell me how much you had to tell her?"_

" _Might be late."_

" _Have I complained yet when you wake me in the middle of the night?"_

" : ) _Talk to you later."_

After a text to Lanie confirming their meeting time, she joined the boys and they ordered. As they relaxed, they talked about the case and what the two men had done during their time off.

"So, are you ever going to tell us where you went, Beckett?" Ryan asked.

She hesitated before answering, but she finally answered anyway. "I went to see Castle…in the Hamptons."

"Castle!" Esposito sputtered.

"Can you keep it down, guys?"

"That's the good friend you haven't seen in too long?" Ryan asked more quietly.

"You memorized what I said?"

"So what's going on with you two?" Esposito wanted to know.

"We're trying to work that out. The reason for the trip. But we'd like to keep it quiet while we do that, okay? I just thought I should let you know…since Castle will be coming back in the fall."

"Are you telling the captain?" Ryan asked

"After we've figured it out."

"Well, it's good you both finally got your heads on straight," Esposito observed.

"You still don't make any money, guys. And the other bet…the one about doing the deed…and don't even try to deny it. You might as well funnel that money into a new pool. Since Castle and I are the only ones who would know, there won't be a winner…because if or when that might happen, there will be neither a confirmation nor an announcement from either of us.

"Beckett…"

"Don't even try," she laughed. "I'm gonna go. Things to do before I go home. See you tomorrow."

After Beckett left, the other two detectives looked at each other.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that," Esposito stated, looking shocked.

"Me, either," Ryan answered, then looked concerned. "You don't suppose we'll have to watch them kissing and groping, do you? The eye sex is bad enough."

"That would be like having to watch your parents making out."

The men shared mutual shudders.

"Another round?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah. Please."

xxxxx

Kate picked up the promised take-out and wine and then went home to get ready for Lanie's visit and the ensuing interrogation.

Lanie was five minutes early and got right to the point. She took out wine glasses, picked up the already opened bottle, and headed for her friend's sofa.

"You're not going to let me eat first?" Kate complained as she sat down.

"We can reheat the food later. I want the story now. Please don't tell me you had that man all to yourself for a week and you're still waiting."

"I won't."

Lanie looked excited and then suspicious, narrowing her eyes at Kate. "Wait a minute. You aren't playing with words, are you? You won't tell me that, or you aren't still waiting?"

"We're not still waiting, but you're not getting a lot of details, and you're not telling a soul. I won't help people win money by betting on my sex life. It's none of their business, and I've already told the boys they'll never find out."

"You're cheating me out of some serious cash, you know."

"Tell me how much you'd win, and I'll buy you off."

"So was he worth the wait?"

"I don't think I'm ever going to want anybody else."

"That good?"

"That good. But it isn't just that, great as it was. It's him. I like being there with him. We… It sounds stupid, but we…fit…like we belong together. We both feel it."

Lanie leaned back against the corner of the sofa looking surprised. "Finally." Lanie paused and looked at her friend more closely. "Kate Beckett, you're in love."

"We both admitted we're falling in love, and it scares me. But at the same time, I had to fight myself not to say too much to him before I left. We agreed to take it slow, but I don't think I'm just falling. I think I might already be there."

"It sure looks like it from here. Honey, I'm so happy for you."

"I was going to go back on my weekend off in August, maybe ask for an extra few days again; but Alexis will be there by then."

"I thought you liked Alexis, and Castle said she liked you."

"But that was before I was sleeping with her father. I don't know how to work with that. I've never dated a man with a child before. And she's old enough to know what's going on."

"Does Castle see it as a problem?"

"He doesn't seem to, but it doesn't make sense. He said he doesn't bring women home, doesn't let women get to know Alexis; but he moved me in after the explosion. He asked me to take care of her if anything happened to him. He seems to want me to know her."

"That's because he's already in love, too."

"You think so?"

"I'm pretty certain he had to try as hard as you did not to say too much. So you let Castle decide how to handle the sleeping arrangement news with his daughter. That's his responsibility."

"Not if we're going to be together for a long time. If that happens, it's my responsibility, too. I don't ever want to disappoint him, Lanie. He's had as much of that as I have, and he deserves so much better."

"Whoa. Together for a long time? Girl, you've got it bad. Let's go heat the food and build you up some strength to work this out." Grabbing Kate into a big hug before they reached the kitchen, she squealed out, "I'm soooooooo happy for you…both of you." Then they ate their dinner and talked about the rest of Kate's time in the Hamptons.

As Lanie was about to leave, Kate said, "Let me know when you decide to go for your spa weekend. We're going shopping beforehand, and I'm buying you a new outfit to take with you."

Standing with her hand on the door knob, Lanie turned and revisited her original subject.

"So, it was really _that_ good with him?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Amazing, incredible, unbelievable, stellar." Lanie's eyebrows raised. "Remarkable, stupendous, breathtaking… Do I need to think of more?" she asked with a satisfied smile which had grown mischievously with each new word.

"No. I'm jealous enough already. But it also tells me how much your man appreciates my efforts.

"What does that have to do with…"

"That spa gift included a friend. He's willing to give all that up to let me take you along, and we both know that's what he was doing. I definitely feel appreciated. Now if I can just convince _you_ to give it up that long."

"We're still going shopping, and we'll figure out when we can get a weekend off together," Kate answered, giving Lanie a big hug.

Lanie stopped in the doorway and said, "Don't be afraid of this, Kate. You know he's the one, don't you?"

Kate looked down but nodded.

"Then go for it, Girl. Time to let yourself be happy. See you soon."

"Bye, Lanie…and thanks."

As soon as the door closed, Kate picked up her phone and called Castle.

"You're really something, you know that?" she said when he answered.

"Ummm… I'm not clear on whether that's good or bad."

"It's good."

"And how did we get there? I seem to have missed something." He sounded amused.

"Lanie just left."

"How much did she drag out of you? Did you talk about me?"

"She knows we slept together…without so much sleeping this time. I made you sound really good."

"Was that to make Lanie jealous or because you meant it? Are you going to tell me what you said?"

"You know I meant it. How could you even ask such a question?" She paused a beat and added, "But she _was_ jealous."

"I can almost see your smile. You know what you just did for my ego, right?"

"Will you be able to get close enough to the computer to write…considering that big head I'm imagining?"

Castle laughed.

"After hearing how good it was for us, she told me the spa gift included a friend. She said she knew how much you appreciated her help after she realized what you were giving up to hand me over for a weekend so she'd enjoy it more."

"That's more of a gift than the spa."

"From me, too; and she knows it. When is your meeting with Black Pawn?"

"A week from tomorrow. I scheduled it for the day before Alexis leaves Princeton so I can drive there and pick her up."

"Will you spend Thursday night with me?"

"Planning on it."

"A week." She sighed, sounding happy.

"A week too long," he answered. "I need to get back to work. Words are dying to get out again. I think this book will be finished soon."

"Does Gina get everything you have this time?"

"Just the two chapters she asked for right now. The others are still in reserve, and I'll send those a few days early. That should make her happy. It would be fun to drop all the rest on her at once and know it's done, though. I'm already thinking ahead to the next book. You're good inspiration."

"When I read it, I'd better not find anything I recognize from last week, understand?"

'Oops. Better go back and make some revisions."

"Castle?!"

"Kidding, kidding. Last week is ours."

"It better be. And I told the boys to forget about anybody winning the 'When will they do it?' bet because neither one of us will tell them anything. I told Lanie to let me know how much she's losing by not telling anybody and promised to buy her off."

"My lips are sealed, and I can buy Lanie off."

"No. My decision, my responsibility. Get back to your writing. I'm going to want your full attention next Thursday night."

"Part of my plan. After my meeting is over, I'll take you out for dinner."

"Sounds good."

"Kate, I..." he stopped there. "I'll see you next week."

xxxxx

After Castle's meeting the following Thursday, he refused dinner with some of the staff at Black Pawn and took Kate to a nice, out of the way restaurant. He spent the night at her apartment, and a very satisfied couple went their separate ways the next morning…Kate to work and Castle to pick up his daughter.

He drove to Princeton with the smile on his face that thinking about either Kate or Alexis brought out. Thinking of both of them living with him was even better. But first, he had to be sure he still had his daughter's blessing. When he arrived on campus, he sent a text to let her know he was there, and Alexis brought her things down to the curb. After they loaded her luggage into the trunk, she took him to meet a few of the friends she had made over the summer. One of the girls lived in Manhattan, and she and Alexis promised to get together when the Castles were back in the fall.

In the car on their way back, Alexis told him most of what she hadn't told him during their phone calls. During her stay, she had been much too distracted by her friends and her studies to spend too much time talking to her dad: but she made up for it on the trip to the Hamptons. He was a good audience, as usual, asking questions and laughing at the right times, and in the rare instances when it was needed, commiserating as well.

Much later, when her recounting of her summer was winding down, she looked at her father and said, "I think I remember that you promised me a long, convoluted story."

"So, you didn't forget that?"

"Not a chance. When have I ever forgotten that you owe me a good story?"

"You're going to be so disgusted with me before you're proud of me."

"Well, this I have to hear," she answered with a grin and made a show of settling into her seat. "Story time."

Castle got into the story far enough to mention Beckett's plans with Demming and his agreeing to have Gina meet him at the precinct before leaving, and Alexis groaned. "Dad, what were you thinking? And how in the world did you get out of all that?"

"I obviously _wasn't_ thinking, but it gets better from there."

He told her about Lanie's texts, how he managed to corral Beckett long enough to convince her she should come with him, how he managed to leave Gina at her place, and some of what happened once he and Beckett left together.

"I don't know what to say…except I'm glad you and Detective Beckett finally decided to give yourselves a chance. You were right about the convoluted story. What a beginning."

"Honey, I've never felt like this about a woman. I thought I did once, and it was close; but never like this."

"One of your wives?"

"Before that."

"Why don't I know about her?"

"A story for another time."

"So you had an idea how it felt to be that much in love and got married twice without it? Why?"

"It isn't important now. What's important is that, with Beckett, everything feels right. I want this to work. We're trying to take it slowly enough to…"

"How about Beckett? Is she as committed to this as you are?"

"She seems to be. We've agreed that we're falling in love…and there won't be anyone else. But we're both running a little scared. We did a lot of talking when she was here…discussed some things that made us feel that way. We both have some baggage to get past, but I think we can."

"This is sounding serious. Do you want to marry her?"

"Not right away. We're not ready for that big a step, but I think maybe in the future..." Glancing over in Alexis's direction, he could see her concern. "I want you to be happy for me. She cares about you. That's my first priority, but I need her for myself, too. She doesn't want my money or anything that goes with it. She's falling in love with the real me. That isn't something I had in either marriage, and it's important."

"It's important to me, too. I want you to be happy. I know you want me to agree right now, but it's a little fast for me to take it in. Is it okay if I reserve judgment until I see the two of you together for a little while?"

"I owe you that. You like her, don't you?"

"I like her a lot, but trusting her to take care of my dad is bigger than that. Gina definitely wasn't up to the job." She looked at her father, worry written all over his face. "It's okay, Dad. I have a lot of respect for Detective Beckett, and I like her enough to hope for the best."

"Please try. She's really important to me."

"Did you say she'll be here again before the end of the summer?"

"I hope so…near the end of next month, maybe. We've talked about it but don't have definite plans yet."

"Is that because of me? I thought she liked me when she stayed with us."

"She does like you. She's very impressed with you. She might be a little worried about how you'll feel about her now that she's interested in your father, though."

"Oh." With a worried look of her own, she said, "I don't want her to think she can't be here because I am."

"I think a fair chance is all she'll need. I want to be honest with you, so I should tell you…I think I'm past falling in love. I think I already love her. I saw her yesterday after the meeting I told you about, and it was hard not to tell her that before I left."

"It's sounding more and more like you're saying this relationship is going to happen no matter what."

"I trust her with you, Alexis. And I trust her with me."

"Do I need to call and invite her so I can give her that fair chance?"

"We might try that later if I need back-up to get her here."

Alexis nodded her agreement.

They dropped the subject there and started making plans for the rest of the summer at their beach house.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Early the next week, Beckett's phone rang not long after she got home, and Castle's picture was showing on the screen. She grabbed it eagerly and answered.

"Hey, Castle. Are you and Alexis having fun?"

"It's great having her back."

"Are you taking walks on the beach again?"

"We did that yesterday around dusk. She even splashed along the edge of the water for a minute."

"Good memories?"

"Good memories of both of you. Will you come and spend at least your weekend off with us? She's fine with it."

"It would feel awkward now, being there with Alexis. If I did come, I'd need to move back into the guest room."

"You'd need to do no such thing. I'll talk to her before you get here so she understands."

"Castle, I've never dated a man with a child. I don't have good feelings about moving into your room for a few days in front of your teenaged daughter…sort of blatantly announcing, 'I'm sleeping with your father.' I don't know how to do that with any grace whatsoever."

"Let me take care of that. When I'm back in New York, we're going to have to work it out anyway. I'm not going to start sneaking out in the middle of the night to stay at your place and sneaking in before she's awake, and I won't have you at the loft that way, either."

"But you said you don't bring women home. She isn't used to this."

"She'll get used to it. She knows how important you are to me, that this is much more than a passing affair; and she wants to give you a fair chance. Please do the same for her."

Kate sighed "I'll talk to Roy about a couple of extra days that week," she agreed, still sounding hesitant. "I really do miss you."

"I really miss you, too."

"Are you still getting a lot of writing done?"

"Yes, Ms. Muse. It's going very well."

"Still living dangerously, aren't you?"

"You're too far away to hurt me right now; and next time we're together, you'll be so glad to see me you'll forget about it…missing me so much and all."

"Pretty full of yourself, aren't you?"

"Somebody's been building up my ego."

"Maybe I need to tell her to stop?"

"No. No need for that."

She laughed. "We'll see."

"Alexis is calling, so the popcorn must be ready. We're about to watch a movie. Just wanted to hear your voice. You'll talk to Roy tomorrow?"

"I will."

"'Night Kate."

Captain Montgomery was already in his office when Beckett arrived the following morning. She deposited her things on her desk and turned on her computer, then she took a deep breath and walked to his door.

"Morning, Detective. What can I do for you?"

"A couple more vacation days?"

"Beckett? Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, Sir. Castle and his family invited me to spend a few days with them at his beach house. It sounds like a nice way to spend some of the last days of summer."

"Sure does. Which days did you want?"

"Two days either before or after my weekend off to make it a four day weekend?"

"We can do that," he agreed after checking. "One day on each side, so you get Friday through Monday. It's good to see you take some time to relax. You push yourself too hard. Let me know if you want to take a couple more."

"Thanks, Roy."

"No problem."

xxxxx

Cases came and went over the next weeks. Lanie and Kate planned a spa weekend in late September, when Castle and his family would be back in New York. Castle was back in town for another meeting before Kate's trip to the Hamptons, and he stayed overnight with Kate, again soothing her worries about Alexis. He hadn't mentioned sleeping arrangements to Alexis yet but promised he would before Kate arrived.

It turned out that he put it off until Alexis discovered it on her own. A week before Kate was scheduled to be there, Castle heard Alexis call him from upstairs.

"Dad, what is this?"

He went up to check on what she was talking about and found her in his room at his dresser, looking shocked.

"I was finishing some laundry and found some T-shirts you left behind, and I was going to put them away for you. This has always been your T-shirt drawer. Does all this belong to Detective Beckett?" Walking over and opening his closet door, she said, "Her clothes are here. Has she moved in? How could you not tell me something like that?"

"Honey, she hasn't moved in. When we're back in New York, there will still be two separate apartments. I suggested she leave her clothes here so she wouldn't have so much packing to do going back and forth. When she leaves this time, she'll take them all with her. We'll be back in New York before we see her again, and she won't need them here. I wouldn't move somebody into our home without talking to you first."

"But they're in your room, Dad. Is that where she'll be staying? This doesn't look like taking things slowly."

"I won't try to justify it to you, Alexis. Kate and I have known each other, been friends for a good while now, and we've been attracted to one another for close to two years. It isn't like I just met her this summer."

"So when she was staying with us…"

"No. We moved her things to my room the last time she was here. As long as we've known each other, I think that could qualify as taking things slowly."

"It's just... You've never done this before."

"I intended to tell you before she was here, and I'm sorry you found out this way." He pulled his daughter into his arms and held her. I might as well admit it…to myself as well as to you. I've never loved anybody this much before. If I can't make things work with Kate, I don't think I'll ever try again.

"She's important enough to make you break your own rules?" she asked, clinging to him.

"Looks like it. I'm sorry, Honey."

"If you love her that much, you shouldn't have to be sorry."

"Married or not, I'm committed...we're committed to doing our best to make it work. I don't want to sneak around behind your back. I'm not the least bit interested in any woman other than Kate, and I won't treat her like a dirty little secret. Having her here with me is part of loving her as much as I do. Can you try to understand that?"

"I guess so."

"And this doesn't give you license to consider doing the same thing, understand? I'm pushing forty, and Kate is pushing thirty, with the life experience that goes with it. You're pushing sixteen, with almost none of that. There's a big difference."

"That might take a little more explaining."

"Alexis," he reprimanded, letting her know he was serious.

"Well, at least I have a week left to get used to the idea."

"I promise not to spring anything else on you."

She didn't say anything else, just nodded as she pulled away and then went to her room and closed the door; and Castle leaned his head back against the door frame as he watched her walk away. He closed his eyes and wondered how much damage he had done by not talking to her earlier…and how much damage he might have inflicted on the relationship between Alexis and Kate.

In her room, Alexis paced for a couple of minutes and then called her grandmother.

"Alexis! What a nice surprise."

"Do you have time to talk?"

"I have the whole afternoon free if you need it, Darling. What's wrong?"

"Dad is in love. Enough to have her staying here in his room."

"Oh, my. It _is_ Katherine, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Well, at least it's somebody we like. I like her, anyway."

"I like her, too, but it's different now."

"You said your father is in love. Does it look like she's in love, too?"

"She won't be here until next week. I can't tell yet."

"Then how do you know?"

"I went to put some of Dad's T-shirts away, and it wasn't his T-shirt drawer anymore. It had her stuff in it…and she had clothes in his closet."

"That must have been a shock."

"Yeah. He said he was planning to talk to me about it before she gets here next week." She hesitated, then asked. "Can you be here that weekend? I…"

"You don't want to have to greet her alone, do you?"

"I guess that's it. And I don't know what to expect from Dad. The only time he's had anybody stay in his room was when he married Gina. I've never heard him sound this way... like he's really in love with her. He says he trusts her with me…and with him, and when he talks about her…" There was a deep, resigned sigh from the teenager. "I must have missed a lot while I was gone."

"When will she be there?"

"Next week…late Friday afternoon through Monday."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks, Grams. I must sound like a spoiled little kid."

"No. Only like a surprised daughter. Anything for you, Darling. You know that. Truth be told, I could use a little break. I'll claim a small family emergency. There's no doubt my understudy would be delighted to take over a couple of performances. I'll see if I can arrange to leave after Thursday's show and be back for Saturday night.

"Thanks, Grams. I'm sorry to mess up your performance schedule."

"Nonsense, child. We're talking about my son…in love with someone I'd actually enjoy having in the family, and I'd like to witness this new phenomenon firsthand. I'll call later and let you know if I can arrange it. If I can, we'll have a spa afternoon so you'll be all relaxed when Katherine arrives. We'll be back in time to meet her at the door."

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Dear."

xxxxx

The day Kate was scheduled to be at the beach house, she called Castle before he was out of bed, and a groggy voice answered.

"Kate? You're still coming this afternoon, aren't you?"

"Hi. I know I'm not supposed to be there until this afternoon, but is it okay if I come earlier? Everything is ready to go, and it won't be any less awkward with Alexis if I wait. I have everything ready to put in the car."

"Miss me that much, do you?"

"Apparently."

He chuckled. "I'll call the car service and have them pick you up whenever you want."

"Ten minutes ago?"

"I wish one of us could wiggle a nose like Samantha and have you just pop in here next to me."

"Me, too, but we'll probably have to settle for the car. I can't believe I'm not arguing with you about that."

"If you're ready to go, I'll call and see if somebody can get over there now."

"Okay."

"The driver will call with the time."

"See you soon."

Darrell called about ten minutes later to say he'd meet Kate at 9:00 again, and she was waiting outside at the curb when he drove up.

Castle got a text right before the car stopped in front of the house and opened the door just as Kate reached the top step. They fell into the same kind of easy embrace as the last time, each nuzzling into the other's neck, just soaking in the presence of the other. He didn't let Kate go, but this time Castle did acknowledge Darrell's presence as he brought Kate's bags into the house. "Just leave them there, Darrell. I'll get them in a minute. Mother and Alexis are leaving for the spa in a few minutes. Would you wait and drop them off there?"

"Be glad to, Mr. Castle."

"Sorry I messed up your schedule." Kate said, turning her head in his direction.

"It worked out for the best, Miss Kate. There's a family gathering tonight that I thought I'd have to skip. Now I won't have to."

"I feel better about it, then. Thank you."

He nodded and went back to the car, leaving the couple alone, as far as they knew. At the moment the door closed, though, Martha and Alexis reached the bottom of the stairs and moved just far enough to have a good view of the small foyer before they stopped in their tracks and watched. Kate and Castle were back in their original embrace; then he cupped her cheek with one hand, lifted her chin, and kissed her; and she moved her hand to run her fingers gently through the hair at the nape of his neck.

"You feel so good," he whispered.

"I couldn't wait to get back to you," she whispered in return before he kissed her again.

"It certainly looks like love," Martha whispered to Alexis before taking some of the awkwardness out of the moment by calling out, "Katherine, is that you? I didn't think we'd see you until this afternoon."

Kate quickly separated from Castle and apologized as Martha and Alexis approached them. "I'm sorry to just barge in. I called and told Rick I'd be here earlier."

"And neither of you were up then to tell you," Castle added.

Kate shyly tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and said, "I guess I missed him more than I thought."

Castle was watching her with pride…both that she could admit that so easily now, and that she just told his family that she could hardly wait to see him again. Martha walked over and wrapped Kate in a motherly hug. "We're all happy to have you anytime, Darling."

"Including me," Alexis added, also giving Kate a hug.

"We were just going for an afternoon at the spa, planning to be back by the time you arrived. And planning to allow my son to take three lovely women out for a nice dinner."

"Since we'll have all afternoon, Kate and I can make dinner for you."

"Dad, she's a guest. Detective Beckett shouldn't have to make us dinner," Alexis scolded.

"I don't mind at all," Kate answered. "And please call me Kate. It's much easier to say, don't you think?"

Alexis smiled and nodded.

"Darrell is still here," Castle told his mother and daughter. "He's going to drop you off at the spa. Do you want coffee and breakfast first?"

"No, Dear," Martha said. "We're due there in twenty minutes, so we'll go and give Darrell something to do."

Castle handed his mother some folded bills and asked her to give them to Darrell and thank him.

"See you this afternoon," Alexis said with a little wave in their direction as she left with her grandmother.

After opening the door just enough to see that the car was out of sight, he then closed and locked it.

"They're gone," he announced…and the clothes ripping began.

Kate was pulling his shirt out of his waistband while he was unzipping her jeans, all while moving in the direction of the stairs. Sandals were left trailing behind to make it easier to step out of the jeans that were pushed off as they moved. A trail of shirts and underwear was left on the stairs and in the upstairs hallway before they pushed the bedroom door closed and fell gracelessly on the bed.

When their sudden burst of lovemaking was over, Castle asked, "Was that what you imagined in your fantasy?"

"Yeah." Kate grinned. "How was it for you?"

"A quick fix." He grinned back. "Want to try again…and savor it more?"

"Let me catch my breath first."

"Me, too."

"I hope they didn't forget anything and have to come back for it."

"That would be a lot harder to explain than your lingerie in what used to be my T-shirt drawer."

"Castle, is that how Alexis found out?" Kate sounded horrified. "You said you were going to talk to her."

"I was, but she was trying to help and went to put away some of my T-shirts. I talked to her then. I think she called my mother to be here with her today…because Mother doesn't usually leave a part for an understudy if she can help it. She got here very late last night, and she's leaving tomorrow afternoon."

"See. I've made Alexis uncomfortable in her own home. I should go back."

"No, you shouldn't. It's in the open now, and we'll work it out."

"Let's at least go and clean up the trail of clothes."

"Would it make you feel better?"

"Much."

"Then let's go clothes gathering." Castle stood and started for the door, naked.

"What are you doing? At least put on a robe."

"We're the only ones here. I thought you liked my naked body." He grinned and wiggled his backside at her.

"I do, but if they came back for some reason…"

He went to the closet and returned with their robes, and they put them on.

"You do realize, don't you, that us being downstairs in robes picking up the clothes we were still wearing when they left would make a much bigger statement than your undies in my T-shirt drawer."

"But at least we wouldn't be naked."

Castle laughed and started down the stairs. Kate picked up his boxers from the floor outside his room and her panties from near the top step. Her bra was about halfway down, and she tossed all the sandals to the side of the stairs at the bottom. When she reached the last step, Castle had their jeans and shirts, and he kissed her playfully before they went back up.

"Is the paranoia under control now?"

She backhanded his arm, and he laughed. "Have I ruined my chances for savoring a round two?"

Waving their clothes at him, she answered, "As long as all of this is behind closed doors and we've finished savoring long before they get home. We should be downstairs by then, looking as innocent as possible."

"You're being ridiculous," he said indulgently.

"I don't care. And you should stop mocking if you expect any savoring to happen."

He laughed and dramatically closed the door. Then he picked her up, and dropped her on the bed, falling in beside her.

By the time Martha and Alexis returned, the couple had savored, showered, spent some time on the beach, showered again, organized dinner, and had the meal almost ready to serve.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Castle's two redheads heard laughter as they entered the house. Martha held a finger to her lips and motioned for Alexis to stay there while she checked on the laughter, then motioned for Alexis to join her when she found Castle and Kate playing as they made the salad. Kate scooped up something she had just chopped and dramatically dropped it into the bowl, and Castle, with a salad fork and spoon, was tossing it into the salad, being silly. Tossing too hard, he threw part of the salad on the counter.

"Try to leave a little salad in the bowl, would you." She bumped him with her hip, dropped something else in, and Castle was wildly tossing again. "You look like the Swedish Chef."

He leaned and kissed her head before he put things back in the bowl. "The counter is clean, and they'll never know," he said in a stage whisper and bumped her back.

"Behave," she told him. "This is our dinner."

"It smells good in here," Alexis said, letting them know they had company.

They both turned around and smiled. "Your father is playing with the food," Kate announced.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Alexis answered.

"Probably won't be the last, either," Martha added.

Kate looked over at Castle. "The salad is all in the bowl again, I presume?"

"Yes." As he took it and placed it on the table, he told his family, "The chicken is in the oven, should be done in about five minutes. Baked potatoes are in the warmer, and the rolls should be done in a few minutes, too."

"We can set the table," Alexis offered. She watched, looking surprised as Kate took plates from the cabinet and handed them to her, and followed by taking out glasses and putting them on the counter without having to ask where to find anything.

Martha got the silverware and napkins, and Kate and Castle moved efficiently around each other to put the food on the table. Kate slipped into the seat next to the wall, and Castle sat beside her, kissing her temple before unfolding his napkin, as if they had been doing those things for years. Martha and Alexis watched in fascination from their seats on the other side of the table, not having seen any of it before.

"Tell me about the spa," Kate said as everyone served themselves.

"Wonderful," Martha answered. "Full body massage."

"Followed by facials, manis, and pedis," Alexis added, wiggling her fingers at Kate.

"Nice color," Kate responded.

"If we had known you'd be here early, we would have booked you in, too," Martha told her apologetically.

"Maybe another time," Kate answered. "It sounds wonderful."

They talked about Alexis's summer program and Martha's play. Then they asked about Kate's job and whether Castle would be working with her again in the fall.

"I intend to," he answered.

"Don't you have enough research yet?" Martha asked.

"I had enough research last year, but I like the work. It's a good challenge, and I feel like I'm doing something useful. I'd like to stay as long as they let me."

"Does he really contribute that much, Katherine?"

"Most of the time." She looked at him and teased, "Now and then his theories go a little off the rails, but he's contributed a lot."

As they cleared the table, she told his family some of his theories, leaving them shaking their heads and giving him a hard time.

After dinner, Castle suggested a walk on the beach, and Kate made sure Alexis knew she was included. Alexis seemed comfortable enough with Kate so far; so Martha declined, saying she would read for a while instead.

The other three set out for the beach late in the evening and walked a good distance. They talked sporadically, sometimes just two of them, sometimes the three of them, and it didn't seem uncomfortable. On the way back, they all took off their sandals and waded at the edge of the water as they walked, now and then having to dodge a rogue wave; and they all enjoyed the time.

As they walked toward the house, Castle asked Kate. "Do you mind if I spend about an hour at the computer? I need to get a couple of ideas down while they're fresh."

"Of course not. I've told you that." Turning to the teenager, she asked, "Want to watch a movie, Alexis? Or we could do something else if you'd like. Or if you'd rather do something on your own, I can sit in the study and read."

"Do you play gin rummy?"

"Sure. You get the cards. Game room?"

"I'll meet you there." Alexis ran ahead into the house.

"Thank you," Castle said softly, putting his arm around her shoulders as they walked.

"For what?"

"For making Alexis feel like a part of us."

"Richard Castle, don't ever thank me for something like that again. Things like that are a given. I would never consider being with you and thinking that Alexis isn't a part of us. I know she's the most important thing in your life."

He pulled her in and kissed the top of her head. "You continue to amaze me."

They entered the back door, and Castle went to his study. Alexis had roped Martha into the card game, and the three women played while Castle wrote.

When he emerged from his office about an hour later, as promised, Martha scolded him. "Honestly, Richard. You invite a lovely young woman to spend time with you, and then go off and ignore her in favor of a computer."

"We have an understanding, Mother."

Martha looked over at Kate questioningly.

"We do," Kate assured them. "It's his job. I don't want to keep him from it."

"Refreshing," Martha said, looking over at Alexis.

"Who's winning?" Castle asked.

"Your mother is beating the socks off us," Kate replied. "I think we might as well quit before we're farther behind. What do you say, Alexis?"

"Agreed."

"I think I'll take my victory lap through the kitchen and pick up a glass of wine to celebrate," Martha answered. "Losers put the cards away."

Kate grinned at her humor and called behind her, "Next time, Martha. Watch your back."

"Big talk from someone who lost soooo spectacularly, Kiddo," Martha called from the kitchen, and Kate laughed.

Standing to put the cards away, Kate asked Alexis, "Does she always win?"

"No, but she always enjoys it a lot when she does," she answered with a grin.

Martha came to the door with her glass and said, "I'm going up to unwind. Are you coming, Alexis?"

"I think I will. I might read a little while." She stood to follow her grandmother. "'Night, Dad. 'Night Kate."

Castle followed her to the door. "Too adult to kiss your dad goodnight after a stint on a college campus?"

"Never," she answered, giving him a hug and kissing him on the cheek, and he kissed her forehead.

Kate didn't say anything, just joined them, reached out, and squeezed Alexis's hand gently, and they both smiled. Then Alexis followed her Grandmother upstairs.

"Well, getting to bed went more gracefully than I had anticipated," Kate observed. "I don't think Alexis could be any happier than I am that your mom is here."

"Don't put too much stock in Mother's motives, though," Castle cautioned. "I'd bet at least half her reason for getting Alexis upstairs is so they can talk about us. I'd put money on one of them being in the other's room right now, comparing notes."

"You think so?"

"I'm pretty certain. Want to sit outside for a while before bed? Our bench?"

Kate smiled and took the hand Castle extended to lead her outside.

Castle was right about his mother's motives. When she and Alexis reached Martha's room, Martha pulled her in and closed the door, bringing her to sit next to her on the bed.

"How was your walk?" she asked.

"It was nice. Sometimes we all talked together, Sometimes Dad talked to one of us, sometimes I talked to Detective Bec…Kate. I guess I should get used to calling her Kate. She made me feel like she was glad to have me walk with them."

"So what do you think?"

"I don't know yet," Alexis answered. "I've only seen her for a few hours."

"It isn't seeing _her_ for a few hours, Darling. It's seeing _them_."

"I know."

"They look comfortable with each other, like they've been together for years."

"They do, don't they?"

"Were you thinking they wouldn't?"

"Not exactly. It's just… It's a little disconcerting. I still want to see how she treats Dad."

"Of course you do."

"She teases him and plays along when he gets silly…instead of scolding him like Gina did. I do like that. And when we came back to the house tonight, he asked if Kate would mind if he took about an hour to write…get a couple of ideas down. She didn't even hesitate to find something to do without him. Then she asked if I wanted to do something, but she gave me the option not to."

"So you think it looks promising?"

"Probably. It just feels weird…knowing I could meet her coming out of Dad's room in the morning. I mean, I know what he's probably doing when he's gone overnight or out really late sometimes. I don't like to think about it, but I know. I've just never had to live with it, except when he was married to Gina; and I didn't understand as much then. He said something last week, though, that made me think Kate feels awkward, too."

"She probably does."

"Do you think she really loves him?"

"It's looking that way."

"She seems to know her way around here. She knows where things are in the cabinets, she knew about the game room, and she mentioned a couple of other things while we were playing cards…things I wouldn't have expected her to know yet. How could we have missed that much in such a short time?"

"Because off and on this summer, she's been here for almost two weeks, full time, while we weren't here; and, Darling, that was the best thing for them. They had to work out some things that were important to them, and having uninterrupted time together was the best way to do that. Do you feel like you've been left out, or that your home has been invaded?"

"He told me about her from the beginning, so I shouldn't feel that way; but I hadn't seen it until now. I don't know, Grams," she said, leaning her head on her grandmother's shoulder. "Dad is so happy with her, and he's trying to be honest with me. I'm acting like such a baby."

"No you aren't," Martha responded, wrapping her arms around her granddaughter. "You're acting like a teenager whose world is changing. It's perfectly normal. I'll bet Katherine and your father would tell you the same thing."

"I'm going to get something to drink, and then I'm going to bed,"

"Everything will be fine, Alexis. You'll see. Just keep an open mind. She might be good for all of us."

When Alexis went downstairs, she saw her dad and Kate in the kitchen again. He was sitting in one of the dining chairs, and she was standing behind him, massaging his neck and shoulders. His eyes were closed, and he made a contented little sound as her fingers dug into his tight muscles. It didn't look at all sexual, but it did look intimate.

Kate kissed the top of his head and asked, "Is it any better?" as she continued her movements.

"Yeah. Much better."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to…" Alexis started.

As if she felt the need to explain having her hands on Castle, Kate told her, "Your Dad said he spent a lot of time writing yesterday, and he looked the way he does when he's been sitting too long at the computer. I was trying to get the knots out for him."

Castle reached for his daughter's waist and pulled her in close. "What do you need, Pumpkin? Another goodnight kiss?" He pulled her head down and peppered messy kisses on one side of her face before she escaped, and Kate laughed at them.

"Does this happen a lot?" she asked Alexis.

"Too much," she answered with a little grin, a safe distance from her father.

"I think it's a dad thing. My father did things like that to me, too. Do you ever get the headlock?"

"Your dad did that, too?"

"Sure did."

"I just came to get something to drink…some juice or something."

"There's chocolate milk," Castle suggested. "You always like that."

"That sounds good," Kate chimed in, and she went to get it from the refrigerator. "There's enough here for all of us. How many glasses do we need?"

"Three," Castle answered.

Kate got down three glasses, and Alexis set them on the table in front of her dad. Kate poured, and Alexis took her glass as if she intended to go back upstairs.

"Are you going back to something important, or would you like to sit with us for a little while?" Castle asked.

"Stay if you want," Kate invited, and Alexis sat down. "Do you have plans tomorrow?"

"I think Grams wants us all to have lunch at her favorite restaurant before she goes back to work. Would you mind that, Detec…Kate?"

"I think it sounds nice."

Castle scooped Kate's hand into his and looked at her appreciatively. "I like the idea, too. I'll call tomorrow morning and arrange it."

"Tell me more about your dad," Alexis asked Kate. "What kind of work does he do? Did he spend a lot of time with you when you were little?

Kate talked about a few childhood memories, told her he was an attorney, and asked, "Would you like to meet him after you're back home this fall? I think you might like each other."

"I'd love to. Has Dad met him yet?"

"No. You'll meet him together. Seems appropriate."

Alexis nodded her agreement. "I'm going to get some sleep. See you in the morning," she said, getting up to put her glass in the dishwasher. Before she started up the stairs, she stopped and turned. "Kate?"

Kate looked up questioningly.

"Thanks for taking care of my dad."

"Always," she answered with a smile, and she and Caste watched as his daughter turned and disappeared around the corner and onto the stairway.

"That was awesome, "Castle sighed.

"What?"

"You just let her see again that you know she's a part of us."

"Rick…"

"I know you don't want me to be impressed with that, but I am. I can't help it."

"I like your daughter just for herself, too, you know. You've raised an impressive young woman. I hope we're not making her too uncomfortable."

"I hope not, too. But I need you with me, Kate. Now that I've had a taste of your being in my life, my life doesn't feel complete without you."

"Mine, either," she admitted.

"We've made a lot of progress this summer."

"Do you think we can make it last when we're back in the city and reality sets in around us? We've been in our own little world this summer."

"I think we can if we're determined."

That was all Alexis heard before she moved forward from where she had stopped on the second step of the stairs, out of sight. When she got upstairs, she stopped at her grandmother's door and knocked, then peeked in when Martha answered.

"Maybe it's going to be okay, Grams. I think she might take good care of him."

"I do, too. What brought this on?"

"Kate is going to introduce Dad and me to her father, together, when we get back this fall. She said it seemed appropriate. And I might have eavesdropped a little bit. She said she likes me just for me. And she worries about making me uncomfortable. And Dad seems to think she doesn't want credit for thinking about including me in wanting to be with him. Oh, and Dad said he'd arrange lunch at the restaurant tomorrow."

You shouldn't have eavesdropped, but that's some good intelligence you picked up. Will it help you sleep better?"

"I think so."

"Just keep in mind that if you continue to eavesdrop, sooner or later you're going to hear something a lot less innocent than what you just heard."

"Yuck. I don't usually do that; but for some reason, I couldn't help it tonight."

"Maybe this one time it was okay. You have my permission not to feel guilty."

"Thanks, Grams," she answered with a grin.

"But no more of it. Don't make me turn you over my knee," Martha teased.

Alexis giggled. "See you in the morning."

"Night, Kiddo."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

An early lunch with Martha was fun for all four residents of the beach house. After all the years they had been customers, Martha, Rick, and Alexis were all known to the restaurant staff. They introduced Kate as if the staff needed to know her, too, and joked and laughed with them as they came and went, asking about their families as well. When they left, Kate understood why it was Martha's favorite restaurant. As well as the easy-going staff, the food was wonderful.

When they left the restaurant, Martha had an hour and a half before the car was to pick her up for her return trip, so they went shopping in town near the restaurant. After visiting a couple of boutiques with sky high prices, they stopped at a little jewelry store that dealt in handcrafted gemstone jewelry. Exquisite work but not entirely unaffordable for someone with Kate's income. While Castle was examining pieces that showed excellent craftsmanship, he was also keeping an eye out for which pieces attracted the three women with him.

Martha insisted on stopping there, telling Kate they had interesting jewelry; and Kate seemed to find things that interested her, too. Alexis found a bracelet she liked, and asked her dad if she could buy it. Martha, after trying a number of necklaces and rings, simply handed her two favorites to her son, saying, "You have the card. You might as well take this, too." Castle rolled his eyes at Kate, and she laughed as Martha wandered over to a wall display to keep looking. He saw Kate try on a few pieces, but there was one ring she went back to several times. She hadn't done more than look for the last few minutes, though, pointing out interesting things to Alexis and moving on.

Castle looked at his watch and walked over to Martha. "Mother, the car will be at the house in twenty minutes. We should probably wrap things up here."

"I lost track of time. Thank you, Darling."

While he was close to her, he whispered, "Can you distract Kate for a minute? There was a ring she kept going back to."

"I saw that. It was lovely. And perfect for a gift for her. It only says pretty jewelry, nothing more."

"That's what I thought, too."

"You go and take care of the check. I'll provide the distraction." Martha then put her acting skills to work and called, "Katherine, did you see this?" then took her arm to move her away from Castle and off to a display behind him.

Castle and Alexis returned to them, Castle holding a couple of small bags, and he handed one to Martha. "We need to get Mother home," he told them. The car should be there any time now."

The car arrived about two minutes after they did. Castle brought Martha's bags out, and the driver greeted her as Ms. Rogers and then spoke to Miss Alexis, "And you must be Miss Beckett," he added.

"Yes, and you are…"

"Michael, Ma'am. Nice to meet you. I'll probably see you again." He nodded in her direction before opening the door for Martha.

Martha hugged everyone, ending with Alexis; and as she hugged her granddaughter, she whispered close to her ear. "Are you okay now?"

"I will be. Kate is trying hard, too."

"I have a good feeling about this. I like having her here."

"Thanks for this weekend, Grams."

"See you next week," her grandmother promised. "You can tell me all about the rest of the weekend then." With that, she got into the town car, and it pulled away.

"It's always so quiet when Mother leaves," Castle joked.

"Stop that." Kate backhanded his chest. "I love having your mother around."

"Alexis, she hit me."

"You earned it." Alexis smirked and went up the steps before the other two.

"My own child deserts me," he wailed dramatically, and both women laughed.

"Are all your drivers so formal? The best I can get from Darrell is Miss Kate."

"Company policy. Men are Mr. Whoever, or Sir. Male children are Master…followed by first or last name. Apparently any female, from birth on up, is eligible for Miss, or the married ones are Mrs. and the surname. You won't get them to budge…Miss Kate."

"It feels odd."

"You'll get used to it after a while."

When they returned to the house, they decided to spend some time on the beach, and Kate went upstairs to change clothes. Considering his daughter and his new relationship with Kate, Castle planned to wait until Kate returned before he did the same. Alexis was about to follow Kate upstairs, but then she turned to get the bag containing her bracelet. Her father had left it on the kitchen counter when they came in. When she picked it up, however, she realized there were two boxes, not just the one she expected.

"Dad, there's an extra box. Did Grams leave something behind?"

"That's for Kate," he explained. "She kept going back to that ring, and I didn't want to leave her out."

"Is it the oblong one with the opal?"

"That's the one. Mother and I thought it looked like a nice gift without looking intimidatingly commitment worthy."

"Good choice. When are you going to give it to her?"

"I don't know yet. Would you take it up with you and leave it on Mother's dresser? I think I'll just look for a good moment, and I can pick it up from there when I find one.

Kate and the Castles spent a couple of hours on the beach. Stan and Polly walked by and stopped to talk for a few minutes, and the three of them entertained themselves at home for the rest of the day.

The next morning, Alexis got a phone call from a friend a few houses away and was going to visit her.

"Would you like to take Kate to the lighthouse this afternoon?" Castle asked his daughter before she left. "We had planned to go the last time she was here and never got there for some reason." Since Alexis wasn't looking, he gave Kate a mischievous smile and got one in return.

"That sounds like fun," Alexis answered. "We haven't been there in a long time."

They arranged a time to leave, and Alexis told them, "Nina is going to meet me halfway. I'll tell her I can't stay too long, and I'll be back for lunch before we leave."

"Have fun," Kate called after her as she left.

When she was out of the house, Castle turned to Kate. "We're childless for a while. Should we exercise that urge you seem to have…the one that makes you want to rip my clothes off. Only to avoid possible embarrassment at the lighthouse this afternoon, you understand."

"No clothes off until she's had fifteen minutes to come back because she forgot something."

Amused by the difference in her usual eager participation in bed and her complete paranoia that his daughter might know what they're doing…even though Kate was sleeping in his room, he answered, "You're going to have to get over that sooner or later,"

"Well, it won't be this weekend. I don't want us to traumatize her. She already had to call in reinforcements to face me at all."

"You're considering my daughter. I guess I can't complain."

"Don't paint a one hundred per cent altruistic picture yet. I don't want to traumatize me, either. If she came back and even just heard us, I might never be able to look her in the eye again. And you're her father. Why isn't it bothering you?" She shoved his chest playfully.

"No need for violence, Woman. I don't want to be in that little picture you're imagining, either. But she's at someone else's house by now." He enunciated the last sentence very clearly and smiled.

"I'm sure she knows it's going to happen sometime, but she doesn't need evidence of when. I haven't had to consider a child before. Am I a bad role model, Rick? I don't know how to do this."

Seeing that she was more concerned than he realized, he took her shoulders to get her attention. "Kate, look at who she's lived with her whole life. Mother doesn't bring her dates home, either. I insisted on that when she moved in. But Alexis has witnessed many a walk of shame, and some of them have been mine. I won't say I'm proud of that, but the role model thing…it's a worry you should put behind you."

"But this is me. And seeing you come home...that only leaves an abstract idea. I…"

"Shhh… Stop worrying. We'll be quiet at night when she's here. My room at the loft is reasonably soundproof and much farther away from hers, and at your place we only need to worry about whether you'll ever be able to face your neighbors again." His smirk earned his chest another shove, after which he stooped, wrapped his arms around her legs, picked her up, draped her over his shoulder, and hauled her up the stairs, laughing at her half-hearted protests.

By the time Alexis returned, the two satisfied adults were dressed for their lighthouse excursion and sitting innocently in the living room waiting for her.

"There's a sandwich and some fruit in the fridge," Kate called when they heard her come in. "We're in the living room."

Alexis appeared a couple of minutes later with her lunch and ate it as her father gave her the rundown of plans for the afternoon."

They drove to the lighthouse and behaved like tourists, investigating every nook and cranny available to the public, including the gift shop where Castle bought a lighthouse magnet. The women teased him about it, but he reminded them they were tourists. "Tourists buy these things," he insisted unapologetically.

When they had worn themselves out, they sat down on an open strip of ground for a while, looking out over the water. It was nearing dusk by then, and the sun was beginning to get lower. The sky was gradually getting darker, and there were deep gray clouds overtaking the lighter ones that had been the norm earlier in the day. They watched as bright, white clouds seemed to explode from the gray ones here and there, made even brighter against the gray that obliterated the sun that lit the lighter ones from behind. Castle pointed out a cloud that looked like the spaceship from _Close Encounters_ , then Alexis found a volcano spewing lava in one of the brighter fluffier clouds.

"Look over there," Kate said, pointing out a blend of clouds with a light gray area in the center and a slightly darker gray around the outside. A lighter cloud surrounded the center, with sunlight lighting it from behind so it glowed. "It looks like The Fortress of Solitude."

"Oh, that's beautiful," Alexis exclaimed. "And, Dad, she knows about The Fortress of Solitude."

"I told you she's the right one for us," he answered. "And she's right. There's the mountain and the entrance, and it looks like it's lit from the inside."

"There's another one," Kate pointed out. "Over there where that white one is changing shape. It looks like a sailboat."

"The gray piece that just broke off is a dragon," Alexis chimed in.

"Uh,oh. Trouble," Castle warned. "Alexis's dragon is about to eat your sailboat." About thirty seconds later the women heard, "Aaaaaaand it's gone."

"I hope it has a stomach ache," Kate grouched, and Alexis laughed.

"As nice as this is," Castle said, "It's looking stormier out there by the minute. We should probably head home."

He heard sounds of agreement, and they stood and dusted themselves off to head back to the car; and they made the drive home, reaching the house barely ahead of the storm. It was almost dark by then. Within minutes of entering the house, the wind and rain was blustering and there was thunder and lightning; and they all stood at the windows in the dark living room to watch for a while. Castle put his arms around his two loves protectively, pulling them close to his sides.

"Doesn't look nearly as nice as The Fortress of Solitude," he observed.

"It looks a lot more like sailboat-eating dragons out there," Kate answered, reaching around Castle to poke his daughter in the ribs, and Alexis giggled. "But it's pretty spectacular in its own right," she added.

"I know it's summer, but storms bring out the hot cocoa monster in me. Anybody else want one?"

Hearing positive responses, he kissed each of his women on the head and went to the kitchen, leaving them alone together in the living room.

"Thanks for today, Kate," Alexis said shyly. "I enjoyed it."

"I did, too." Kate reached out and stroked her hand on Alexis's upper arm briefly.

"My mom or Gina, if we could even talk them into going with us, would have whined about the heat, or getting their clothes dirty, or wanting to go home. We might have been there an hour, tops. But we spent all afternoon, and you looked like you were having fun."

"I was. I had a great time. You guys are good company."

They walked to the kitchen and got down mugs; and when Castle turned around, both of them were standing with their arms crossed looking impatient, mugs in hand.

"You have to wait until the milk is hot," Castle protested. "I can't do a thing about that."

Both of them laughed and put all the mugs on the counter near the stove.

"That's how it's going to be, is it? Did you instigate that, Katherine Beckett? Maybe the hot cocoa monster won't share."

Alexis looked at Kate. "Don't worry. He threatens, but he always shares.

Castle took the lighthouse magnet from his pocket and made a little show of placing it on the refrigerator door.

"To commemorate our first outing together," he said.

"Castle, don't put your daughter on the spot like that. Alexis is barely used to having me in the house."

"I had fun," she assured Kate. "It's going to make a nice memory."

After the hot chocolate, Alexis excused herself for a shower and bed and left the two adults in the kitchen.

"She enjoyed this afternoon...enjoyed you. I could tell," he assured Kate.

"She told me she did. I did, too."

"Good." He leaned over and kissed her gently. "How is that urge of yours? Want to rip my clothes off…quietly?"

"Can we have a quiet shower first? We can sneak upstairs while Alexis is taking hers."

"Good plan."

After their shower, Castle slipped across the hall to his mother's room and picked up the little box on the dresser.

When he came back, Kate was sitting propped against the headboard on her side of the bed; and he sat down close beside her on his side, facing her. "I got something for you this afternoon. It isn't anything big," he assured her, taking the ring from the box."

"You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to. It looked nice on you, and I could tell you liked it." He took her right hand and put it on her ring finger.

"Rick…"

"It doesn't have to mean anything other than I wanted to give you something you liked."

"Thank you." She held out her hand to look at it again. "I do like it." She looked down and paused for a moment, looking uncertain.

"Is something wrong?" Castle asked, looking worried.

"No. I just need to tell you something."

"Is it bad?"

"I hope not."

"Then just tell me.

"I know we said we were falling in love, but I've passed that." She paused for a moment, and took a deep breath, as if breathing in courage. "I love you, Rick. I wanted you to know that I'm sure. I've made such a mess of everything else that I didn't want to wait for it to be a response to you…I wanted to say it first. You don't have to say anything. It can wait."

He took her in his arms and held her close, breathing against her hair as he answered. "I've wanted to tell you every time I've called since the last time you were here. I wanted to whisper it to you when you got here on Friday…to say it every time we made love this weekend, but I was afraid to push too hard. I love you, too…so much."

"Now that we started being honest, it doesn't look like we know how to take things slowly."

"Maybe we were inevitable. Maybe the universe finally got our attention and isn't letting go until we cooperate."

"You think we're that important to the universe?"

"If that's where all this is coming from, I hope so."

"I think we could give ourselves a little credit for finally acting like grown-ups."

"Yeah, we should. Telling me…that was hard for you wasn't it?"

"It took me the whole weekend to work up to it. If I were sure we'd have some time alone tomorrow, I would probably have put it off until then." She felt his chuckle vibrate through her chest. "What's wrong with me? I can take down seasoned bad guys and never flinch, but when it comes to us, I've been such a wuss."

He moved back enough to pick up her right hand and ran his thumb across the ring. "I know what we can do. This can be an 'I love you.' ring. If we need to say it at the precinct or somewhere else that's inappropriate, one of us can run a finger across it, and we know it was said."

"How can somebody who can be so goofy be such a romantic at the same time? You're a paradox, Richard Castle… but I love all the bits and pieces."

From there, they gently…and quietly…celebrated being in love.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Kate and the Castles had a nice morning at the pool. After lunch, she packed the nearly empty suitcase she had brought to take home everything she had left at the beach house during the summer. Alexis went to visit her friend again for a little over an hour, and Kate and Castle suspected her motive was to give them some time alone before Kate left.

"Don't take everything back," Castle encouraged as he watched her pack. Leave at least one change of clothes here. We might want to get away one day when you have time."

"When I have enough time off to come here again, it will be fall. These are summer clothes."

It's nice here, even when it's cold, so I always keep a few things here. You love me. You know I can talk you into coming back," he said smugly.

She took a jeans outfit, a change of underwear, and something to sleep in out of her suitcase and put it in her drawer. "Happy now?" she asked, kissing him.

"Yes. While you're back at work and I'm still here, I can open the drawer and check to be sure I wasn't dreaming." He reached in the suitcase and snitched her sneakers and a pair of socks when she turned to pick up a couple of other things from the dresser, but she caught him when she turned back.

"What are you doing? I need those."

"I'll buy you new ones. What if you have a day off and we decide to leave after work and spend the night here? Do you really want to try to take a walk on the beach in those mile high heels you wear? And barefoot might not be a comfortable option in October."

"Put them where you want them," she said, sounding resigned. Pausing the conversation as she put the last few items in her bag, she looked pensive.

"Anything wrong?"

"I was just thinking, it's going to be different when you get home. I'll talk to Roy before you're back at the precinct. I think he'll be okay with us being together…might even be happy about it. The boys know, but I asked them to keep it quiet for now. Can we let anybody else find out on their own…kind of let it happen without any announcements or anything? And we're going to need some ground rules about what is and isn't acceptable at work."

With a suggestive look, he asked, "Detective Beckett, are you imagining that I might clear your desk with a sweep of one arm, throw you across it, and…"

"Is that one of your fantasies?"

"Oh, yeah," he answered with a grin. Then he was more serious. "Whatever you want to do, Kate. It's your job. We'll handle it on your terms, but we might have to go a little more public in November with mine."

"Why?"

"The book launch for _Naked Heat_. I have no intention of taking a date if it isn't you. You'll go with me, won't you?"

"I guess we have to be public sometime. It's just that, for me, public is usually...um a lot less public than that. And speaking of books, couldn't you have found a classier title than _Naked Heat_ …to go with the stripper name?"

"Too late to change either one now. The cover art is already done," he answered unapologetically. "And about us… We can start by not denying everything at the precinct anymore. We just let it go unanswered, or whatever seems best. Ease into it. I'll talk to Paula and let her know there won't be any more phony dates or playboy image references. No hint of anybody but you."

"I do like that last part." She planted a little kiss on his lips before saying, "Be right back." Then she went to check the bathroom one more time before closing her suitcase.

"Leave your shampoo and body wash. You might want that, too."

When she returned to the bedroom, she took out those two items, handing them to him; and he returned them to the bathroom with a bit of triumph in his smile.

As they were coming back downstairs, Alexis returned, but not alone.

"I brought Nina. I might have talked about you this morning, Kate, and she wanted to meet you. I hope you don't mind."

"Hi, Nina. It's nice to meet you." Kate reached to shake her hand and stage whispered teasingly, "I hope whatever she said wasn't too bad."

"All of it was good, Detective Beckett," the teenager said with a smile. "And you're as pretty as she said you are. She said you were leaving this afternoon, so this was my only chance."

"It's Kate, and I'm not leaving quite yet. Would you ladies like some iced tea?"

"I think I'm feeling left out," Castle pouted. "Nina hasn't spoken to me yet."

"Hi, Mr. Castle." Nina said, giving him a grin and a quick hug. "I didn't mean to ignore you." Turning back to Kate, she added, "Thanks for the offer, but my parents said I had to come right back. They said I shouldn't intrude on the time you were still here; but Alexis told me so much about you, I just wanted to meet you."

"Well, I'm glad you stopped in. I hope to see you again," Kate assured her.

"Thanks. Bye. See you tomorrow, Alexis." And Nina bounded out the front door, heading back home.

"Thanks for bringing your friend to meet me, Alexis. I know you usually have your dad all to yourself, and it made me feel like you didn't mind too much…having me around this weekend."

"I didn't mind. I might have been kind of nervous about it at first, but…"

"I might have been a little nervous about it at first, too; but I've enjoyed spending time with you."

Seeing that both his girls looked a bit shy about what they were saying, Castle put his hands on Kate's shoulders from behind, and said, "And I've enjoyed spending time with both of you. Want to tell us what you told Nina that made her want to meet Kate?"

"It was all good, I promise," Alexis answered evasively. "I'm going up to my room for a little while. You won't leave without saying 'good-bye', will you, Kate?"

"Wouldn't think of it," Kate answered.

Waiting until Alexis was out of hearing range, Castle said, "I think she was embarrassed to say she told Nina how much she likes you, and how thoughtful you are, and how much she enjoyed having you here. I've told you she looks up to you. She probably told her about your job and how impressive you are, too. Looks to me like you've been accepted into the fold."

"You really think so?"

"Yep. I do."

"So all that's left now is for you to meet my dad."

"Oh, right. Okay, now I might see where some of your nervous moments this weekend could have come from."

"I'll tell him to be nice."

"Somehow, I don't see that doing but so much good if Alexis were to say that to me."

"Lucky for her, I plan to be around for that."

"Lucky for both of us that you plan to be around for that."

"Can we walk out to the beach one more time before I leave…soak up a little more relaxation before I have to go back to the rat race?"

"I'd like that."

They walked out to the edge of the yard and stood with arms around each other, simply breathing in the ocean air and being close to one another. Conversation happened in fits and starts; they were more invested in the feeling of being together, something they would have to give up until the Castles were back in the city.

Alexis watched from a window upstairs as her father held a woman she didn't know well but already felt closer to than she ever did with Gina, and could probably depend on more than she could depend on her own mother. It was obvious that he intended her to become a part of their family.

Castle took his phone from his pocket, spoke briefly for a moment, and disconnected. He turned to Kate and gave her a lingering kiss, then they started back to the house; and Alexis hurried out of sight and back to her room.

Castle went to the stairs and called up to his daughter, "Darrell said he's almost here, so Kate will be leaving in a few minutes." He then picked up Kate's luggage and took it out to the front of the house, and she followed.

After parking the car, Darrell came to pick up the luggage, leaving his clients time to say "Good-bye". Castle stood near the car with one arm around Kate, and Alexis stood near the front door as if she weren't quite sure where she should be.

Kate looked over at her and waved her in their direction, meeting her halfway. Castle realized his daughter didn't look nearly as self-assured as usual and followed.

"How am I going to hug you when you're way over there?" Kate asked. "A hug is okay, right?"

Alexis looked both pleased and relieved and immediately went into Kate's open arms.

After giving her a reassuring hug, Kate then put her hands on the girl's shoulders and held her slightly away. "Don't ever hesitate. Just hug. Understand?"

Alexis nodded and smiled.

"And don't ever think that because your father and I are in a moment together that you can't interrupt because you need one of us for something…or because you just feel left out and want time with him…or me…or us. You're a thoughtful, perceptive young woman, and I trust you to know how to handle that. I'll never try to come between you and your father, so that shouldn't be one of your worries about seeing us together." Then she pulled Alexis in for another hug. "I'll see you in a couple of weeks."

When Alexis stepped back, Castle pulled Kate in for another hug, saying, "God, I love you."

"I love you, too," she answered. "What have you done to me? I don't have the slightest inclination to go back to work."

Castle grinned. "Nice to know I have such power."

"Will the book be in on time?"

"It might even be early. I can see the rest of it being ready for editing by the end of this week. I'm so sure of it that I've already sent in the chapters I had kept in reserve. Gina wanted the book finished by Labor Day. To have it out for the holidays they're on a tighter schedule than usual for this one, and having it in a week early should help smooth the rest of her ruffled feathers."

"If you need more time before you come back to the precinct, just let me know."

"There are going to be some meetings, and some travelling for book signings and publicity. Fall will be busy."

"I'll take you whenever I can get you."

He hugged her close and whispered, "You can take me any time you want, Detective." Then he kissed her, slowly and gently. "Less than two weeks," he promised.

"Less than two weeks. I'll pave the way at the precinct."

She hugged Alexis one more time and turned to see that Darrell was holding the car door for her. Castle had an arm around Alexis, and she was holding him around his waist. Neither of them appeared to want Kate to leave.

Kate waved, Darrell closed the car door, and they drove away.

"You miss her already, don't you, Dad?" Alexis asked as they watched the car disappear into the distance.

"That obvious?"

"Pretty much."

"So how do you feel about all this?" Castle asked as he turned them around to go back in the house, never taking his arm from around her shoulders. "Tell me the truth."

"It took me by surprise…seeing how much I'd missed while I was away. I felt like everything had changed, and it worried me. I didn't know what to expect." She paused for a moment before admitting sheepishly, "I called and asked Grams to come after I found Kate's clothes in your room."

"I thought you might have. It's okay. Everybody needs some back-up now and then."

"It's just…I never saw you like that before. And you never brought anybody home…not like that. You went from a nice, innocent weekend being honest with each other to being in love in less than the time I was gone. And she had been here with you enough to know where everything was and how you act when your neck is stiff from sitting at the computer too long…and it looks like she loves you, too. I heard you both say it before she left. For me, it all happened so fast. I had no idea it was so serious."

"We didn't expect things to move this fast, either; but we're both certain we want to build a life together. How do you feel about _that_?" he asked as they entered the house, and he let her go and sat next to her when she plopped down on the sofa.

"I already feel better about Kate than I ever did about Gina. I mean, Gina was good to me, and it was nice to have a woman around sometimes…but Kate seems to expect…" Alexis seemed to have trouble choosing the right words. "I really enjoyed yesterday with her. Do you think she really likes me as much as… She wouldn't just be pretending, would she?"

"No. Kate wouldn't do that to either of us. She meant what she told you before she left, and you know I feel the same way, right? We both know you're an important part of our relationship. She's always known how important you are to me, and she likes being with you and Mother."

"I hope so."

"Do you think the three of us…well, the four of us counting your Grams, could make a family?"

"It won't be like with Mom or Gina will it? I was too little to remember when Mom lived with us, but I can remember how you'd argue when she came to visit. And I remember you and Gina arguing a lot…and then she left, too. You haven't exactly picked people who like us enough to stay. I don't want you to get hurt again; and I think if Kate left, Grams and I would be just as hurt as you. Are you sure about her?"

"I am. Kate hasn't always made the best choices, either; but we're both committed to being honest and working it out. I'm not talking about getting married right away, but that's where I want this to go."

"So there's another stepmother in my future?"

"Is that a bad thing…this time?"

"Maybe not. I told Nina this morning that I hoped Kate would stay with you."

He kissed his daughter on her head and smiled as he hugged her close.

xxxxx

Beckett went in to work early the next morning to start catching up. She also wanted to see Captain Montgomery before the precinct got too busy, and she was fortunate enough that it was one of the days he was there early as well.

"Welcome back," he said, looking up when she appeared in his doorway. "Good trip?"

"Good trip," she answered with a nod. "Castle is planning to come back in a couple of weeks."

"We're talking about coming back here…to the precinct?"

"Right. But I need you to know something before he's here again. Things are different between us now. We're together…dating."

"I know what together means, Beckett, and I'm happy for both of you. It's high time. To tell the truth, it's kind of a relief. We've all been watching the two of you dancing around each other long enough. "

"So you don't object?"

"He's a civilian. As long as you keep it professional here, I won't interfere; but no PDA in the precinct."

"We're setting ourselves some rules. I've told Ryan and Esposito, and Lanie knows; but we thought we'd leave it at that and let anybody else figure it out on their own."

"You work in a room full of detectives, you know. It probably won't take long."

"That might be good. The book launch for the next Nikki Heat book is in November, and he wants me there. I guess it's definitely public then."

"Kate Beckett is agreeing to that kind of publicity?" he asked in awe. "Sounds serious."

"It is, Roy."

He leaned back in his chair and smiled. "I don't know how it happened, but I'm glad to see that you finally came to your senses. Congratulations. Now, get out there and earn your keep. And tell Castle I'll be glad to have him back."

"Yes sir."

xxxxx

Castle and Alexis returned to the loft the first of September. Martha was already back at home by then. Kate was up to her ears in a case, so Castle went to see her alone for a few hours, which provided both of them enough peace to get them through the next day or two of her case, his meetings, and his back to school preparations with Alexis. The couple did manage some time alone, as well as some time with his family, but it wasn't the same easy feeling as in the summer when there were so few distractions. The reality of their work obligations would be more taxing.

They had scheduled Castle's return to the precinct for the day Alexis returned to school, which was meant to be a smooth transition from summer to his rejoining the team, but it didn't run as smoothly as planned. A couple of days ahead of his scheduled return, Beckett, Ryan, and Esposito entered a crime scene and found Castle in the room with the body…and holding a gun. After fearing he might be shot, he had to explain that the victim had called him for help. All three detectives were angry, but an interrogation at the precinct and a preliminary ballistics report told them that the gun he was holding wasn't the murder weapon.

After that much was accomplished, Roy walked him to the bull pen shaking his head. "Well, you always did know how to make an entrance. I trust things will calm down from here?"

"That's the intention, Roy. This isn't what I expected when I went to talk to her. Sorry about the commotion."

"Maybe you and Beckett should have a little chat before things go any farther south. She may have some questions that would be best handled without an audience."

"That was the next order of business."

"Castle…a minute?" Beckett nodded toward the break room after Castle left Roy, and the couple entered the empty room. She checked the other door to be sure they were alone and asked quietly, "I need to know, Rick. Was this somebody you had slept with? Were you there for any reason other than to talk to her?"

"No…on all counts. I promised there would be nobody but you, and I meant it. It hurts that you had to ask, but I understand. She called, said she was in trouble, and sounded upset enough that I thought I should see what was wrong. The artwork I told you I bought from her was the extent of our relationship. She knew I've been working with the police, so she called me for help. That's all. Then I found her body…and you know the rest. I'm sorry. I know how bad it looked."

She looked into his eyes for a moment and finally put her hand on his chest, saying, "I believe you."

Castle looked relieved. "I think I can breathe again. I don't know what I'd do if you lost faith in me now. Kate, I'm so sorry this is how we started working together again."

"Me, too, but it wasn't your fault. You were trying to do the right thing."

"Thank you…for trusting me."

"It's what we have to do if we're going to make it." She paused and touched one of the buttons on his shirt. "Those rules we agreed on…Beckett here, remember, not Kate?"

He stroked his thumb over her new ring and whispered softly, "I love you, Beckett."

"I love you, too," she whispered back, her thumb meeting his. "Now let's go act professional and see if we can make some sense of this murder."

The boys weren't too friendly, but they let Castle give them the little bit of information he had on the victim and then followed it up. Later in the day, they lured Castle into a less used part of the homicide floor and cornered him for the big brother talk. Kate saw them leave together, noted the direction they took, and suspected the motive; so she followed quietly.

Kate arrived and interrupted at the point where Ryan was saying, "You ever hurt her, and…"

"What is this?" she asked. "You don't think I can fight my own battles? If you want to put blame somewhere, I hurt him first, and he's forgiven me. We talked about what happened this morning, and I believe him, personally and professionally. So, back off."

"We're just trying to have your back, Beckett," Esposito answered, smoothing the lapels of Castle's jacket threateningly.

"That's right," Ryan agreed with the same threatening sound.

"I appreciate the intent, but I said to back off, and I meant it."

"I appreciate it, too, guys," Castle told them a mite nervously. "I want you to have her back, but you'll never need to protect her from me. You have my word."

From that point, Castle divided his time between the precinct, his daughter, and his meetings…he and Beckett finding time alone when they could. The case was solved, and things moved more smoothly from there.

xxxxx

Jim Beckett's phone rang as he sat reading one evening, and it brought a smile to his face when he realized it was his daughter.

"Katie. You're not backing out of lunch next Sunday, are you?" he asked good-naturedly. "You're already deserting me for that spa weekend with Lanie this week. Although a full weekend of being completely pampered _might_ hold more appeal than one lunch with your father."

"That and paying off a debt of gratitude, Dad. I'll fill you in on that one day soon. I called because I'd like to bring company for lunch next week."

"Do I finally get to meet your writer…the one you talk about so much? I've noticed the tone of your comments has changed lately."

She didn't even argue about the term "your writer". She simply moved on to her reason for calling. "You'll be meeting Castle and his fifteen year old daughter."

"This sounds serious."

"It's as serious as I've ever been. I spent some time with him this summer, and we were finally honest with each other, and… Dad, I love him, and he loves me, and his family treats me like they want me there. They're great, and I'm pretty sure I love them, too."

"Then by all means bring them. I need to meet the man who can make my little girl sound this happy."

"You won't try to intimidate him, will you?"

"No promises. That's a father's prerogative, you know."

"I have the feeling I'm going to have to work on that with Castle for Alexis's sake. He's a great dad, though. That's the first thing that changed the way I saw him…the first glimpse of who he really is behind page six."

"I'm looking forward to this, Honey. I promise I'll give him a fair chance…and that I won't try to embarrass him in front of his daughter."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate that." After hearing her father chuckle, she said, "So all three of us will see you next Sunday, same time, same place as usual?"

"Are you sure he's okay with a non-descript little diner? He's probably used to much fancier fare."

"He's a lot more down-to-earth than the publicity makes him sound, and he's taught his daughter to be the same. The diner will be fine, and he always treats the staff with respect. Besides," she added jokingly, "they might as well see us in our natural habitat."

Jim laughed. "You're probably right. See you next Sunday. Love you, Katie."

"Love you, too, Dad."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The final chapters of _Naked Heat_ were in Gina's hands for editing before Castle and his daughter had returned from the Hamptons, and a couple of meetings had been set up to consult with Castle on the results. After completing the first meeting, he took time to let Gina know what had developed with Kate during the summer. He felt he should mention it before he talked to Paula.

"So, you got together this summer and you're already talking about a future together?" Gina said disparagingly.

"We've known each other close to two years, we were already friends, and there's been a connection between us for most of that time. We both have old wounds to deal with, so we were afraid to do anything about it."

"Let's see. You've worked together, you're attracted to each other, you're probably sleeping together by now, and you're talking about a future together. Sounds like a familiar story, doesn't it?"

"It's different from us, Gina."

How does she feel about living with Alexis…and Martha?" Martha's name was pronounced with a level of disdain. There was never any love between the two women. "What makes it different? Sounds the same to me."

"The difference is that she loves _me_ …exactly the way I am. She doesn't want to change me, doesn't expect me to be anybody else. She loves Alexis…and Mother. And the connection between us…when we were finally honest about our feelings, it was stronger. I won't try to explain it any more than I have, but she and I both know it's worth the effort. I think we could grow old together."

Gina seemed surprised that the relationship sounded so serious so quickly, and then asked, sounding resigned, "Why didn't that happen for us?"

"I know that I wasn't what you wanted. Maybe we weren't invested enough in making it work. Maybe we were never really suited to one another and didn't know it until we tried to live together."

"You might be right. I don't think I was what you wanted, either." She paused a moment and asked, "It wasn't all bad, was it?"

"No…it wasn't." He covered her hand with his in assurance.

"And you're what she wants? You're sure of that?"

"One hundred per cent."

"Well, I hope you're right. Regardless of our differences, Richard, I know you're a good man. I have my doubts about this sudden relationship, but you deserve to be happy."

"Thank you, Gina." He stood and bent to kiss her cheek.

"Thanks for not blindsiding me with it. And thanks for getting the final chapters in so early."

"See you Friday morning."

Gina leaned back in her chair, sat a moment looking a bit sad, then sat up and called to have her next appointment sent in.

xxxxx

On Friday night, Lanie met Kate at her apartment for the trip they had planned; and they put the luggage by the door and sat down to have a glass of wine before they left.

"That was Castle," Kate reported after a short phone conversation.

"Well, I didn't think you were talking to the plumber in that tone of voice."

Kate made a face at Lanie. "A car is picking us up in ten minutes to take us to the spa. He intends for you to feel pampered from beginning to end."

"You said you'd take care of the transportation, but this is all Castle, isn't it?"

"He said he wanted you to feel reeeally appreciated. The car isn't a limo, though. It's a town car, a nice one."

"I don't have to drive it…or ride a train and then find a taxi to get there. Fine with me."

"This is the place Martha takes Alexis sometimes. They couldn't say enough good things about it."

They talked for a few more minutes before Kate's phone rang again.

"We're on our way," she told the driver then turned to Lanie and asked, "Ready?"

"Lead the way."

They took their bags downstairs, and the doorman took them to the street where Darrell was waiting next to the car. "Evening, Miss Kate. And you must be Ms. Parish. I'm Darrell, Ma'am. Nice to meet you." He then opened the door for them and they slid in across the leather seat.

While Darrell stowed the luggage in the trunk and returned to the driver's seat, Lanie looked at her friend and asked, "How many times has Castle sent a car for you…Miss Kate?"

"The last two times I went to the Hamptons," she answered sheepishly.

"And how did you fail to mention that little detail?"

"I don't know. I guess it was a little embarrassing. Felt like too much."

"Honey, we need to spend some serious time teaching you to enjoy luxury. I have no such compunctions."

Kate laughed, then Darrell was back, pointing out a small choice of beverages, and the two friends were off on a trip they both thoroughly enjoyed. They spent two days of fully indulging themselves.

Two evenings later, after Darrell delivered a thoroughly pampered Lanie to her building and took her luggage inside, he told Kate, "Mr. Castle asked me to take you to his apartment, if you don't mind. He said he would drive you home."

"I don't mind. That's closer anyway, and you can get home faster."

She started to knock at Castle's door when she arrived, but he opened it as if he had seen her.

"Darrell let me know when he dropped you off," he explained as he reached for her. She left her bag next to the door, wrapped her arms around his waist, and snuggled into his embrace; and he kissed her thoroughly before pulling away far enough to look at her.

"Did you and Lanie enjoy your weekend?"

"Yeah, but it's nice to be back where I can have this."

Castle had just reached an arm out and closed the door when they heard, "Hi, Kate!" from the top of the stairs, and Alexis came quickly down toward them, followed closely by Martha, who descended at a more sedate pace. Holding one arm out for Alexis while not letting go of Castle, Kate was met with an enthusiastic hug. "

Was it as great as Grams and I said? Did you and Dr. Parish enjoy it?"

"Yes and yes," she answered as she hugged the teenager. "Lanie loved every minute of lavish attention, and I'm almost bonelessly relaxed. The only thing better is being back here."

Martha moved in for her own hug. "And all of us are glad you're back. You do look relaxed. Is it the spa, or does it have more to do with my boy?"

"Probably a little of both," Kate admitted shyly.

Castle still had a hard time believing that he…or more specifically, their relationship…was the only reason Kate Beckett ever seemed shy. It gave him a little power rush…as well as a little rush of arousal each time he saw it.

"Detective Beckett, how would you like to get more than three feet inside the loft?" he asked. "I think we might be convinced to move out of your path so you can come in and sit down."

Martha and Alexis made apologetic sounds as they separated from the couple enough to allow Castle to escort Kate to the sofa, and Alexis sat in a chair facing them. Martha got to her chair by way of the kitchen where she picked up glasses and a bottle of wine and poured juice for Alexis. She delivered all of it to the coffee table and poured the wine as Kate started catching up.

"Did anything exciting happen here while we were gone?" Kate asked.

"Nothing worth mentioning," Martha answered, sitting down across from the couple. "I read a dreadful script…well, actually, less than half of a dreadful script that my manager had the gall to give me." With a small hand flourish, she added, "It was a boringly uneventful weekend."

"I had a small project to finish for school," Alexis chimed in.

"Isn't it a little early in the year for a project to be due?" Kate asked.

"It wasn't a big thing this time. I guess they're getting our minds set for something bigger later. I finished it this afternoon. I'll show you if you want to see it."

"Sure. I'll come up and look before you go to bed. How does it feel to be in high school?"

"I like it so far."

"How about you, Rick? Anything new?"

"I have the dates for the publicity trips." Then his smirk appeared. "I'll show you my project after Alexis shows you hers."

"He never could stand feeling left out," Martha teased as she finished her wine.

"I wish I didn't have to go," Castle complained.

"The fans will be enthusiastic, and you'll get into the mood, though, right?" Kate asked.

"Probably. Maybe. I don't know."

"He doesn't want to leave you, Kate," Alexis told her.

"I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to leave you, either, Kid. But it's part of the job." Turning to Castle, she added, "We both know that."

Alexis nodded her agreement, finished her juice and said she needed to go to bed. "Want to see my project?"

Kate stood to follow Alexis to her room, and Martha took the two glasses to the kitchen and followed them, saying her goodnights.

Castle sat where he was and waited for Kate to return, thankful to have her to himself for a while. She came back impressed with the project Alexis had shown her, and mentioned a couple of specific reasons.

"I'm impressed. You didn't just look at it and say, "That's nice."

"Of course not. Your child wanted me to see something she did, so I let her know I was paying attention."

"She's getting attached to you, you know."

"That should scare me, but it doesn't. I'm getting attached to her, too. It feels good to walk in and find a whole family glad to see me."

"I told Darrell I'd drive you home, but I'll admit I asked him to bring you here hoping I could talk you into staying."

"I have to be at work tomorrow, and I don't have clothes here."

"I might have bought you some things," he answered cautiously. "I had to take Alexis shopping, and she saw a dress she liked in the window next to where we were buying school supplies. One thing led to another, and…"

"Rick, you have to stop doing that."

"What?"

"You know what. Spending money on me…in large amounts."

"Just look at it and see if it works for tomorrow. There are shoes, too. I checked the size and brand when you twisted your ankle and lost your shoe back in May."

"You did that without my noticing?!"

"You were busy being angry that you fell, and Lanie was checking it for you. It only took a second. And really, when would I have had another chance? You never know when you might need that kind of information. And look. It paid off." He smiled victoriously, even knowing he was trying too hard; and he could see that she couldn't stay angry.

"That's some contorted logic, Writer-Man," she answered, a smile teasing at the corners of her mouth.

"You're forgiving me. I can see it. Just take a look. If it doesn't fit or you don't like it, I'll drive you home early enough to change clothes."

"Fine." She took another sip of her wine and took their glasses to rinse them out.

He took the pants suit and blouse from the closet, and Castle could tell she loved it. It was so her that it practically had Kate spelled in flashing red lights on the hanger.

"Did I do good?"

"Yeah, you did. So where are those shoes?"

He took them from the box and handed them to her…her signature high heels, in a style that wouldn't fall off if she needed to run.

"How do you do this?" she asked. "They not only fit, they're actually comfortable." She stroked her thumb across his cheek and followed with, "I really appreciate that you want me here this much, and that you want to do things for me, but I can't let you keep doing this. I don't know what possessed me to allow the town cars this summer, but it feels wrong to keep taking from you. For my peace of mind, please stop."

"I don't know what to do with a woman who doesn't want to accept gifts in quantity, as often as possible...the more expensive, the better. You're upsetting the male/female equilibrium."

"Maybe you just didn't know the right females. I want you, Rick Rodgers. You don't need to buy me things all the time. I will, however, keep looking for coffee in the mornings...and maybe an occasional bear claw."

"I promise to restrain myself for a little while...if you'll stay tonight and wear these clothes to work tomorrow morning. And I forgot. Underwear is in my underwear drawer...keeping mine company. Next time you're here, bring extra clothes."

She opened the drawer and looked. And when did you pick up those sizes?"

"The day you put your undies in my T-shirt drawer. You took a shower without me. I had to have something to do."

Still wearing the heels that put her almost at eye level with him, she laughed, put her arms around his neck, and kissed him in a totally family inappropriate manner, to which he responded eagerly. Then he closed the door and took her to bed.

The two of them drove to work together the next morning, but Castle stopped at the coffee shop before he entered the precinct.

"Nice suit, Beckett," Ryan commented. "Is that new?"

"Yeah, it is. Thanks. If we're over the fashion news now, did we get anything from the lab yet?"

"Folder's on your desk," Esposito answered.

She sat down to look at the results and said, "Looks like we got her."

"That's what we thought, too," Ryan answered. "Where's Castle?"

"He should be here any minute."

She had barely finished her sentence when Castle arrived, delivering five coffees and a box of assorted pastries. He took one to Montgomery and motioned to the pastry box on Ryan's desk. In the midst of the team's descending on the breakfast bounty Castle had brought in, Beckett informed Montgomery of the lab report which effectively closed their last case.

"Get the paperwork done, and we'll put it away, then. Good work. And thanks, Castle," the captain said, holding up an éclair as he went back to his office.

Before the paperwork was even finished, a call about another body came in, and that case consumed the rest of their week. Kate and the boys worked on Saturday, but they had Sunday off; and it was finally time for Castle to meet Kate's father.

xxxxx

Castle had changed shirts three times on Sunday morning, and Kate finally stopped him at the fourth one. "It's just my dad in a little diner. Wear the blue one. On second thought, wear the white one. The blue one works too well with your eyes, and I might not be able to keep my mind on the conversation. I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did," he answered, quite pleased with that piece of information, then picked up the white shirt. Kate hung the others back in the closet and took his tie away.

"But I'm meeting your father," he protested.

"And if my father is wearing a tie it would be the first time since we've been meeting for lunch at the diner. But if he is, I have no doubt it would be easy to get him to lose it, and it would only be because he's meeting you. Lighten up, Rick."

"What if he hates me? Would you change your mind about us?"

"No. I love him, but he won't change my mind." She kissed him softly and buttoned his shirt for him, running her hands across his chest when she finished. "I still might not be able to keep my mind on the conversation. You look good to me in anything…or nothing."

"I don't think I can wear that last outfit you mentioned for your dad…or my daughter."

"Nope. You reserve that one for me." Hooking her pointer fingers in his two front belt loops, she asked suggestively, "Need any help tucking in that shirttail?"

"Not when I'm about to have to face both of them. Step awaaay from the belt buckle."

She grinned at him. "I'm going to see if Alexis is ready. We should leave in about five minutes. You aren't going to change that shirt, are you?"

"Funny."

Kate went upstairs and knocked on Alexis's door, and she answered it dressed and ready to go.

"Just checking in. We'll be leaving in about five minutes."

"I'm ready. I'll walk down with you."

Castle met them in the living room wearing a blazer over his white shirt.

"Sharp, Dad. You look good."

He looked at Kate. "Too much? Should I wear a different jacket?"

"Tell you what. If dad is wearing a tie, he can lose the tie, and you can lose the blazer. You look good. I don't care if Dad likes it. Alexis and I do."

He took a deep breath and released it. "Okay. Let's go."

"Is he nervous about meeting your father?" Alexis asked.

"Maybe a little," Kate answered and took his hand.

Jim was already there, tieless, when they arrived; and he stood to shake hands with both Castle and Alexis as introductions were made.

"Hi, Katie," he said and hugged her tight.

She sat with her father on one side of the booth, and Castle and Alexis sat across from them.

"This isn't a fancy place…" Jim began.

"Is the food good?" Castle asked.

"The food is great."

"Fancy enough, then. Right, Pumpkin?"

"Daaad!"

"What? He called her Katie. I'll bet she didn't want us to hear that."

Jim was smiling at their exchange.

"Sorry, Sir."

"No problem. I remember similar conversations."

"Me, too," Kate answered with a subdued eye roll.

"She's rolling her eyes, isn't she?" Jim asked without even looking, and Castle and Alexis laughed. At that point the ice was broken and conversation moved on easily.

By the time lunch was over, the two fathers were getting along almost too well for Kate's peace of mind, and Castle was feeling pretty comfortable about connecting with Jim Beckett. Castle insisted on picking up the check, so Jim insisted on leaving the tip.

As they walked toward the door, Jim told Alexis, "You know, you remind me a little bit of Katie when she was your age."

"Really?" Alexis answered, looking pleased.

"Really," he assured her. "Then a year or so later, maybe not," he added mischievously.

"Daaad!" Kate gave her dad a hug and whispered, "Stop it."

Castle smiled as he shook Jim's hand and handed him a business card, asking hopefully, "You will share, won't you? We can have lunch without them sometime. I have so many questions."

Jim accepted the card and said. "It was wonderful to meet you, Alexis. I hope to see you again soon." Holding up the card, he looked speculatively at Castle and said, "I'll definitely call you." Tapping the card on Castle's chest, he added, "I have some questions for you, too, son." Then, with a smug smile, Jim walked out of the diner and down the street.

Castle, on the other hand, looked like a deer caught in the headlights as he left with Kate and Alexis. He opened the car door for Alexis, and she got in; and after the door was closed and his daughter was out of earshot, he looked at Kate and asked, "What the hell just happened?"

"He may not have dressed like one this morning, but he's a lawyer, Castle," she answered with a grin. "He's good at that sort of thing."

"He sure is," Castle muttered as he closed the door behind her. "I did _not_ see that coming."

xxxxx

Before his next meeting with Gina, Castle went to see Paula. He explained where things stood with Kate and let her know in no uncertain terms that his playboy image was a thing of the past.

"So what do we do?" she asked angrily. "Do you have a new plan? And why didn't you mention it before now? We have a publicity campaign coming up for the next book, you know, and you're dumping this in my lap this late in the game? You know how this works. What were you thinking?"

"That I'm completely in love for the first time in my life, and that I'd like to think my relationship is more important than some image meant to sell books," he answered in kind. "Look, Paula, Kate's publicity shy; but she's willing to be at the book launch party and go along with whatever it takes. It's going to be difficult for her, so I want us to try to make it as easy as possible. This relationship is new between us this summer; but it's been building for a while now, and I think it could become a good future for us. But, unless it surfaces in some other way between now and then, I want it kept quiet until the book launch. As well as our personal interest in privacy, she's a police detective and won't want undue publicity to make her job more difficult. I'd like to keep the cameras away as long as possible."

"Fine. But I'll probably want to meet with her sometime soon."

"I'll tell her." He had calmed a bit after Paula's initial outburst, but he still spoke firmly. "I don't know what your opinion of Kate is, but she's a strong, highly intelligent, perceptive woman. Be straight with her and it should be fine, but she'll see right through any spin you try to throw at her. She deals with that on a daily basis in her job and usually comes out ahead."

"So how does Alexis feel about sharing her dad?" Paula challenged, still miffed.

"She and Kate get along really well, but that's for the three of us to work out. Nothing in the publicity for the books should get in the way of our becoming a family. That's the most important thing in my life right now." Standing to leave, he added, "I need you to understand that clearly."

"Does Gina know about this? she asked.

"I talked to her after our last meeting. There shouldn't be any fireworks."

"I'll see what I can do," Paula said a little more cooperatively.

"And I'll appreciate your efforts," he answered, parting on a civil note.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The fall proved eventful for all three members of the Castle household. Castle was back at the precinct, and his book was scheduled for release, with all the accompanying hoopla. Alexis was adjusting to high school, becoming involved in activities, and doing well. Martha, through her granddaughter's efforts to introduce her to Facebook, connected with an old boyfriend from her own high school days; and it rapidly became serious enough that she was dividing her time between Chet's place and the loft.

Kate was working as hard as ever, but she was also finding time for Castle and his family. By October, Alexis had become accustomed to seeing Kate in the loft, and Castle thought she looked forward to the mornings when Kate was there.

 _Naked Heat_ was being printed in preparation for its release date in mid-November, and advertising was furthering interest in the book. In advance of the book's release, Castle was scheduled for a couple of nationally viewed New York based talk shows, but most of his personal involvement in the publicity would begin after the book launch party.

xxxxx

The first week in October, Jim Beckett called and asked if Castle could meet him for lunch the next day, and Castle nervously agreed. Jim sounded perfectly friendly; but the writer remembered how the last meeting ended, and he would be paying closer attention this time. He suspected that Jim was only exercising his fatherly right to mess with his mind but couldn't quite shake the feeling that there could be more to it. There were two divorces in the last fifteen years, after all.

When Castle entered the diner, Jim was already there and stood to shake hands when Castle approached the table. "Rick. Good to see you again. How is your daughter?"

"She's fine. Getting used to high school. She's a good student."

"Come to think of it, how is _my_ daughter? I suspect you've been seeing a lot more of her than I have," Jim asked as they sat down.

"She's as busy as always but fine. You should come and have dinner with my family sometime soon. My mother would like to meet you. She loves your daughter."

The waitress appeared with coffee and took their orders.

"I asked her to bring coffee as soon as you arrived," Jim explained. "Did your mother love your two ex-wives?"

And boom! They were there already. Castle pinched the bridge of his nose lightly, closed his eyes for a short moment, sighed, and gave Jim a small, resigned smile. "I expected that to come up, just…not quite this fast."

"Last time we met, I promised Katie I wouldn't embarrass you in front of your daughter."

"I appreciate that. So, straight to business. No, she didn't like either of them. What else would you like to know? Might as well get it over with and clear the air. I've told Kate everything, and she's still willing to give me a chance."

"What happened?" From everything Katie tells me, and what I've observed, you're a good man. But you have to admit, the idea of two divorces doesn't look good from my perspective. You're laying claim to my only child, and she's already had enough unhappiness."

"I'll be honest, but I'd prefer it to stay between the two of us. Alexis's mother was pregnant when I married her. I never knew my father and wasn't going to allow my child to grow up without one. I wanted us to be parents, a family. She wanted to be an actress…not as well as a mother, but instead. She slept with another man, moved to LA, sent divorce papers, and willingly gave me full custody. Alexis was so young then that she doesn't remember her mother ever living with us."

"Must have been a rough time for you," Jim answered sympathetically.

"Alexis was worth it. The second marriage…we were ill-matched. The constant arguing that eventually developed wasn't good for any of us, especially Alexis. Gina and Alexis got along fine, but it didn't upset my daughter too much when she moved out. I think Alexis would be devastated if Kate decided to back out now. I certainly would."

"From what I can tell, that shouldn't be much of a concern."

"Good to know. Thank you. And for the record, when I make a promise, I keep it. Kate will never have to worry about another woman. I've never strayed in a relationship and I've never been abusive."

"What about the playboy image. That doesn't fit with what I've been hearing from Katie."

"I may have earned some of that…wild streaks after the divorces. When a man has money, plenty of women… You don't need to hear that. Truth is, a lot of those dates on page six were set up by my publicist, and I never met them before that event. I would usually see the woman home as early as possible so I could spend a little time with my daughter, if she was still awake. I admit I haven't been a saint, but it isn't as bad as the image my publicist has given me, and it isn't what I want. I'm a family man at heart. That's what I hope to have with your daughter."

You're planning to marry her?"

"Yes, but we've only mentioned it. No plans yet." Castle chuckled suddenly and looked down at the tabletop briefly. "Were you this intimidating when boys came to see Kate in high school?"

"I certainly hope so," Jim answered with a grin.

"Well, having a daughter in high school now, I have to say I'm impressed. I may call you in for back-up sometime."

"I'd be glad to help out, and I think the inquisition is over now. Oh, just one more thing. I'd prefer that you marry my Katie before she's carrying my grandchild. I know that decision belongs to the two of you, but I'm old-fashioned that way. However, I do know the world around me has changed on that score. All that is assuming you want more children, having one almost college age."

"Does that mean we have your blessing…when we're ready?"

"Unless you do something between now and then to convince me otherwise."

"I said I wanted a family with Kate. That includes at least one child. I hope you can find a place somewhere in your heart for Alexis, too."

"From what I've seen and heard, I don't see that as a problem. You've raised an impressive young lady."

Their meal was served, and from that point they enjoyed good conversation, and sat and talked for a while after they finished dessert. A little bit of their exchange involved Kate's childhood and teenage years… enough to intrigue Castle's need to know but not enough for Kate to threaten never speaking to her father again.

"Dinner with us on Saturday night?" Castle asked as they were leaving. "Kate has to work on Sunday, but she has Saturday off. Alexis would enjoy seeing you again, too."

"I'd like that."

This time Jim offered a business card, on which he had already written his personal numbers.

Castle accepted it. He smiled mischievously; and, reminiscent of their last parting, tapped Jim's chest with it and said, "I'll call you with the time."

Jim laughed, then looked serious. "You make her happy, son. It's been a long time since I've seen her this happy."

"I hope so, Sir. It's been a long time since I was this happy, too."

xxxxx

October soon took a turn for the worse in the form of Mike Royce, Beckett's training officer, who had become a bounty hunter. After discovering that he was using her to gain information to make his own illegal profit, she had to arrest him. And she again had to face being disillusioned by someone she cared about and thought she could trust.

When the ordeal was over, Castle took her for a walk to a little park near his home.

"You loved him?

"I thought I did then, and I guess I imagined he felt the same way about me. I was so alone, Castle. He got me through a lot, personally and professionally, and I depended on him. He knew about Mom…and Dad…helped me get Dad home a couple of times. He saw my abilities, taught me everything he knew about police work, looked out for me, encouraged me, pushed me to do my best… I told him how I felt, offered…" She stopped, tears threating, and Castle put his arm around her for comfort. "But he turned me down…transferred. He just left. It was my fault. I put him in a bad position. But I needed him so much, and he left…like I didn't matter. Then he came back, and it was worse. He wasn't who I thought he was. How do I know that you won't turn into somebody I don't know?"

"Do you really think that might happen?"

"How do you know I won't do something to run you off, too? How do I know I can trust you not to leave? Castle, if you left now…"

"I won't, Kate. I won't leave." He put his hands on her shoulders to get her attention. "Look at me. We promised to be honest. I won't leave you. I won't lie to you. I won't hide anything from you. No matter how hard it is to tell you the truth, I always will. Always, Kate. I'll always be here."

"I know." She answered, pressing herself close against him. "I'm sorry. It's just… Royce? It was so unexpected. It shook my faith."

"Come home with me. Let me take care of you. You're not alone anymore." She nodded, and Castle walked her to the street and hailed a cab. He took her home, helped her shower, loved her gently, and held her protectively until morning.

A couple of weeks later the team at the twelfth ran into a case that bore a resemblance to the methods of a serial killer who had been given the nickname 3XK. The killer, Jerry Tyson, had exchanged identities with another man, even had the other man sign a confession for the murders; and he almost got away with it. Tyson's attempt to disappear with everyone believing he was someone else was ruined when Castle unraveled the identity switch. Castle and Ryan were surprised by Tyson, taken hostage, and believed they would be killed; but Tyson left them behind, escaping with Ryan's gun.

Castle knew the man would kill again, somewhere…three more victims before he stopped…and he blamed himself for Tyson's escape. That was a heavy load for his conscience, one that Kate couldn't entirely ease for him, but she did her best. She sat with him outside the motel where Tyson had left Ryan and Castle, brought him coffee and held his hand until they could leave. Then she took him home, helped him shower, loved him gently, and held him protectively until morning.

When Alexis came downstairs ready for school, Kate was up and dressed, having coffee as she fixed breakfast.

"Hi Kate. Where's Dad?"

"Still asleep, I think."

"He's usually at least up to have coffee before you leave."

"A rough case ended last night, and it took a toll on him."

"What happened?" Alexis looked worried. "Is he okay?"

"He may need a little time to come to terms with it. The short version is that the killer got away and your dad blames himself. This guy likes to play mind games and your dad's mind was his playground last night."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Just be your usual self and love him. He won't want you to worry."

"But you're worried?"

"Not long term, but I've been through the blame game, and it isn't easy. I've told Roy I'll be an hour late this morning…wanted to be sure Castle ate before I left. I don't know yet if he'll be coming in today. Want eggs and bacon?"

"Don't you know yet that a Castle never turns down bacon?"

"I'm counting on it this morning," Kate answered as she put the last pieces on the plate. "I'm going to wake him. Be right back."

She walked into his room, sat down beside him on the edge of the bed, and kissed him. When she saw his eyelids flutter open, she kissed him again. "'Morning. I need to go to work in a little while, and I've made breakfast. Will you get up and eat with us? Alexis is ready for school."

"I'll be there in a minute. Ummm. Do I smell bacon?"

"I'll start the eggs while you wake up." She kissed his cheek and stood to go back to the kitchen.

"Kate." She turned in response, and he caught her hand. "Thank you for last night…for…"

"For being your partner…however you want to describe that word? No thanks needed. You've done the same for me. I love you, remember?" She squeezed his hand in understanding before she left the room.

"Love you, too. I won't be long."

The three of them had breakfast. Castle made an effort to assure his daughter that he was okay, and she went to school. Then, deciding he would be better off with company, he showered and went to work with Kate.

Ryan was in about the same state as Castle but also had to deal with all the paperwork and questioning that accompanies losing a weapon. However, he and Castle, in a moment to themselves, agreed it was easier to be there with something to do and partners who understood and cared than to be alone with what was in their heads.

The ring on Kate's right hand was stroked more than usual that day.

The following week was another rough one, but Kate had the weekend off; so Castle asked his mother to stay with Alexis. He and Kate took the weekend for themselves and went to the Hamptons.

After coming home from a nice dinner out on Saturday night, Castle suggested sitting on their bench behind the house. They cuddled together and talked for a while before conversation accidentally brought to mind some of their more dangerous encounters.

Castle suddenly said, "I want to marry you, Kate…sometime soon."

"What's bringing this…"

"Even if we didn't keep getting ourselves into dangerous situations, we couldn't know what's going to happen. Whatever time we have left, I want to spend it married to you…whether it's two days or until we're old and decrepit." Moving off the bench and down on one knee, he took her hand in his, and asked, "Katherine Beckett, will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

"This isn't because of recent cases, is it? We shouldn't make a decision like this out of fear."

"No. I had already planned to do this tonight… only because I want to be married to you for as long as you'll have me."

"I want to be married to you, too. It should feel like now is way too soon, but it doesn't frighten me anymore."

"So, is that a yes?"

"Yes." She smiled the smile he had discovered was only for him. "That was a yes."

Taking the ring from his pocket, he slid it on her finger, kissed her hand, then moved back to the bench to kiss her lips and pull her into a close embrace.

"You really did have this planned," she said as they separated slightly.

"You doubted my veracity? I've had the ring for a month."

Holding her hand out to look at the ring, she said softly, "It's beautiful, Rick…perfect. Do Martha and Alexis know you were planning this?"

"No. I thought we could surprise them if you said yes."

"Did you really think I might not?" she asked, moving away just far enough to look at him.

"I guess I was still afraid I might be pushing you too hard."

"I'll admit I've been thinking about it, too. And this was the perfect place to ask. Sitting here with you reminds me of the first time we were here."

"Me, too. Hence, the plan," he answered with his little smirk and drew her in close again."

She snuggled back against him, their closeness hampered by the jackets required for an ocean breeze on a November evening. From where she nuzzled against his neck, she asked, "You said soon. Did you have a date in mind?"

"Before Christmas? Is that too soon? Do you want to wait? Do you want a big wedding? Money can make things happen as fast as we want them…"

"Before Christmas?" She again sat up to look at him. "Rick, it's already November, and you have publicity tours, and…"

"It's barely November…and I can hire people to arrange things for us. Now answer the questions. Do you want a big wedding?"

"No. Never did."

"How not big?"

"Family and close friends?"

"Is before Christmas too soon? Am I…"

"I want to be married to you…and your family; but even with help, how do we accomplish everything in such a short time? There's planning to do, contacts to make. I'll need to go through my apartment and sort what comes with me and what…"

"We can keep your apartment as long as you want, so merging both households can stretch as long as it needs too. I just want you living with us, being a full-time part of our family. Can you take that much Castle family yet?

"I think I'm happiest when I'm surrounded by Castles."

"I know you need some time to yourself now and then. We'll figure out how to accommodate that. I promise."

"Okay." She agreed, throwing her arms out and looking amused. "The weekend before Christmas. Nothing else about us looked like it would ever work out, but we finally got together and it did. So I'll just trust that we can make a wedding happen, too. Your family is going to think we're crazy."

"They already know about me. I guess you're about to reveal your crazy side."

"I think Alexis already suspects," she answered with a grin. "She and I have had our odd moments, too."

"It's getting colder out here by the minute. Shall we start the fireplace in the bedroom and warm up?" he asked, standing and offering her his hand.

"Sounds great," she answered, standing to accept it and walking with him toward the house. "And maybe try for magic again?"

"Yeah. That, too."

Engagement magic happened, and they drifted into a sound and satisfied sleep.

The following morning as they lay with limbs tangled together, they whispered loving words and talked quietly until they were ready to leave their bed.

Eventually, Kate asked, "There's likely to be publicity we can't escape, isn't there?"

"We can announce our engagement at the book launch party. Announcing it along with the book release should help contain the publicity to that event. Paula will be thrilled to have something to replace the playboy image I'm destroying. She might even forgive us eventually. I know you aren't happy about that much attention, but it should keep the Richard Castle marries Nikki Heat news confined to a shorter period of time. It's going to be a novelty attention getter, and I'm not a major celebrity; so it should blow over pretty quickly. Publicity is going to happen, but I'll do my best to minimize it."

"That's all I can expect." She paused for a moment before asking, "Can we stop on the way home and tell my dad?"

"I told him barely a month ago that we had only mentioned it…had no plans. But we have his blessing. I asked."

"It's a little scary how well the two of you get along."

"He was a little scary the second time I met him. It's a wonder you had boyfriends in high school. There's a look he can give you…"

"I've seen it more than once. Sorry I had to introduce you to that."

"No. I like your dad. It's nice to have another male around."

"How do you want to tell Martha and Alexis? Should you tell Alexis first…just the two of you?"

"I spoke to her last week about the idea of asking you sometime soon. We have her blessing, too."

"That's a relief. I don't ever want to get between the two of you."

"She believes that now."

Kate relaxed in his arms in relief, and he smiled. They dozed for a little longer before getting up, packing, and having breakfast. Before they left for home, they bundled up and took a long walk on the beach, a pastime that had become something they especially enjoyed, and which sparked some good conversations between them.

Back in New York City, the couple's first stop was Jim Beckett's apartment. Kate had called ahead to be sure he would be home, and to let him know they wouldn't stay long.

"Come in," Jim said when he answered the door. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"We can't just stop by to say hello?" Kate teased.

"Of course, but you rarely do."

"There's something we thought you should know," Castle said, and Kate held out her left hand and wiggled her fingers, showing off the ring.

Jim pulled his daughter into his arms and said, "Katie, I'm so happy for you." Pulling back from their embrace, he looked over at Castle. "And for you, too, Rick. So have you talked about when?"

"The week before Christmas," his daughter told him.

Jim's eyebrows raised when he looked at Castle, who was quick to say, "I asked her for no other reason than loving her and wanting her to be a part of my family. Nothing else."

The fatherly evil eye toward Castle eased, and Castle visibly relaxed.

"You'll have to let me know what you need me to do for the wedding. You know your mother handled things like this; but tell me what you want, and I'll provide it. My little girl doesn't get married but once…I hope." There was another warning look in Castle's direction.

"I hope so, too, Sir. I've never wanted anything more in my life," Castle assured him.

"Then congratulations…to both of you."

"Thanks, Dad. We'll see you soon. Gotta go now."

"We haven't told my family yet."

"Oh. Well, I won't slow you down, then. Give them my regards."

When they arrived at the loft, they were greeted by Castle's two redheads, and he told them, "Kate and I have news."

"What?" Alexis asked. "Is it good news?"

"You decide," he answered, then took Kate's wrist and held her hand up with the ring clearly visible.

"Are you okay with this, Alexis?" she asked.

Alexis grabbed Kate in a big hug and asked, "Have you set a date yet? Is it soon?"

"You think l can take that as a yes?" She turned to Castle with a relieved smile.

"Is the week before Christmas soon enough?" Castle asked his daughter.

Martha let her opinion be known at that point. "The week before Christmas?! Richard. How…"

"We're having a small wedding…Kate's request…and I know guys."

"The odds have been against us before, but we've made it this far, Martha," Kate added. "We're both insane enough to think we can manage it. And then you're all stuck with me. Think you can handle that?"

Martha finally got her chance to hug Kate and said "Being a little crazy seems to be a prerequisite for membership in this family, Darling. Decide what you want and tell me how to help. Welcome to the funny farm."

"I'm going to talk to Paula tomorrow," Castle told his redheads. "We plan to announce it at the book launch, so please don't mention it until then. That's only a couple of weeks."

"But I want to tell my friends that Kate is going to be my stepmom."

"Two weeks, Pumpkin. Then you can tell anyone you want."

As the couple was getting ready for bed later, Kate asked, "What was that little non-verbal exchange between you and my dad? That explanation of why you proposed had a little desperation in it."

"You caught that, huh?"

"You're marrying a detective, remember?"

"He might have mentioned that he'd rather I didn't have you pregnant before I married you."

"And he thought…"

"I guess a month seemed a little too fast."

"I can't believe he said that."

"I'm the father of a girl, too. I understood. It's okay."

"I'm thirty years old, and he still thinks you need 'the talk'?"

"He asked about my other marriages, and I told him briefly about Meredith. He…"

"You're defending my father for giving you a hard time?"

"I'm respecting your father for caring about you...and for listening to me with an open mind. He's a good man, Kate. He didn't handle his grief well, and you suffered for it; but he loves you. It's written all over him."

"I'm glad you can see that…and I'm glad you like him. I love you, Richard Castle."

xxxxx

Castle worked half a day at the precinct the next morning. He had a meeting scheduled with Paula for the afternoon, and they each had big news. Paula was shocked to learn of the engagement, but Castle could almost see the publicity cogs turning in her head. He was certain she was excited about it, since she needed fodder for changing his image. She, in turn, presented Castle with the news that there had been an offer to make a movie based on _Heat Wave_. Part of his west coast publicity trip would include meetings with the studio bigwigs.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

While Castle was meeting with Paula, Beckett squeezed in a professionally unnecessary, but personally required, trip to the morgue at the end of the day.

"What's important enough to drag you away from work?" Lanie asked, turning from where she was laying out the implements she needed for the next autopsy. Did you and Castle enjoy the weekend?"

"Other than family, we wanted you to be the first to know." Kate held her left hand out to Lanie, whose mouth dropped open in uncharacteristic silence. The silent shock quickly turned into a joyous squeal accompanied by a breathtaking hug.

"Really? I thought you two would take years to get this far. I'm so happy for you. Wait a minute. Let me change out of the scrubs. We're having dinner right now, and you're telling me everything."

"Can you leave right now? It looks like you were just getting started."

"Later shift today. It's time for dinner anyway. I was going to skip it and have a granola bar, but I doubt Mrs. McCarthy will be insulted if I work on her a little later. This takes priority. Be right back."

Lanie returned in her street clothes and the two women went to a restaurant close by, more to talk than eat. She listened to Kate's description of the bench, the conversation and proposal, and the walk on the beach before they left the beach house; and she sighed.

"I keep hoping that man will suddenly discover he has a long lost brother just like him…one who might be looking for a shorter, darker girlfriend. Honey, I don't think I've ever seen you look this sure of what you want."

"It's the first time, and it feels like it's supposed to happen. The thing with Royce a couple of months ago shook my confidence, but Castle was right there like a rock. He understood and took it in stride…never wavered."

"I hear the thing with Tyson was pretty hard on your boy. Were you…"

"I needed to take care of him almost as much as he needed me to. It hurt to see him like that." She paused, seeming to be gathering her thoughts. "I want things I've never consciously wanted…marriage, children. I've never been sure I wanted to be tied to someone this way, but it's different with him. I'm sure. No children right away, but I want at least one."

"Have you talked about it…kids?"

"No plans yet, but he said he likes being a dad. He's willing."

"And you finally trust somebody enough to be this certain. I'm so proud of you."

"I do. It's still a little scary sometimes, but I do."

"Why is it still scary? Has he done anything to worry you?"

"No. Just the opposite. It's just… I'm so completely invested in him. If anything happened now, I don't think I could ever trust anybody again…and I'd never be able to put the tiny little pieces of me back together."

"Well, from all any of us can tell, that's not likely to happen. I don't think you need to worry about it."

"Me, either. Look at me, Lanie. He's turned me into mush."

Lanie laughed. "For what it's worth, it looks good on you. Have you decided on a date for the wedding?"

"The week before Christmas."

Shocked silence again. "That's only…"

"We know it's crazy, but he says he knows people who can make it happen. A small wedding. Family and friends. I can't get married without you."

"Damn straight you can't," Lanie answered, and they both laughed.

Kate spent that night at her apartment, but Castle called her to let her know he had hired a party planner he had worked with often. He said he explained what they needed, as well as his own his own schedule and its time constraints, and promised Bradford a generous bonus if the man could make it happen.

To add to Castle's joys of the week, Kate came in the next morning with a motorcycle helmet under one arm and put it in the bottom drawer of her desk.

"What's that?" Castle asked.

"A helmet. What did it look like?" she teased.

"And why do you have it?"

"The car wouldn't start this morning. I may have to pick up another one to use until I get it back. It had to be towed, so I rode my bike to work"

"Bike, as in your motorcycle?"

"Yes."

"You're going to take me home on it, right?" he asked excitedly.

"I can't do that. You don't have a helmet." She sat down at her desk and glanced at him flirtatiously. "A guy who did have a helmet, and his own bike, hit on me this morning… asked me out to dinner. He said he was a cardiac surgeon."

"That probably impresses a lot of women."

"We talked while we waited for coffee, and he seemed like a nice enough guy…tall, dark, and handsome. But I told him my fiancé probably wouldn't approve, and then I left. I'm perfectly happy with my writer/detective/good dad/ magic maker."

Castle lifted his pinky from where it rested near her right hand and pulled it very deliberately across her opal ring, and she smiled as she turned to check her emails.

"Same here," she answered softly.

Beckett's desk phone rang then, a mechanic telling her that she would need to pick up another car, that it would take a couple of days for the repairs on hers. Before she could leave, though, another call came in alerting her to a new crime scene and giving her what information was available. Castle and Beckett rode with Ryan and Esposito, and they started work on their next case. The boys dropped Beckett and Castle off at the motor pool later to pick up the loaner car, and they all met back at the precinct.

Castle offered to make a lunch run while they put together the murder board. They had picked up a lot of good information from neighbors that morning. When he returned with their lunch orders, he also had a large plastic shopping bag with him. He handed the bag with the lunches to Esposito and told him he had brought Montgomery's favorite, too. The boys immediately stopped at the captain's door to see if he wanted lunch and then went to the break room to sort them out.

"You hungrier than usual, Castle?" Beckett asked, nodding toward the bag.

"It's a helmet. Now you can take me home on the bike."

A Beckett eye roll was accompanied by an amused smile and, "Fine." Then they joined their partners and their captain for lunch and informed them that they would soon be invited to a wedding. Although they were all as surprised as Lanie, lunch quickly became a celebration before they steered themselves back to the case.

After several interviews with people connected to the victim and follow-up on the neighbors' information, they had made some good progress by the end of the day.

When they left work, Beckett took an excited Castle to her apartment on her bike, warning him before they left that if he sat _that_ close she might be too distracted to drive. After checking in with his mother and daughter, he stayed for the night; and they took a cab to the precinct the next morning.

The case moved along more smoothly than usual. It seemed the victim was well-loved, and everyone who knew him wanted to help. A relative, a ne'er-do-well brother who expected to inherit most of his money, was their prime suspect from the beginning; and evidence including big gambling debts soon proved him the killer. As it turned out, the will had been changed to leave everything to the victim's niece. It seemed fitting to all the team members when they later found that the killer had been left to the skills of a young and inexperienced public defender.

The wedding planner contacted Castle on Thursday, asking to meet with them, saying he had several venues to show them. On Friday night, Castle and Kate had not only pictures of four possible venues, but pencil sketches of possible decorations for each. The one they liked most was the ballroom at a small but rather exclusive hotel, which had been built in the early nineteen hundreds. It was obviously old, exuded history, but it was extremely well-maintained. The dark wood trim along with the accoutrements and architectural elements of its time period gave it a feeling of subtle elegance. They went to see it the following day, and one look at Kate's face told Castle they knew where their wedding would be.

The wedding planner assured them that they only needed to make the decisions about what they wanted from the choices he provided, decide what they would wear for the wedding, and show up on time. He promised to take care of the rest. Castle trusted him, so it was easier for Kate to be less stressed, too. And the man unfailingly brought tasteful and appealing choices. Before the book launch, they had a guest list and had made enough other choices that invitations could be in the mail before Thanksgiving.

xxxxx

The Castles celebrated Kate's birthday before Thanksgiving. It was becoming clear that this family wasn't going to allow her to neglect the celebration of milestones.

The book launch was approaching for Castle…looming for Kate. They were both excited that the second book was about to be released, but it was clear that Kate was worried about facing the press.

The day of the party, she brought her dress and accessories to the loft so they could leave together from there. Castle had a limo pick them up so his mother and daughter could ride with them comfortably, and they all entered the party together, Kate holding his arm a little more tightly than usual.

They mingled for a little while, being sure to spend time with the five fans who had won invitations to the party, and who seemed enthralled at how friendly both Castle and Kate were. Then Paula spoke to the group, indicating that they might have more news coming soon about the Nikki Heat books, and introduced Castle to the crowd. After he read an excerpt from _Naked Heat_ , the moment Kate had dreaded was there. Paula introduced her as the real Nikki Heat, and Castle extended a hand to her, inviting her to join him at the lectern, and when she arrived next to him, he put his arm around her protectively.

"Kate has been introduced as the real Nikki Heat, but Nikki only exists in our imaginations and on the pages of the books. Kate's strengths and abilities are what inspired Nikki, but the very real Detective Kate Beckett is the only woman standing beside me tonight. She is also the woman I hope to have standing beside me for the rest of my life, and I'm fortunate enough that she has agreed be my wife. Now, please enjoy the party and help us celebrate both our engagement and the publishing of _Naked Heat_.

Cameras started flashing as soon as the words "my wife" left Castle's lips, some from fans and friends, some from the reporters. The rest of the evening was spent circulating among the invited guests, speaking to the entertainment reporters present, accepting congratulations, and signing autographs. People spoke to Castle's family about Kate, and Martha and Alexis were enthusiastic in their responses. The reporters were charmed by the couple but still asked the expected questions about the other two wives. When asked about a wedding date, the couple simply said they were still in the planning stages.

Gina had bowed out of the event that night, allowing someone else to represent Black Pawn in her usual place. She gave Castle her congratulations and said the reporters might be less judgmental if he didn't have both a fiancé and an ex-wife present in the same room. Castle turned down a few opportunities to sign breasts, citing both his teenaged daughter's disapproval and his respect for his fiancé. A number of guests wanted both Castle's autograph and Kate's, leaving Kate feeling entirely out of her element; but she cooperated without complaint.

Once they were back at the loft, and finally alone, Castle kissed his fiancé and asked, "Was it terrible for you?"

"Not as bad as I thought it would be, but it's going to be a while before it feels comfortable." She snuggled closer and admitted, "I'm really glad to be home."

"I'm really glad you're here and calling it home."

"I guess I might as well get used to that, too. It won't be long before it really is."

"Thank you for tonight. I know how much it took for you put yourself on display like that."

"It's part of your life; and if I'm really going to be beside you for the rest of your life, I have to get used to it. Will you make it worth all the photographs and schmoozing and autograph signing now?" she asked as she loosened his tie and started unbuttoning his shirt.

The next day was the beginning of pictures and mentions of the engagement on page six, TV entertainment news, online fan sites and blogs…and a little razzing at work. Content of the news stories ranged from those sounding congratulatory to those sarcastically speculating on how long Castle's next marriage would last. He was right, though. By the end of the week it had blown over on nearly all fronts, conversations on the fan sites holding on a bit longer.

"I can't believe we already have this much done for the wedding." Kate told him as they looked at the checklist they had been given. "We say, 'We like this one.' And it just happens."

"I told you money can buy getting things done."

"It's been amazingly easy so far."

"Isn't that what we needed?"

"Yes. And thank you. I already miss my mom. If I were trying to make all these decisions from square one, doing this without her would be a lot harder."

"Then I'm even happier I can do this for you."

"Dad called yesterday, and I went by to see him."

"He hasn't changed his mind about me, has he?"

"No. He likes you a lot. He said he wants to pay for the wedding…that he's not good at planning that kind of thing, but his money works as well as anybody's."

"He doesn't have to do that."

"It may be your first argument with him. I've already told him I expect to help him, but he thinks it's his job as a father to do it all. He said the guy we're working with should send him the bill."

"I'll talk to him, and we'll work something out. I want to take care of the expenses. Was that the only reason to see him?"

"No. He enticed me there yesterday by saying he had a surprise for me."

"What was it?"

"My mother's wedding dress. It fits me, and it's beautiful. When I was little I always thought she looked like a princess in her wedding pictures, and Dad looked like the handsome prince."

"And now you get to be the princess, and I get to be the ruggedly handsome prince?"

"Yeah." She smiled, but tears started forming in her eyes and one trickled down her cheek before the dam broke. "I don't know how I can be so happy and so sad at the same time. I know how long she's been gone; but I still miss her, especially now."

He gathered his fiancé in his arms and let her cry. "I can't replace her, but I'm here any time you need me."

She nodded her understanding through her soft sobs.

xxxxx

Castle and Kate's dad came to an understanding earlier in the week about who would pay what for the wedding and had come to an agreement they could both live with. Castle won the larger portion, including the cost of the expensive-but-worth-every-penny planner, with Jim taking care of enough to feel he had done an honorable share. Neither of them would allow Kate to contribute anything except her choices on how it was spent. By Thanksgiving, everything for the wedding was already arranged. The only thing left was putting it all in motion.

Jim and Kate had Thanksgiving dinner at the loft with Castle's family, and talk turned to the wedding and the impending publicity tour.

"Aren't weddings supposed to be fraught with last minute drama?" Jim asked.

"Not if you hire, Bradford, apparently," Kate answered. "It's like we decided to get married and it came right to our door with all the stress taken out of it. He's certainly earned the bonus Castle promised him."

"I've known him a good while, and I'm amazed, too," Castle agreed. "I can go on this book tour without feeling like I'm leaving Kate with stress and distraction to deal with on her own."

"So, what does this tour entail?" Jim asked.

"Ten cities in two weeks. I start on the west coast in LA, do a late night talk show, meet with the studio people about a _Heat Wave_ movie…"

"Wait. There's a movie?" Jim asked. "Nobody told me that." He looked accusingly at his daughter.

"Sorry, Dad. Been busy."

Alexis and Martha looked on in amusement but said nothing.

"Do you have good representation when you speak to them? Jim responded, ever the lawyer.

"I'll speak to them first…test the waters and see what they have in mind. Apparently they have tentative plans lined up. I've contacted an agent Paula recommended. I checked up on him before I called, and he looks as good as she made him sound…and of course, my attorney won't agree to anything without my say. I may not seem to fit the role, but I'm careful…not a bad businessman. The agents and attorneys will follow before anything is finalized. I'll stay on top of things."

"Sounds like you know what you're doing. I only meant to say that I'm available if you question anything. What do you do after Los Angeles?"

"After the book signing in LA, we go to Seattle, another book signing and a radio show, similar stops in the Midwest, a couple of stops in the southern states and back up the east coast."

"That sounds exhausting."

"It is. I don't leave until Saturday and I'm already looking forward to it being over. I do enjoy the fans, but the string of airports isn't appealing."

"And then you get some rest?"

"When we're back there's another signing and a morning show here, and then I can devote my full attention to marrying your daughter. A much nicer prospect." He turned to reach for Kate's hand and found her eyes glowing with pride as she watched him. Smiling at her, he caught a glimpse of his mother and daughter, who both seemed to feel the same way; and he felt good about himself. He had an entire family who was satisfied with him, exactly as he was. Something to be thankful for.

Martha guided the conversation in a new direction, and they had an enjoyable Thanksgiving meal together.

As Jim was leaving that evening, Castle's family gathered to let him know they had enjoyed his company and then let Kate have a minute alone with her father.

He took her hand and said, "I feel good about turning my little girl over to this family."

"I'm glad. I think they've already adopted you, too, if you want that. It feels good that you and Rick get along so well."

"There's more to your writer than meets the eye. He keeps surprising me."

"Me, too. I really love him, Dad."

"I know, Katie-bug. Sometimes I'm a little jealous."

"You shouldn't be. I'll always need you, too, and he won't try to keep me away."

"I know that, Honey. Just being a dad." He gave her a longer than usual hug, then said goodnight, waved to the others, and went home.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Castle left on Saturday night and the tour was in full swing on Sunday. He started with a book signing at a large bookstore in LA. Monday was spent in talks at the studio, followed by the taping of a late night talk show that afternoon. More talks would happen, but he wouldn't be involved until after his marriage to Kate. He called home almost every night, not shortchanging his mother or daughter, but always saving the last conversation for his fiancé.

The first weekend Castle was away, dress shopping for the wedding was completed. Martha, Alexis, and Lanie all came home with dresses that were fully approved by the bride. By the time Castle returned, all that remained to be done was to pick up his new tux from the tailor and Kate's dress from the dry cleaner.

One afternoon before she left work, Kate mentioned going home, then she added something about going to the loft.

"Going home, huh? Have you already moved in?" Esposito asked.

"I'm getting it done a little at a time, but right now I'm staying with Alexis while Rick is gone."

"You starting to feel like a mom yet?" Ryan asked.

"Not exactly, Ryan," she answered as she gathered her thing to leave. "She has a mother, and I'm not trying to replace her. But I do love her. She's a great kid. Pretty special."

The boys looked at each other knowingly. Kate Beckett showed signs of slowly being tamed.

The following weekend, late on Saturday evening, Castle arrived back in New York, completely exhausted but happy to be home. Darrell opened the car door for him and then took his luggage, smiling at the look on Castle's face when he realized he wouldn't be riding home alone. Castle was pleasantly surprised to find Kate was waiting for him in the car. He didn't remember asking for a limo, but it would get him home, and he wasn't going to argue.

"Best thing I've seen in two weeks," Castle told her as the door closed behind him, then he kissed his fiancé to within an inch of her life, and she eagerly participated. "I missed you so much," he told her and went immediately back to the kiss."

The driver's door closed and caught their attention. Kate blushed at the idea of again sharing a bit more of their private life than she had intended, and Castle caught a glimpse of his driver's smile in the rear view mirror just as the privacy panel started to close.

"Thank you, Darrell," Castle said appreciatively before the panel closed, and then he and Kate were alone in the back seat and invisible to anyone else. "Come here," he ordered as he turned on music to further mask their conversation. And this time Kate Beckett made no argument about his issuing orders. She simply straddled his lap and returned his kiss, and he pulled her as close as he could manage.

"That was such a long two weeks," she said between hungry kisses.

"Did you change the order to a limo?" he asked.

"Yeah. Was that okay?"

"You're sitting where you are with the two of us alone back here, tinted windows and everything, and you have to ask?"

"I didn't think you'd mind."

"It's going to take a while to get home," he said suggestively.

"I'm not sure I can let go that much with Darrell this close. The car would be bouncing, and…"

"It doesn't have to. We can work on refining a limo technique." His eyebrows wiggled and he gave her a seductive little smirk. "It's been two weeks. You know you thought about it."

"You think we're that good? We could…" She waved her hand a little with her own little smirk. "Without Darrell knowing…or bouncing?"

"I'll bet he'd never know. He might suspect, but he'd never know for sure."

"I did think about it," she answered with a mischievous grin and pulled back a wide, decorative strip on the front of her dress to reveal a hidden zipper that went from neckline to hem. "I bought this dress with you in mind and decided to wear it when your mother and daughter insisted I come to meet you without them."

"Why, Katherine Beckett, I think you fully intended to seduce me."

"I wasn't sure I could talk myself into it here, but if you think our technique could be that good…"

"Oh, I do. I do," he answered confidently.

"You do realize if it looks like Darrell knows, he can never drive for us again, right? He can drive for you, but not for me. I couldn't face him."

"Deal." As his hands wandered over her legs, he discovered that her stockings stopped at her thighs, and that was all it took to push him into action, bringing her along with him.

By the time they were at Castle's building, they were congratulating themselves on their new limo technique…and on managing to have their hair and clothing looking presentable enough to face random passersby, drivers, doormen, neighbors, or family members without giving themselves away.

"I'm so glad to be home," Castle sighed as he stepped out on the sidewalk. Then he reached for Kate's hand to help her out of the car. "This time next week, you'll be my wife." he said, putting his arm around her shoulders as they walked.

"Can't wait."

Eduardo opened the door for them and smiled. "Welcome back, Mr. Castle."

"Good to be back. Thank you."

Darrell, looking none the wiser, took Castle's luggage to the elevator. "Shall I take them up for you, Sir?"

"No. I'll take them from here." He passed Darrell his tip and thanked him. "You're still available for the wedding, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it, Mr. Castle. Night, Miss Kate."

When they opened the door of the loft, Alexis hurried to her father, squealing, "Dad!" and threw her arms around him, and he held her tight and kissed her head.

"I missed you, Baby Bird,"

She stood back a little bit, not letting her father go and asked excitedly, "Did Kate tell you about the dresses? I love mine."

"No, but you did. You'll have to show me."

"Did she tell you about dinner with Lanie last night? I really like Lanie."

"Nope. You'll need to tell me about that, too."

"Did she tell you she helped me with my history report this afternoon?"

"No."

"Not that, either? What…"

Kate was fighting a smile, and Castle caught a glimpse of it, getting caught in the moment with her.

"What's so funny?" Alexis asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.

"We didn't talk much," Kate admitted, with a giggle she finally couldn't stifle, and Castle laughed, too.

"Okay, you caught us," he conceded. "We talked about how much we missed each other and then made out in the back seat of the limo like teenagers. Kissing…cuddling..." He reached for Kate and pulled her close, kissing her cheek then moving to her lips and putting on a silly little show for his daughter.

"The whole way home?" she asked, interrupting them.

He grinned at her. "Pretty much."

"Gross."

"What? I missed her. I missed you, too." He grabbed Alexis's head and planted messy kisses on his daughter's cheek until she laughed. "Now, go get your dress and show me. Then you can tell me about the other things I didn't hear from Kate."

Alexis ran upstairs to get her new dress, and Castle walked to his mother, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her cheek. "I suppose I missed you, too."

"It's good to have you back, Richard," she answered, patting his cheek. "I'm going to be at Chet's tonight. You need to catch up with Alexis anyway." Touching Kate's arm on the way out, she told Kate, "I'm sure you and my boy have some catching up to do, too. 'Night, Dear."

As Martha left, Alexis came downstairs in her new dress.

"You look beautiful," Castle said with a smile. I'll be proud to have you as my best man...um best daughter."

"I'll look better for the wedding. Lanie said she'll fix my hair for me. It sounds like more fun than a hair stylist."

"Seems there was a lot of girl time while I was gone," he observed, looking at Kate. "You and Lanie aren't corrupting my baby girl, are you?"

"Other than the two clubs they took me to, no," Alexis answered with a straight face.

"Clubs?!" Castle sputtered, and Kate and Alexis shared a high five. "So, no clubs?" he asked, looking relieved.

"Good one, Kid." Kate grinned at her fiancé. "Castle, sometimes you're so easy. Of course not. I have no intention of corrupting your child."

"She has to marry you first," Alexis explained. "Then I'm fair game."

"That's it," he said, pointing his finger back and forth between them. "I'm not going on any more trips unless one of you goes with me." He turned to the kitchen then. "Does anybody besides me want some hot cocoa? My nerves need calming."

"I do. I'll go put on my pajamas and help."

"Me, too," Kate answered.

When Alexis came back, Castle was standing close to Kate at the breakfast bar pulling one finger across the ring on her right hand.

"What is it about that ring? You two are playing with it all the time. You pay more attention to that one than the engagement ring."

"Perceptive child," Castle said softly to Kate. The look he got from her in return told him she didn't mind telling his daughter.

"The night your dad gave me this ring was the first time we said 'I love you.', so it's been our 'I love you.' ring. When we're somewhere it isn't appropriate to say it, one of us can run a finger over the ring, and the other one knows it was said. We know it's silly, but…"

"And it was just for the two of you, and I pushed my way in. I'm sorry."

"No need to feel sorry. We can share it with you."

"Really?" Kate nodded, so Alexis reached out, looking a little shy, to stroke her finger over the opal; and Kate smiled at her, obviously pleased. "I always liked it," Alexis said, "but it looks a little more special now."

"I'll bet it would look good on you, too," Kate answered, taking it off. "Want to try it?"

Alexis looked at her dad as if for permission. "It's Kate's ring, Kate's choice," he assured her.

Alexis tried it on and said, "I think we wear the same ring size."

"I have others. We can share them sometimes. It looks nice on you."

"Thanks for telling me what it means to you," Alexis said appreciatively. "I didn't mean to take away from something special."

"You just made it a little more special," Kate told her, and Alexis smiled as she gave the ring back.

Castle was watching his girls and enjoying their interaction, then Alexis suddenly moved toward the stove. "Dad, you're supposed to be watching the milk."

"Oh, yeah," he muttered absent-mindedly.

"Never mind. I'll finish it."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Welcome home."

"Well, in that case, I'll start unpacking."

Kate and Alexis finished the hot chocolate while Castle unpacked, which consisted mostly of throwing things in the hamper or putting them in the stack of dry cleaning in the laundry room. Then the three of them sat at the breakfast bar, enjoyed their hot chocolate, and talked for a while before Alexis went to bed.

Castle had dressed for bed as he was unpacking, and as he shamelessly watched Kate changing, he said softly, "Thank you for including Alexis…"

"Stop thanking me for that. You have to get it through your head that it's part of being married to you. She needs to know she belongs with both of us."

"I can't help appreciating that you don't just give that lip service, though. It feels good that you actually love my family."

"I think I would have loved them even without you, so stop making such a big thing of it."

"Will you come with me to the book signing tomorrow afternoon? "I'm not ready to spend that much time without you yet."

"You mean just be in the store?"

"No. Sit with me at the table. Be where I can touch you…talk to you when I can."

"Are you asking me to sign books with you?"

"I'd like it if you did…but you don't have to. The fans would love it, though. The people at the book launch did."

"I'll at least go to the store and be there when you have your breaks."

"I'll settle for that. Anything else will be a bonus."

"You need sleep, Rick," she told him, stroking her fingers across his cheek. She kissed him gently and ran her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck. "You look completely exhausted."

He returned the kiss, turned to look behind him, and sighed. "My own bed. The only thing more appealing right now is having you in it with me."

Without a word, she got into bed and he followed. They snuggled in and simply enjoyed being close before falling asleep.

On Sunday afternoon, the manager and a man in a security uniform met Castle and Kate, escorting them through a side door of the bookstore and into an office. "Will Miss Beckett be with you for the signing?" the manager asked after introductions had been made.

Castle looked to Kate before answering.

Kate hesitated, then asked, "You really want me there, don't you?"

"Yeah." He looked directly at her. "I do."

"Then, yes, I'll be sitting with him," she answered.

"Kate isn't used to all this yet," he explained to the manager.

"Still learning to live in his world," she added.

"I'll get an extra chair for you," the manager offered with a smile, then left them alone for a few minutes.

"Any special reason you want me that close?"

"I just need you today. I don't know…"

"Good enough. You're always there when I need you." She planted a kiss on his lips before the man came back to get them and was checking to see if she had left any telltale lipstick when the manager returned.

"Thank you," Castle whispered as they were led out of the room.

"Always," she whispered back just as she saw Gina coming back to meet them.

Without introduction, Gina explained, quietly enough not to announce it to the room, "Somebody has to keep an eye on him or he'll talk all day and the line will still be here at midnight. They get a little antsy after a while, so we need to keep the line moving." Looking directly at Kate she continued, "I don't know why you're here, but maybe you can help."

Since they were in view of the group of fans in the room, Kate resisted the overwhelming urge to roll her eyes.

They were taken to a table next to a lectern, and Kate sat down at the table. Castle was introduced to the long line of people waiting for him to sign their books, and he accepted their applause with his usual charm, making Kate smile along with everyone else. He read an excerpt from _Naked Heat_ , pointed out that the table with his books wasn't empty yet, and told those in line to encourage their friends to buy one, too. He accepted more applause, along with some laughter; and then he turned to Kate.

"Some of you may be wondering about this beautiful woman. I'd like to introduce Detective Katherine Beckett, my fiancé and my inspiration for the Nikki Heat books. She's more accustomed to investigating murders than sitting at book signings, but she's here today humoring me."

There was more applause, and most of the crowd was smiling. Kate didn't stand, but she smiled enough to look friendly and gave them a little wave.

The first person in line pushed her book over to Kate as soon as Castle had signed it, asking for her signature as well; and Detective Beckett was soon in almost as much demand as Castle. Before long, Kate had relaxed a bit, and the couple was jointly signing books, having worked out a routine as they spoke to the people in line. They had short conversations with the fans, asking them questions and entertaining them with their normal bantering.

Castle easily agreed to extend the signing beyond the scheduled time to accommodate the last twenty or so people in line, and then they went home after thanking the store manager for the opportunity.

In the car on the way home, Castle asked, "Did I put too much pressure on you? It didn't seem…"

"Once we got started, it wasn't quite so uncomfortable. I still don't feel like I belong there, but we met some nice people today. Who knows? Maybe you made a difference for one of them like you did for me." She paused for a moment. "I can't do that too often, though. If it got around the precinct, I don't know what kind of reaction it would bring."

"I won't ask again if it causes trouble."

"As much as you do to help with my job, I can take a little flak from the others for you. As long as it doesn't affect the work or department policy."

"I didn't think about department policy."

"If it's a problem, I'm sure I'll hear from Roy. What's your exact schedule tomorrow?"

"Early. My segment on the morning show is at eight. Things there usually run on a pretty tight schedule, and the segment probably won't be more than five minutes tops, maybe not quite that. I can probably come in later."

"I don't have to be in until ten tomorrow. I covered for somebody last week, so he's giving me some time tomorrow."

"Then why don't you come and wait for me tomorrow morning? When I'm finished, we can stop for breakfast on the way to the precinct."

"Sounds good."

The rest of their day was spent at the loft relaxing.

"How was the book signing?" Martha asked.

"Great. Kate sat with me and signed most of them, too. They loved her."

"Reflected glory, Martha. It wasn't my talent or imagination that created any of it," Kate insisted. "I didn't do a thing to warrant my signature on those books, but your son wanted me with him."

"You may have earned more than you think, Katherine. You didn't witness the long stretch of boredom and writer's block just before he met you. After that, he suddenly couldn't wait to write when he got home. I've rarely seen such a change in a man."

The following morning Kate dressed for work, and Castle dressed for television. It was a beautiful December morning, sunny and chilly, but mild, not terribly cold. The network morning show interview was to take place outdoors, inside the barriers where the visiting crowd could watch. Kate waited with Castle until it was time for his appearance, then she stood out of camera range while he charmed the two vivacious women hosting his segment.

He had just teased a hint of the book's plot without giving away much when one of the hosts said, "I understand you've announced your engagement to your own Nikki Heat."

"No, I've announced my engagement to Detective Kate Beckett. Big difference."

"What's the biggest difference between Detective Beckett and Detective Heat."

"We can start with the fact that Detective Beckett is real."

"Excellent point."

"Someone told me she came with you this morning. Is she still here?"

"She's waiting for me. She has to be at work before long, and I'm going in with her this morning."

"So you're still consulting?"

"Yes."

"That's her talking to our security guard, isn't it?"

Castle turned and saw an unsuspecting Beckett near the door.

"Look at that. They're obviously carrying on a conversation, but both of them are still scanning the street while they talk."

"Crowds have that effect on the police," he said lightly, while having the feeling things were not going where Kate would want them to.

"Can we talk to her for a second?"

"I don't know. She didn't plan on that today. I…"

"We'll let her decide."

By then the second woman had said something to someone else as soon as mention was made of Beckett's presence, and a man with a network ID had already approached Beckett, encouraging her to come to the edge of the barrier. She reluctantly went and had a microphone pointed in her direction in no time.

"Rick says he's going to work with you today. Does he really contribute?"

"He does. He would have made a good detective," she said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

Castle reached for her hand in apology and the movement bumped her jacket open.

"Whoa, is that a gun?" the host asked.

"It goes with the badge," Castle answered quickly, pointing toward the badge at her waist.

"I didn't intend to be on camera, only to go to work." Beckett smiled enough not to embarrass Castle, but he knew her well enough to see thatshe wasn't at all happy about the media ambush.

"Well thanks for being a good sport and talking to us. Congratulations on your engagement, you two."

Both Castle and Beckett said "Thank you," precisely together.

"Do you do that often?"

"Sometimes." That answer was as precisely coordinated as the last one. The host put one hand on her hip and just looked back and forth at them, and the crowd laughed. The couple smiled, and the hosts did, too. The two women consulted briefly and tried saying, "Thank you for being here this morning," together, and failed. One of the women looked at the camera and said, "I guess we need more practice." Then the hosts shook the couple's hands.

Beckett looked at Castle and pointed inconspicuously toward the street corner, then she disappeared in that direction as soon as possible. Rick thanked the host for having him and left as quickly as manners would allow, an apology to his fiancé already on the tip of his tongue.

Rounding the edge of the barrier, he went straight for the street corner where he expected to find Beckett. She was there but fuming.

"I'm so sorry…" Castle started.

"It wasn't your fault, but I can't let that happen again. You're on your own for these things from now on…unless it's absolutely necessary for you, well planned, and not police related. The department does have policies about random public appearances and statements. I guess I'd better read up on them and refresh my memory. It hasn't been an issue because I avoid the media like the plague unless I have to make a rare statement about a case."

"I understand."

She ran her fingers through her hair, looking frustrated. "I'll talk to Roy as soon as we're at the precinct…assuming he isn't lying in wait to chew me out when I get there."

"Can I at least offer not to make you face him on an empty stomach? We still have time to stop for breakfast – and maybe your favorite coffee place?"

"Yeah. We can do that."

"I really am sorry."

"It wasn't your fault. They had taken the choice out of your hands before you could stop them. I should have just flatly refused."

"But you were in that position only because of me."

"Learning to live in your world, Rick. It's going to take me a little while to figure it out."

"I hope I'm worth it."

"You are," she answered, kissing his cheek.

Pushing his luck a bit, he asked, "Breakfast before facing the firing squad?"

"Yeah, if you know what's good for you."

Castle laughed, put his arm around her and pointed them in the direction of a high end breakfast establishment. High quality food and service…and excellent coffee. It seemed to be a good choice at that moment.

By the time they reached the precinct, with a coffee to go for each of them, it was obvious that a number of people knew about the brief television appearance. Roy's response was to call both of them in to see that they each had a copy of department policy on such things. He had seen the situation unfold and knew it wasn't intentional, simply warned them to be more careful.

xxxxx

Work kept Castle and Beckett busy early in the week. On Wednesday, they got their marriage license and checked with Bradford, who assured them that they had nothing else to worry about.

They both decided against big bachelor or bachelorette parties. The night after the rehearsal dinner, Castle played poker with a group of writers and his Gotham crew…the ones who could work the wedding into their own busy schedules with barely a month's notice. He also invited Ryan, Esposito, and Jim Beckett. Castle shared the non-alcoholic drinks with Jim, even though Jim assured him it wasn't necessary. Castle's answer was that he wanted to be absolutely sober the next day, that he didn't want to forget a single second of marrying Jim's daughter. Saying he couldn't argue with that, Jim tapped his soft drink against Castle's and said, "Cheers." The poker group played for considerably smaller stakes than usual to accommodate all members of the group, and Ryan was the surprise big winner of the night.

Lanie had arranged a girls' night with Martha, Alexis, and Madison Queller, a close high school friend Kate had reconnected with through a recent case. Like Castle, and for the same reasons, Kate had a glass of wine, then shared soft drinks with Alexis for the rest of the evening. Since Kate had ruled out male strippers, Lanie and Madison grudgingly decided they might as well relive high school days. They experimented with hairstyles for Kate and Alexis, decided on nail colors for their mani-pedi appointments the next day, ate ice cream and watched a couple of rom-coms…and asked Kate embarrassing questions about Castle every time Alexis left the room.

By the next afternoon, Alexis's nails were painted to coordinate with her dress, and she had visited Kate's apartment for Lanie to style her hair. After that, she was back at the loft in time to be sure her father had everything he needed, including a properly tied bow tie, before they left for the hotel.

Martha had toned down her usual fashion choices for the wedding, but gave up none of her style and exuberance. For the first time, she was overjoyed to see her son getting married.

Castle's family arrived at the hotel and was ushered into a room separate from where Kate and Lanie were getting dressed. Alexis went to let them know the rest of the wedding party was there and came back to tell her father how beautiful Kate looked.

Bradford had arranged for a minister, a kind looking older man with a ready smile and an easygoing personality. The clergyman met Kate and Castle for the first time at the rehearsal dinner and sat to talk with them for a little while afterward…a brief counseling session the couple decided later. They really weren't particular about who performed the ceremony, as long as they were married when it was over; but, as usual, Bradford had made an excellent choice. They both enjoyed their time with the minister and felt good about his performing the ceremony.

As Castle and Kate prepared for the wedding in their separate rooms, the minister came to visit both of them. He was making sure they were both ready for such a big step, although his impression from the night before was that neither of them had a single doubt.

Bradford showed his skills to perfection. An altar for the ceremony had been set up and the area around it decorated beautifully at one side of the ballroom. There was seating for the small group attending, leaving the rest of the room open for the party that would follow. He began with the ushers, Ryan and Esposito, escorting those attending. He then gathered the members of the wedding party. Jim Beckett was sent to join his daughter. The music began, Martha was seated, and Castle and Alexis walked to their places. Then Lanie walked down the aisle and took her place, and the music for the bride began.

Castle looked toward the end of the aisle and couldn't stop smiling as he watched Kate walk toward him with her father. Her mother's dress was beautiful, the flowers were beautiful, she was beautiful, and her smile echoed his own.

When asked "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" Jim Beckett responded, "I do." Then he rested his free hand on Castle's arm, and said quietly, "Take care of her, Son."

Never taking his eyes away from Kate, Castle answered, "Always." Then he turned his head to acknowledge Jim. Jim put his daughter's hand in Castle's and went to sit down, and the couple finally stood together before the minister, ready to join their lives forever.

After they had said their vows and received their rings, Kate reached her hand toward Alexis and took the teenager's left hand to bring her closer to them, something that hadn't been a part of the rehearsal. The exchange between Kate and Alexis was quiet, intended for just the two of them and Castle, but Lanie and the minister could hear most of it.

"My promise to you is that I'll be here for you as long as I live…no matter what," Kate told her stepdaughter. She took the opal ring from her right hand and put it on Alexis's left ring finger. "We have our wedding rings to say the same thing now, so this ring is for you. I don't expect you to wear it all the time, but it's there when you need it to be." As she said the words, she moved her thumb over the ring, and Alexis wrapped her arms around Kate with tears in her eyes. Castle wasn't in much better shape and put his arms around both of them, resting his head on Kate's. They pulled themselves together quickly, and Alexis moved back to her assigned place. The minister was smiling and announced, "I now pronounce you man and wife…and daughter?" Laughter followed before he said, "You may kiss your bride."

The newly married couple looked at one another before Kate slid her hands up to her husband's shoulders, and he moved one hand to her waist and the other to the back of her head and kissed her slowly and gently. Applause broke out, and they separated but went back, smiling, for another shorter kiss.

Then the music started, and they led the wedding party away from the altar. The wedding guests were treated to light hors d'oeuvres, and the rest of the room gradually transformed into a party as the formal pictures were taken near the altar. Castle and Kate had the first dance, then the two fathers danced with their daughters. They stopped the action shortly after that to cut the wedding cake, and then they let their guests enjoy the party. A buffet was brought in, champagne toasts were made, the dance floor was open, music played, and the newlyweds mingled joyfully with their guests.

In a moment to themselves later, Kate looked at Castle and said, "I think you must have practiced to find as many chances to use the words, 'my wife' as you have tonight.

"I've noticed that your conversations haven't been entirely devoid of the words 'my husband', either."

She smiled at him flirtatiously and answered, "Guilty."

He leaned in and kissed her and said, "I think my focus has just moved to our wedding night."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Castle kissed his wife again. "Mmmmm. Definitely focused on the wedding night."

"So, do you have a plan of escape?"

"I could scoop you up and carry you out while I tell everybody we're leaving."

"You got a Plan B with a little more class?" she asked with a little smirk.

"You didn't like that one?"

"You can carry me to the bed once we're in our room."

"Plan A for the room, then. Plan B for here…with more class, huh?" He took her hand and walked toward the dance floor. "One more dance, I'll thank everybody for being here, and we leave."

"Still a little obvious, but better."

Pulling her into his arms for a last dance, he murmured close to her ear, "It's our wedding night. Everybody knows what we'll be doing anyway, so we might as well say our fare-thee-wells and go enjoy it."

The music was slow, and they held each other close and swayed easily to the music. He kissed her temple and whispered, "I love you." just before the music ended. When they left the dance floor, he kept her hand in his and took her to the middle of the room.

"Ladies and gentleman," he called out in his booming baritone and waited until he had everyone's attention. "Kate and I would like to thank you for coming to help us celebrate our marriage. Both of us have enjoyed and appreciated your company, and we hope you're having a good time. All of you are welcome to continue to enjoy the party, but Mrs. Castle and I are going to leave you now."

In the midst of the applause and congratulations from the guests, Kate noticed a discussion between Ryan, Esposito, the mayor, and one of the writers…and money was changing hands. She pointed it out to Castle before they walked the short distance to the men to satisfy their curiosity.

Looking directly at Ryan and Esposito, Kate asked, "What are you betting on now?" Esposito opened his mouth, but she interrupted with, "Don't even try to deny it."

The mayor had the decency to look a bit sheepish, but he was still smiling. Neither Ryan nor Esposito said a word; but the fourth man, the writer, wasn't bashful at all.

"We saw Rick kiss you a little while ago and go back for more. We wondered how long it would take him to tell us you're leaving, and all of a sudden there was a bet." He shrugged and grinned.

Castle saw the humor. Kate covered her face with her hands and then peeked out from between them.

"So, who won?" she asked.

"Detective Ryan here won again," the mayor answered, clapping a hand on Ryan's shoulder. "We're not sure we're betting with him anymore."

"Must be my weekend," Ryan said, waving his money with a big grin on his face.

"Well, enjoy it," Castle told him. "We're leaving now. Goodnight, gentlemen."

The couple was intercepted with hugs from their families, and applause as well as a few hoots followed them as they left. Closing the door behind them, they smiled at each other. Castle lifted his wife's hand to his lips and kissed her ring finger as they walked to the elevator, the hotel staff members smiling behind them at the sight.

"We're married," he said contentedly.

"I like it already."

"Does it feel different to you?" he asked, looking at her lovingly.

Still holding his hand, she put her free hand on his arm and smiled at him. "I don't think I could love you any more than I already did, but it feels like we're stronger."

"Yeah, it does."

The elevator doors opened and they rode to the top floor, making out gently all the way there, and went directly to the honeymoon suite where they were blessedly alone.

"You do look like a princess," Castle told her, their arms wrapped loosely around the other's waist. "The dress is beautiful."

"It made my dad cry. He was stoic, but I saw the tears. He said I looked just like my mom. But he wanted me to wear it. He said nothing would have made her happier."

"Dads are going to want to cry at their daughters' weddings anyway. That couldn't have made it easy to resist."

"No, probably not. You look like my ruggedly handsome prince, too."

"Yeah?" he asked flirtatiously.

"Absolutely."

"So, if you took off my tie, would I still look like your ruggedly handsome prince?"

She tugged at the ends of his bow tie and pulled it away, unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, and looked at him appraisingly. "Yeah. Still works for me."

That started the slow, teasing removal of clothing and the gentle lovemaking that echoed their first time together. Afterward they lingered in bed a while, whispering endearments and talking softly of their future. A leisurely shower followed, and then they put on the night clothes they had each intended for their wedding night.

"All dressed up and nowhere to go," Castle teasingly observed, picking up his phone and choosing music from a playlist.

"There's always later," Kate reminded him, squeezing his backside.

"Dance with me. We won't be offending an audience here. We can dance as close as we want…or as dirty," he added with a suggestive smirk.

He chose slow, sensual music, and their dance followed suit. The pajamas and negligee became a part of their next joining, making a game of it; and then they fell asleep, pleasantly exhausted.

The next morning , after an enthusiastic round three, they enjoyed another shower together, ordered room service, and had breakfast in bed.

"I think we gave appropriate honor to the wedding night, Mr. Castle," Kate observed as they sat propped side-by-side on pillows against the headboard.

"I believe we did, Mrs. Castle." He paused and took her left hand in his, rubbing his thumb across her wedding ring. "It feels good that you decided to take my name."

"Even if I still call myself Detective Beckett?"

"It would be confusing at the precinct anyway. Too many Castles. And you've built your professional reputation on that name."

"Thank you for understanding that."

"I was brought up by an independent woman, and I've seen how important it is to her…although she does seem to allow herself to depend on my income lately."

"And you know you love being able to spoil her. You're a big softy when it comes to your family."

"Which now legally includes you. Speaking of which, there are legal things we need to talk about later in the week."

"I don't know if I'm ready for that." Stopping for a moment as if weighing her words, she asked, "Was your attorney angry that we didn't have a pre-nup?"

"I told him you offered and I declined. He thought I was crazy, but he hasn't met you yet. He'll understand then. But we can talk about that next week. I made an appointment for us on the Monday morning after Christmas. The plane leaves for our honeymoon on Tuesday, so all of that will be settled before we go. Still willing to live in my world? It's a little late to back out now." He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close consolingly.

"As long as you're in your world. I'll learn to cope with the rest of it."

"I love you, Mrs. Castle."

"I love you, too, Mr. Beckett," she responded mischievously."

"Mr. Beckett is your father," he answered just as mischievously. "You don't really want to think 'Mr. Beckett' when I do this, do you?" And he kissed her very thoroughly, involving tongue and roving hands.

"I love you, Mr. Castle," she growled before returning the kiss with the same enthusiasm.

They stayed in their little bubble in the hotel room that morning, finally going out for lunch in the hotel's restaurant. Castle insisted on scouring the hotel's small shops for something they could keep as a memory of their wedding night, and they finally settled on a nicely framed picture of the ballroom from its original days of glory. Anyone else would see it as a souvenir of their wedding. The two of them would also see a memory of what went on in the honeymoon suite afterward.

They spent the rest of the afternoon in their room, enjoying their time together before going back to family that night and to the precinct the next day.

xxxxx

As they dressed for work the following morning, Castle said, "We need to finish decorating for Christmas. Alexis and Mother took some things out, but with everything else going on, I haven't done anything at all. We'll tone it down this year, but you'll still experience a Castle Christmas."

Kate looked stunned.

"What's wrong?"

"With everything that was happening, I hadn't thought to tell you. I'm working on Christmas Day."

"On Christmas?"

"Dad and I haven't had Christmas since Mom died. After the decorations were put away that year, we haven't opened them again, or exchanged gifts, or…"

"Did you volunteer for the Christmas shift?"

"I have since I was a rookie. I wasn't doing any celebrating, so I thought I could let somebody else enjoy their family. Keep watch for them. My way of acknowledging the day."

"Kate." He took her into his arms and held her.

"I'm sorry I didn't think to tell you. Christmas has been so far off my radar for so long that I didn't think about it. So you're big on Christmas around here?"

"Yeah, we are."

"I should have known my man-child would be a big fan of Christmas. I'll have to miss this one. It's too late to back out now. That would leave somebody's kids with a parent who would have to work at the last minute because I want to be with mine. It wouldn't be fair. I'm really sorry."

"We always have our big Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. Dress up for it and everything."

She pulled back to look at him. "I can be here for that. Do you open presents after dinner?"

"No. Well, maybe one each. We usually get up early on Christmas morning for that. Open gifts, have breakfast, and be lazy for the rest of the day. What time do you have to be in?"

"Eight."

"We could have breakfast and gifts early, Mother and Alexis could go back to sleep, and I could go with you to the precinct."

"No. You should spend Christmas with your family."

"We'll argue about that later in the week." He paused for a moment. "Do you think your Dad would like to come to dinner on Christmas Eve, or would it bring back too many sad memories?"

"I don't know. Until this year, we hadn't had an actual Thanksgiving dinner since then, either…unless you count meeting someplace that happened to be open on Thanksgiving. But he seemed to enjoy being here. We could ask him."

"I want him to feel like a part of our family, too."

"I know, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate that."

"Your dad and I get along well. Not that much effort needed on my part. The poker crowd liked him, too. I think he could join in there, too, if he's interested."

"We'll work it out in moderation, Rick. Give him a little time."

xxxxx

When Castle and Beckett left the elevator on Monday morning, they were met with a shout from somewhere in the bullpen asking, "Are you married now?"

"Yes, we are," Castle answered, and they held up their hands, showing off their rings.

Applause followed, and someone shouted "Let's see a kiss." That quickly turned into a chant of "Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss…"

Castle didn't hesitate. He wrapped his arms around Beckett and gave her a kiss that brought more applause. Beckett grabbed his lapels and pulled him back for another one, and he stole another quick little peck just for for show.

"Did everybody see that?" he asked. "Cause I could do it again if you missed it." There was noise and laughter before Beckett told them, "Show's over, folks. That's all you get." Then she waved at them and sat down at her desk.

Montgomery had been watching from his office and asked, loud enough everyone could hear, "So is it now Castle and Detective Castle?"

Kate stood again so she could be heard. "I'm Kate Castle, but I'll continue to be Detective Beckett…save all of you some confusion."

"You'll need to turn the paperwork in to HR if you're legally Castle now," he reminded her.

"I already have the forms. The change of address needs to go in, too. I'll take care of it before we leave on Friday."

"Congratulations to both of you. It was a beautiful wedding and a great party. Evelyn talked about it all the way home."

"Thank you," the couple answered together.

Montgomery shook his head and said, "Get to work." before going back into his office.

The week went by quickly. Kate, and Castle did their Christmas shopping for Alexis and Martha one night, and went out separately another night for a couple of little things for each other. Jim and Kate braved Christmas Eve dinner with the Castle family and all the decorations that had somehow found their way into the loft over the past week, and after dinner they each opened one gift. It was an enjoyable evening for all of them. Jim's gift to his daughter and new son-in-law was a nicely framed picture he had taken on his phone at the wedding reception. The couple was about to cut the wedding cake. They were jointly holding the knife near the cake and looking at each other, smiling. It was one of those moments that glowed with happiness; and when Jim saw it, he decided to have it printed and framed. He kept one for himself and had one printed for them.

"Can this go on my desk. Is that okay?" Castle asked Kate.

"As long as it faces where I can see it, too."

The next morning, the family was up at six-thirty to open gifts and have breakfast. The last of several gifts Kate gave her husband was a bright red remote control helicopter, and he was as excited as if he were six years old.

Martha and Alexis laughed, and Alexis asked, "How did you know?"

"We saw one in a store display the night we went shopping last week. He told me he used to have a blue one like it, but he got distracted and crashed it. I knew I had to go back and get it. I wanted to see him in action."

In no time, the helicopter was buzzing around, hovering over things and landing on furniture.

"Have fun," Kate told her husband. "I'm going to start breakfast."

"I'll help," Alexis volunteered.

Before long, everybody was involved in the preparation, and they sat down to enjoy the meal.

Leave the dishes, Dad. I'll take care of it when I decide to wake up again. Grams and I won't miss you for a while, so you and Kate can get ready for work."

"Thanks Pumpkin."

"I tried to tell him he should stay home," Kate told her. "You could try using the puppy eyes. That might keep him here."

"He's made up his mind. I don't think you're going to get rid of him...and we really won't miss anybody until at least lunchtime. Grams and I are going back to bed now and staying there until we feel like getting up. And then we all usually play with the new toys and watch Christmas movies. I'll practice the new video game so I have a head start on him."

"No fair," they heard as Castle came to see why Kate wasn't getting dressed.

She hugged Martha and Alexis before they went back upstairs and apologized to them again for the change in their normal Christmas plans; then she went to get ready for work. By the time she was dressed, Castle had packed some things into a couple of large gift bags but wouldn't tell her what was in them. He quietly put them in the backseat of Kate's car when they left.

"Now that we're here, are you going to tell me what you brought with you?"

"Patience, my love. First, if we can't be at home for Christmas, I've brought Christmas to us." He took a fully decorated eighteen inch tree out of one bag, put it on her desk with a flourish, and turned on the battery powered twinkling lights. That was followed with a tiny, bright red tree skirt to complete the picture. Then he took out a small canister of the cookies Alexis had baked a couple of days before and placed it beside the tree.

"I love you, Rick Castle."

"I love you, too, Mrs. Castle."

"So what's in the other bag?"

"My new helicopter."

"Castle! You can't play with that here."

"Why not? I'll even share. If there aren't any calls for a while, people are going to be bored. And I ordered food for everybody from a place that's open. I can fly them an announcement. Most of them are guys, and it's a gadget. They'll love it."

Beckett just groaned.

The phone on her desk rang, and the desk sergeant reported that there was a guy downstairs saying he had a delivery for Castle. "Thanks, Markham. Send him on up." Turning to her husband, she said drily, "Looks like the food is here."

Castle met the delivery man at the elevator door, took him to the break room, and helped him set everything out. Then he took a post-it from Beckett's desk, wrote something on it, took out his helicopter, and stuck it on the door. "Hey, Lupinski," he called across the bull-pen, "Head's up. Incoming."

The helicopter rose from the desk, flew high across the bullpen and landed perfectly on Lupinski's desk, comments in varying versions of "What the hell is that?" following it all the way.

Lupinski laughed as he read the message on the door. "It says there's food in the break room," he called out to the rest of the bullpen, which emptied quickly. As he walked past Castle, he slapped him on the arm and chuckled. "Damnedest way I ever got a message, Castle. You gonna let me try it later?"

"Sure."

"You get that for Christmas?"

"Yep. Beckett gave it to me."

Stopping in the door of the break room where the others could hear him, Lupinski exclaimed, " _Beckett_ gave you a toy helicopter for Christmas?"

"Yeah. She knew I'd like it."

"I used to have cars," Donaldson said. "Never tried a helicopter. Do I get to try it out?"

"Right after me," Lupinski warned. "I already got first dibs."

Beckett sat at her desk and smiled. Her husband had already brightened everybody's day. And grown men were lining up to try out the new toy. The morning was uneventful, and the holiday crew was looking for things to keep them busy. Beckett even took a turn with the helicopter.

It was quiet for a while, but a couple of calls came in later in the morning, taking two sets of partners out of the precinct. Castle and Beckett took one of the calls and asked Lupinski along.

"We'll be gone all of next week," Beckett told him, so it would be good to have somebody else see everything now. I'll do the paperwork," she promised.

"As long as you're doing the paperwork," he answered, putting on his coat.

They didn't get back until mid-afternoon, and Kate went to the computer to start the reports while Castle and Lupinski started a murder board.

"I'm kind of new here, and I gotta admit I used to wonder if you were really as useful to Beckett's team as they say; but that was some good work today. You ever want to hang out with somebody else, let me know."

"Thanks," Castle answered, glancing over at Beckett as they organized a timeline. She didn't look away from her work, but she was wearing a proud smile.

They were back at the loft by six, and Alexis had hot cocoa on the stove.

"Another Christmas tradition," Castle explained. Somebody makes hot cocoa, everybody finds food for themselves, and we put in a DVD. I meant it when I said we're lazy on Christmas."

"Sounds good to me. What are we watching?" she asked Alexis, and went to get mugs to help with her new tradition.


	21. Chapter 21

_AN:_

 _1\. My apologies for the slowdown in posting. When I started this, I had already written almost all of what I thought would be a story of about eight chapters; but apparently I talk too much, even on paper. Still working at it._

 _2\. Parts of the next two chapters are a bit heavy with situations and dialogue from episodes, for which, obviously, I take no credit. Please bear with me._

 _3\. Thank you for staying with the story. It's appreciated._

Chapter 21

When they arrived at his attorney's office on Monday morning, Castle ushered his wife into the waiting area and Kate was surprised to find her father there. Jim stood to hug his daughter and shake Castle's hand.

"Dad, why are you here?" Kate asked.

"I asked him to be here with you. I wanted you to be entirely comfortable with what you'll be signing."

"That's really thoughtful of you, but you didn't need to do that. You're the one who needs to be careful, and I don't need my dad to hold my hand. No offense, Dad."

"None taken. I've been hearing that since you were three."

Rick snickered then looked at Kate and explained, "I don't doubt for a minute that you'll understand everything put in front of you, but there's a lot here, Kate. I'm no Warren Buffet, but I've done pretty well for myself."

"Are you sure you want me here, Rick?" Jim asked. This is putting your new father-in-law in the middle of all your business. Most men wouldn't want that."

"In case anything happens to me, I want you familiar enough with what Kate has to handle that you can easily step in if she has questions. Nobody wants to think about it, and we certainly aren't planning on it; but there is the possibility that either Kate or I, or both of us, could be killed or disabled if we end up in the wrong situation. My mother and daughter would need someone to help them through that sort of time. If it only happened to me, Kate would need you, too."

"Are you sure about this? Bringing your new wife and her attorney father…"

"If I didn't trust your daughter, I wouldn't have married her; and if I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have asked. I have nothing to hide, and I assume the attorney/client confidentiality will follow us on your part when we leave here."

"That goes without saying."

"Then sit with Kate today and observe. Advise her if you think you should. Do you know Winston?"

"We're acquaintances. He's an excellent attorney… and he must think you're insane."

Castle smiled his smirky smile. "That opinion has come up on occasion. Sometimes I don't listen well, but I'm not all that bad."

"You sound like a nightmare of a client," Jim teased."

Castle admitted, "Now and then. Mostly in the past," and indicated chairs where they all sat down.

The receptionist brought a tray and placed it on the table in front of them. "Mr. Castle always has coffee. If anyone would like something else, I can bring tea, juice, or soft drinks."

"Coffee is fine for all of us," Kate answered, and Jim nodded.

"Mr. Griffith will be with you shortly, Mr. Castle."

They were soon called into the attorney's conference room, the full account of Castle's wealth was laid out before them, and Kate and her father were both taken by surprise.

For the first time, Castle was giving a wife access to all that information before a divorce demanded it. He was also allowing Kate access to use of it. His attorney was thoroughly opposed to that; but, at his client's insistence, he prepared the paperwork. Kate discovered that, in addition to trusts for Martha, Alexis, and Meredith, there had been a trust for her since the year before…well before they were together. Half of Castle's income from the sale of the Nikki Heat books went to Kate's trust, and the same would happen with the future books. He allowed no argument there, either.

"Castle, I don't want all this. I've told you I didn't marry you for your money."

"I know that, which is why I trust you with it. And if you should be in the position of having to take care of my daughter, or my mother…or me, I want you to have access to everything you need to do that. You don't ever have to touch any of it if you don't want to, but sign the papers so there are no legal hang-ups if it becomes a necessity."

Legal papers were signed with minimal comment from her father. Signatures for Castle's bank accounts were requested, and her own credit card for Castle's account was given to her. She pushed it back to him and said, "Don't expect me to use them…the accounts or the card."

"Jim, you raised a stubborn daughter," he said as he put the card in his pocket.

"I know, but I'm still proud of her."

"Me, too." The two men smiled at one another.

"I'm sitting right here, you know," Kate grumbled from between them. Her arms folded across her chest.

Throughout the meeting, Kate and her father saw a whole new side of Castle. The man who had amassed such large holdings emerged. Not a sign of the man-child they all knew showed itself until business was completed.

Afterward, Castle invited Jim to stop for coffee with them, and they walked to a little coffee shop near the attorney's office.

"Thank you for being here, Jim," Castle said.

"You didn't really need me."

"I did…for the reasons I gave you."

They had their coffee and talked for a while before Jim said he had to prepare for a lunch appointment with a client. When they all stood to leave, Jim shook his son-in-law's hand. "You continue to impress me, Rick. I don't know why you hide the businessman in you so well, but it's impressive. But, Son, I'm much more impressed with the kind of man you are than with the money. I'm glad my daughter has you." He gave Castle a fatherly pat on the arm before he left.

Kate looked over at him lovingly and whispered, "What he said." Then she took his arm and enjoyed the look of pride he gave her as they walked out to the street to hail a cab.

As they finished packing when they got home, Kate said, "It was nice of you, but you didn't need to invite my father this morning."

"When you were three, did you need to hold your father's hand most of the times he insisted?"

"Probably," she reluctantly admitted.

"And the few times he explained something today or made a good point when you wanted to argue, did it help?" he asked his wife.

"Yes," she conceded with a roll of her eyes and the hint of a smile.

"See?" he teased. "You still feel better when your dad is around to help you face the unknown, even when you could get by without him. I'm hoping Alexis will still feel that way about me when she's grown and independent. And if anything happens to me, you'll feel more comfortable having your father with you than dealing exclusively with an attorney you don't know that well."

"Rick, are you sure it's a good idea to plan that far ahead with Dad? He's been sober for a while now, and I think he'll stay with the program, but…"

"Kate, please remember, we're not planning on actually needing him for that. It's all a big 'just in case'. He and I have talked a lot, and I know he's a good man. I can see where you got your integrity. I've seen how he beats himself up about failing you; but I'm not unaware that if anything happened to you, he could easily go down that road again. He's faced a huge challenge and overcome it, and I want to help you support him. "

"You really do care about my dad, don't you?"

"I do. But I would have liked him with or without you." He stopped for a long moment as if deciding whether to say more. "He treats me like I think he might treat a son. I should be in his corner like one."

"And you've never had that before?"

"A hint with the stepfathers, but no. Not really. I used to try to imagine what my father would be like. It was fun to think he could be an astronaut, a CIA agent, a test pilot, even the president. I had quite a list of stories. But deep down, what I wanted was a father like yours. Someone who would spend time with his child just because he wants to, take an interest in what she does…provide a little praise and encouragement now and then, show some pride in her. Your dad calls once in a while when he knows I won't be at the precinct and asks me to have lunch with him, just to hang out…and like this morning, he takes time to tell me he's impressed with me. It's a good feeling. I think he genuinely likes me for who I am, not just because I'm with you."

"I'm one hundred per cent sure he does, and it might make you feel better to know he says similar things about you. We're both lucky to have you, Ricky Rodgers." Kate wrapped her arms around her husband and sighed, "I love you."

And he held her for a long moment and kissed her lovingly before they finished packing.

When Castle asked where Kate would like to go for their honeymoon, she asked for somewhere like the Hamptons, but warmer; so he made arrangements for a house in the Caribbean, with a private beach. They were on a plane the next day and ensconced in their own little world that night. The house was stocked with everything they needed, and there was a touristy town close by that would provide entertainment when they wanted to go out. They played in the ocean, took long walks on the beach, meeting others along the way sometimes, skinny-dipped in the pool, and creatively took advantage of the complete privacy the house offered. They returned home on New Year's Day after having celebrated New Year's Eve in their own way. And they spent Sunday with their family before Kate had to be back at work.

xxxxx

Not far into the new year, the precinct was treated to the presence of Natalie Rhodes, a well-known method actress who had been cast as Nikki Heat in the upcoming _Heat Wave_ movie. She had asked to follow Beckett to immerse herself in the character. Most of the precinct was star-struck, Ryan in particular, which caused some trouble with his girlfriend, Jenny.

At first Beckett expected that it would be fun to have her follow a case with them; but then it became uncomfortable, progressing to annoying and unsettling. As Natalie got further into the character, she pointed out habits Beckett was not aware of, then began to mimic her posture and gestures, and Beckett was grudgingly holding on to her self-control. However, when Natalie's immersion in the character involved taking Beckett's coffee out of Castle's hand, it passed annoying. And when, while dressed as a Beckett clone, she asked for Beckett's permission to sleep with Castle for character research on the passion between Nikki and Jameson Rook, it was the last straw.

Beckett excused herself without comment, went and found Castle in the break room, threw her arms around him, and told him what happened.

"Just hold me for a few seconds," she whimpered, obviously at the end of her very frayed and increasingly short rope.

"We're at the precinct," he pointed out as he followed her directions to the letter anyway.

She took a few deep breaths, clinging to him before she pushed away, seeming calmer. "That woman is infuriating."

"She's trying to do a good job of playing the character."

"I know, and she probably will; but I don't have to enjoy feeling like a bug under a microscope…or watching her try to seduce my husband."

"Come on. It's getting late. Close up here for the night, and let's go home where there's no trace of Natalie Rhodes."

"You're gonna need a shower before that happens. I can smell her perfume on you."

"First thing I do, I promise. Will you help me wash it off?"

There was a tiny upturn at the corners of her lips when she answered flirtatiously, "Maybe." Then she went back, put things away, picked up her purse, and turned to Natalie saying, "No. You can't. We're going home now. Take me home, Rick."

As it turned out, Natalie Rhodes made some significant contributions to the case, and she and Beckett parted on good terms; but the entire team was ready to see her go, even Ryan. One Beckett was enough.

Immediately after Natalie's departure, Jenny came to apologize to Ryan for their misunderstanding, and Ryan took advantage of the cease of hostilities to propose to her in front of the entire homicide floor.

As the homicide detectives swarmed around the couple to offer congratulations, Ryan confided to Castle that the winnings from his bachelor party poker game and the bet at the wedding would make the next payment on the ring and take Jenny out for a nice, celebratory dinner.

So their team now consisted of a married couple, an engaged man, and whatever Esposito and Lanie were. Truth be told, they weren't certain that even Lanie and Esposito knew exactly what Lanie and Esposito were; but whatever it was, they seemed to be happy with it at the moment.

xxxxx

Toward the end of January, Beckett received a phone call out of the blue, from retired Detective John Raglan, who had led the investigation of her mother's murder.

After introducing himself, he launched into his reason for calling. "We need to talk…about your mother's case. There's something you don't know." He told her where to meet him and warned her not to bring cops.

She took Castle with her to meet him at a coffee shop and introduced him to her husband. By the time Raglan finally seemed to be getting to his point, his conversation had including the fact that he was dying.

"I hid a lot of sins behind my badge, and now I gotta carry it," he told them. In response to Beckett's accusation that he hadn't done his job well, he said, "I did what I was told. And I kept quiet because I was afraid."

Just as he admitted that he was involved in something that caused her mother's murder, a sniper's bullet shattered the window next to them, and Raglan was dead.

As they investigated Raglan's murder, the team dug up an old story of dirty cops, the accidental shooting of an undercover FBI agent, Johanna Beckett's involvement in the defense of the man accused of the murder, and the subsequent blackmail of the dirty cops by an even dirtier unidentified person of power.

Raglan's old friend, Gary McAllister, pointed the team to drugs and Vulcan Simmons; which led them nowhere useful. But Pulgatti, the man Johanna Beckett was defending had new information for them.

When the confrontation with the hired killer, Hal Lockwood, was over, and Ryan and Esposito were rescued from Lockwood and his thugs, the medics checked them over and treated their injuries.

Beckett went to the other ambulance where Castle was trying to rewrap the bandage on his hand.

"Hey there, Chuck Norris," she said as she climbed in to sit across from him. "How's the hand?"

"Excruciating. How's Ryan and Esposito?"

As she took charge of the bandage, readjusting it carefully, she let him know she had checked and they would be okay. "Thank you…for having my back in there."

"Always."

"You KO'd a professional killer."

"You would have done the same for me."

"I would probably have shot him," she pointed out.

"Well, you can go after them with guns blazing. I only had my blazing fist," he said ruefully, holding it up. "Although it did feel satisfying while it was happening. He tried to hurt my wife."

"Just remember how much it hurts before you consider doing it again."

"It was worth it."

"Let's get you a cold pack for it before I take you home."

"Yeah. Cold enough to be numb would be good right now."

A paramedic brought the requested ice pack, and Beckett took her husband to the car.

"Take me with you to the precinct. Let's see what you can get out of Lockwood before we go home."

"But…"

"The hand is going to hurt wherever I am. I might as well satisfy my curiosity."

"And you don't want me to be alone if it's another dead end?"

"Is that so bad?"

"No. It's really sweet." She leaned over and kissed him. "Precinct it is."

Castle waited in the observation room as Lockwood refused to answer anything, and finally a frustrated Beckett had Lockwood taken to a cell; then she sat in the interrogation room for a couple of minutes to pull herself together. Giving her a little time alone, Castle waited for her at her desk.

When she returned, she asked, "You heard?"

"I heard him give you a lot of nothing. I'm sorry."

"I didn't really expect to get anything out of him…but I couldn't help holding on to a sliver of hope." She then took Castle's ice pack to the break room, dumped it, and got fresh ice for his hand.

"We still have your apartment. Want to spend the night there…not have to talk to anybody yet? I'll call and check in, but I think Mother will be at the loft tonight. Alexis won't be alone."

"That would be nice."

"Truth be told, I'd rather not have to explain the hand yet, either."

"Go ahead and call. I can feel guilty about keeping you from your daughter while I feel frustrated about Lockwood; but if Alexis will be alone, we're going home." She turned off her computer, picked up her things, and said, "Come on. Let's go unwind."

xxxxx

As they sat on Beckett's couch sipping wine and waiting for take-out, Castle suggested, "We could add to your murder board in the window…while it's fresh in our minds. You did come out of this case with some new information. Maybe recording it would ease some of the frustration of not getting the rest."

"Yeah. We could do that."

"So what did we learn?" he prodded.

"Raglan did something that connected him to my mother's death. McCallister was part of it, and there was a third, unidentified cop in it with them." She got up and found a legal pad and a pen and started writing.

"Whatever it was, it started about seven years before your mom was killed."

"Coonan was responsible for three other deaths, besides my mother's, but we know he was hired to do it. So, whoever it is these men are afraid of must have had some influence then, too. Raglan said he kept quiet out of fear."

"We know Lockwood told the boys that he needed to know what they knew about him…and his employer. So it's obvious that he was hired to kill Raglan.

"And we know that whoever the employer is doesn't mind resorting to torture and murder. If the same person was ordering murders that long ago, that would explain Raglan's fear."

"We know your mother must have come too close to the truth while she was preparing Pulgatti's case. What did she find out?

"When she took those pictures of the empty alley, she must have been documenting that Armen's murderer had to have been one of the cops involved in the kidnapping…maybe had been trying to identify them. They were the only ones who knew Pulgatti was in that blind alley. And Vulcan Simmons knew who she was. I still think he's mixed up in this somewhere, maybe working with whoever it is we can't identify."

"McCallister said the person we're looking for is somebody we'll never touch. What does that tell us?" Castle asked.

"It must be somebody who has a lot to lose, somebody important, maybe; and McCallister thinks we got his attention."

"More specifically, _you_ got his attention, Kate. A hired killer had surveillance pictures of you. I'm worried. Promise me you'll be careful, that you'll be smart about this."

She stood and started pacing. "I can't give up, Castle. I can't. I'm going to keep asking Lockwood questions. He's my only connection to whoever hired him."

Castle recognized the determination on her face and decided to get whatever small concessions he could for the time being. "At least stop actively working on the case. You could visit him now and then and ask, but you know he won't answer. You'll just make yourself more obvious. We can add to your murder board when we get a hint of something new, but please don't put yourself out there like a target."

"I can't just do nothing. I've needed to know for so long. And every time I think I'm getting close, something stops me."

"It's usually another murder. And I'm scared to death that if you push this too hard, the next thing that will stop you will be a bullet."

The take-out delivery arrived then; and, at least for the moment, they mutually dropped the subject of Kate's being too obvious to he-who-cannot-be-identified."

As they talked about other moments in the day's events, Beckett mentioned Roy Montgomery. "I can't believe he took me off the case. And he tells us to "get the bastard" on one hand, but when we come back with new information from Pulgatti, he jumps down our throats again."

"Now that I know what I do, I can understand why he'd worry about your response to getting back to your mother's murder."

"Maybe, but I can't believe he got on my case about not taking backup to talk to a retired police detective. I was trying to decide how to point that out when Ryan and Esposito stepped in, but Roy didn't look like he was in the mood to answer any questions."

"That does seem odd, but everything about this case has had an odd flavor to it."

"Yeah. Well, at least we got Raglan's killer behind bars…another hitman off the streets. And we got some new information, too."

"Do you think you can sleep tonight?"

"I don't know. Let's take a shower and see. I have some fresh gauze for your hand in the vanity." They both stood, and she observed, "I like take-out. You can just throw away the dishes."

Castle chuckled as they both dropped "the dishes" into the garbage. "I knew there had to be a reason for so much of it."

"Into the shower, Writer-Man. You won't even have to use your hand. I'll undress you and wield the washcloth," she said with a Castle-like wiggle of the eyebrows.

"I like being married to you," he answered, following her to the shower, still worried and in pain but looking forward to a temporary distraction.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Beckett, in spite of Castle's concern, made a weekly trek to the prison where Hal Lockwood was being held to ask the gunman who had hired him. After the discoveries made during the Raglan case, which had led them to Lockwood, she was drawn to her mother's case again; and Castle helped her work with what they had, while convincing her not to expand her more visible efforts beyond her visits to Lockwood. It caused some tension between them that was gradually building into occasional arguments. Since they had mutually decided not to make Martha and Alexis privy to their disagreement, they had their arguments behind closed doors; but now and then Martha or Alexis could hear heated discussions.

A new case came up later, looking like nothing more than the murder of a taxi driver but escalating to terrorism and a dirty bomb. By the time it ended, Castle and Beckett and their team at the twelfth, working with an agent from Homeland Security, had been responsible for saving the city from a dirty bomb; but the couple had lived through two more near death experiences as a result. Martha and Alexis weren't sure exactly what had happened, and because of the nature of the case, Castle and Beckett couldn't tell them; but both women could see that it must have been bad. It had taken a toll on both of their loved ones. The couple had sent Alexis and Martha to the Hamptons while the situation was in progress and asked Jim to go with them; so when they returned, Jim had seen the aftermath, too.

Kate backed away from her mother's case for a while after that, more aware of the importance of living her life and being thankful for what she still had. Castle felt the same way, with the additional feeling of relief that his wife wasn't so focused on her mother's killer. She became even more active in the family, spending more time with Martha and Alexis. She found herself thinking of Alexis more often now as _their_ daughter, and Castle encouraged it when he caught glimpses. When Alexis preferred to talk to her, Kate advised her, or sat with Castle when the teenager seemed to prefer both opinions. However, the detective steadfastly refused to give up her weekly visits to the prison.

One night, Alexis spoke to both of them about one of her friends trying to undermine their friendship as well as her relationship with Ashley…for no good reason that she could see. Getting advice from both perspectives and temporarily feeling a bit better, she hugged Kate before she went to bed.

"Thanks, Kate. It's nice to feel like I have two parents. I know you aren't my mom, but having you here is better. I can count on you. You don't disappear without warning, and you keep your promises…make me feel like I matter."

"Any time you need me," Kate assured her, holding her tight. "I like having you, too."

"See you tomorrow. 'Night, Dad."

"'Night, Honey." He turned to Kate with an easy soft, teasing smile and said softly, "I like having you, too. Some of the same reasons…plus the smoking hot sex."

"Way to ruin a moment, Rick." She turned toward him with a sheen of tears in her eyes. "I think I hate Meredith. A child shouldn't have to feel that she doesn't matter to her mother."

"Meredith is what matters to Meredith. It's who she is, and there's no help for it. She loves Alexis as much as she knows how to love anybody but herself, but it isn't enough. Alexis has you now, though, and she's seeing what it's like to have someone she can count on. I'll be forever in your debt for that."

"It's honestly my pleasure. No debt involved. I don't know what I'd do without all of you."

"And I don't want you to find out.

"Me, either."

xxxxx

Spring brought changes for the family. Alexis was suddenly much more aware that she would soon enter her last year of high school, and she was looking at colleges, bouncing ideas around with both Kate and her father.

Martha was using the money Chet had willed her when he died to fund her new acting school, and she was quite enthusiastic about it. It would take much more, but she was laying the groundwork. Castle initially wondered if the school was going to be a passing fancy; but time only seemed to increase his mother's intent to make it work, and he was proud of her.

The tension between Castle and Kate had settled, mounting briefly only after her visits with Lockwood and settling again in a day or so, but Alexis had noticed.

"Grams, is everything okay with Dad and Kate?"

Martha looked up from the script she was studying and answered, "As far as I know. Why?"

"It seems a little tense between them sometimes."

"Katherine has a stressful job, and your father is working with her a lot of the time. That leaves them together day and night sometimes, and that's bound to cause a little tension now and then."

"Maybe that's it."

"Don't let it worry you, Darling. I've never seen two people any more in love than those two."

"I hope I end up with somebody who loves me as much as Dad loves her."

"So do I, Dear. I just hope that when you find him he has a less dangerous job than hers."

Alexis smiled and kissed her grandmother's cheek. "Gotta do my homework," she said as she walked to the stairs.

xxxxx

Beckett kept her mind mostly on the cases at hand, but as the months passed, she began to sneak glances at her notes on the newest information on her mother's murder. At first she did it when Castle wasn't there, then she would ask him a question now and then, theorizing. He didn't mind talking, as long as that's all it was; but he started to worry again. He knew the siren call of working that case wasn't far away for her, and he dreaded the impetus that would set it off again…as well as the confrontation between the two of them that he knew was likely to follow.

That impetus came on her next visit to Lockwood. Hal Lockwood had somehow been released from administrative segregation into the general population at the prison, something that had to have been the responsibility of an insider. She and the guards reached Lockwood seconds after he had killed Gary McAllister, and it wasn't long before the entire team at the twelfth could see the feral look returning to her eyes.

Castle had a meeting that morning but was at the precinct when Kate returned with the news.

After expressing his own surprise at what had happened, he told Beckett, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" she asked with a steely calm that Castle found unsettling.

"He's cutting off all avenues of your investigation."

"Castle, he's not cutting them off. He's giving me new ones. I've been going to that prison every week for the last four months to have a staring contest with the devil…and the devil just blinked. It's exactly what I've been looking for."

Getting the news that the release document had been forged, Beckett began listing things for Ryan and Esposito check on. Then, as she grabbed her keys and kept moving, she told Castle, "See? Now we have a trail."

Following along as always, he asked, "So where are we going?"

"To Lockwood's arraignment. I want to see if we can rattle his cage."

"Lockwood doesn't seem like the rattling type."

"Not Lockwood. Whoever is holding his leash."

Castle's blood ran cold. She was talking about playing chicken with a man who was responsible for serial murders for hire over a period of nearly twenty years. They were sure of six. Heaven only knew how many they didn't know about.

To say that Lockwood's arraignment didn't go as planned would be a spectacular understatement. Three fake cops threw a flash bang to wreak havoc in the courtroom and hustled Lockwood out during the commotion. Beckett chased them to the roof only to see them flying off in a helicopter. And Lockwood was in the wind again. All she could do was empty her gun at the helicopter…and watch as it disappeared with her prey.

Ryan found, through recorded phone calls from the prison, that Lockwood had placed weekly, collect calls to the same burner phone. He reported that all of them had gone unaccepted…until four days ago. Through Esposito's past connection with the military, they realized the brief, recent conversation meant "Continue mission."

When asked what mission and who was left, Beckett answered, "Me."

Castle suggested that the third cop, the one they hadn't identified, must be the next target, that they were tying up another loose end.

"Put a detail on her," Montgomery told the boys when Beckett walked away to take a phone call. He then ordered them to take Lockwood down if they saw him.

His theory of the third cop being the next target made Castle feel better for a while. But when they were at the hangar after the helicopter was found and Beckett vaguely hinted at another possibility, and seemed distant and distracted, evasive, he suspected he was wrong. She either knew or suspected what she was getting into.

At closing time, Beckett insisted on staying at the precinct, in spite of Castle's protests that she needed some rest. Once he was at home, Alexis caught him going through Johanna Beckett's case file and stopped to talk, sympathizing with Beckett's situation...solving murders for other families while not being able to solve her mother's. Not long after that, Jim Beckett was at his door.

"Jim. Come on in."

"Can we talk for a minute…about my daughter? I won't keep you long."

It seems Beckett had talked to her father about the new developments, and Jim had done some reading between the lines. After a short conversation, he got to the point.

"This man she's chasing…how dangerous is he?"

"He's a trained killer."

"What happens after she finds him?" There was a look of pain in his eyes when he told Castle, "I've already lost my wife to this. I've made my peace with that. But Katie? She won't listen to me, and she won't back down. Not unless somebody can convince her that her life is worth more than her mother's death." Standing and looking almost apologetic at the request, he said, "I know she loves you, Rick, and I know you love her. Don't let her throw her life away."

That doubled the responsibility Castle already felt as her husband to get Kate to at least take a step back and think about consequences. He waited up for her, even though she got home pretty late. Meeting her at the door with a gentle kiss, he offered to get her something to eat.

"No thanks," she answered, leaning into his embrace.

He held her for a long moment before he ventured, "Can we talk?"

"Not now, Castle. Can we talk in the morning? I need a shower and some sleep. I'm exhausted."

He could tell that she was, so he asked, "Promise?"

"Yeah. We can talk tomorrow."

The following morning, Castle went to get his coffee and found his daughter in the kitchen.

"Where's Kate?" Alexis asked.

"She left a note saying she was going in early this morning. She's really focused on this case. It's related to her mother's."

"That's why you were looking at it last night?"

"Yeah. Trying to see something new…something that might help."

Hesitating before saying anything, she finally asked, "Are you and Kate having problems? I've noticed some arguments lately."

"Kate and I are fine. We disagree on something, and that's the source of the arguments. We're still in love. Go to school and don't worry about us," he assured her.

She breathed a sigh of relief and picked up her books. "Bye, Dad. See you tonight."

Arriving at the precinct with coffee, Castle made a beeline to Beckett's desk. "Kate, we really need to talk."

She took her coffee from his hand just as, to Castle's chagrin, Ryan interrupted with news that Riker, one of the prison guards, had forged the document that was used to move Lockwood into the prison's general population.

When they checked his apartment, they found that Riker was dead, and that he had made several calls to the same burner phone Lockwood had called – establishing a connection between the three. Financials showed that the $50,000 wire transfer that Riker had received had reached his account by way of the Dubai branch of a Swiss bank, with a side trip through the United Arab Emirates.

"Who the hell are these guys?" Castle asked.

"Whoever they are, they've been two steps ahead of us this whole time, Beckett answered.

"You don't go through this kind of trouble to cover up a couple of rogue cops kidnapping mobsters in some back alley."

"No. This is about something else, something bigger."

At the precinct later, every lead they had ended with nothing more to go on. Beckett's small, frustrated rant ended with, "Everywhere I look, it's just a bunch of dead ends."

After bouncing ideas around, they did make one new discovery that added to the idea of someone in authority being in charge. Castle floated the idea that the third cop was the next target and probably in charge of Lockwood's involvement. Beckett ran with that idea, and gave Ryan and Esposito harsh orders to go over material they had already checked thoroughly…and she had angry responses to their protests and attempts at reason. She was losing her grip. They could all see it.

Castle tried again to talk to her, but to no avail; so he joined Ryan and Esposito in the records hunt she had ordered.

Esposito asked Castle, "How is she?"

"She hasn't returned my calls. She just grabbed those case files and ran out of here.

"Are you going after her?"

"Not yet. I can see where this is going, and it's going to turn into an argument, probably a big one. I'll give her some space for a little while."

She's getting lost. She's an inch away from the rabbit hole," Esposito ventured.

"Not surprised."

"Man, I don't envy you that conversation," Ryan sympathized.

Castle, Esposito and Ryan went through records and found that a name on three arrest reports had been altered, so they called Montgomery in to show him.

While the boys were checking into who was manning the records desk at that time, Castle asked Montgomery, "Continue mission? Who's the mission?"

"I put a protective detail on her," the captain told him. "Plain clothes. These guys are good."

"Good enough to stop Lockwood? She's not going to stop; and the next time he sees her, one of them is going to die. Take her off the case."

The captain gave Castle some background on how he met Beckett and why he had wanted her in homicide, ending with, "I cannot make Beckett stand down, Castle. I never could. And the way I figure, the only one who can is you."

Castle was left in the room feeling even more pressure than he did after talking to Beckett's father the night before. He picked up his phone and sent her a text."

" _Are you ok?"_

A couple of minutes later it was answered.

" _I'm fine. Just needed some space for a little while."_

" _At the apartment?"_

" _You know me well."_

" _Have I given you enough space that you'll come home now? I'll order Chinese."_

" _Be there in twenty."_

" _I love you."_

" _I love you, too."_

When Kate arrived, everyone was home, and they had dinner together. They made an effort at conversation, but the tension between Castle and Kate was obvious; and Martha and Alexis made themselves scarce as soon as they finished the meal.

When they were alone, Castle told his wife, "You're avoiding me, but we need to talk."

"Why, Castle?" she asked angrily. "So you can tell me what to do? You're my husband, not my keeper."

"I don't want to be your keeper. But I do want to continue to enjoy being your husband, and it's going to be hard to do that if you're dead."

"You don't know that will happen."

"But we both know he's likely to try. Do you think your mother would want you to die trying to find her killer?"

"Don't you dare use my mother as an argument," she shouted.

"Let's take this where we don't involve the whole family," he said, taking her arm and turning toward his office.

She snatched her arm away and stormed into the office. Castle closed the door behind them, walked through to the bedroom, and turned to wait for her; so she stalked in and slammed the door behind her.

Castle took a deep breath, trying to hold on to a sound of calm, common sense, even though he wanted to strike out like his wife.

"Beckett, everyone associated with this case is dead. Everyone. First your mom and her colleagues, then Raglan, then McAllister. Even Riker. Anybody who knows too much. You know they're coming for you next." He countered her argument about the protective detail saying it wasn't a match for professional killers. "I've been working with you for three years…you know me. I'm the guy who says we can move that rubber tree plant, but you know what, Beckett? I don't think we're gonna win this one."

"Castle, they killed my mother. What do you want me to do here?

"Walk away. They're gonna kill you, Kate. And if you don't care about that, at least think about how that's going to affect the people that love you. Do you really want to put your dad through that? And what about me…and Alexis and my mother. How do we live with losing you? I don't want to see you throw your life away."

Their voices were steadily getting louder and angrier.

"Yeah, well last time I checked it was my life, not your personal jungle gym."

"I don't deserve that. You know I don't deserve that. I don't try to control you. I'm just asking you to step back and think about what you're doing. You're on the edge…not seeing things clearly."

"I see plenty clearly. If we don't move on this, we lose momentum. This case is connected to why I became a cop."

His control finally shattered, and the volume of his voice escalated quickly as he answered her. "And why is that? To die trying to catch your mother's murderer before we have enough information to find him? What the hell would that accomplish? You still wouldn't have your answers, and your father wouldn't have anybody left except the rest of us who would be without you." He looked away briefly and calmed for a moment. "I'd like to think I'd never do to my child what he did to you; but I've got to tell you, when I found out you were going away with Demming and I'd probably lost my last chance with you…" He paused and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I came home, talked to my daughter, called Gina about the book… But even knowing I'd have company for the weekend, I still closed myself in my room with a brand new bottle of scotch and drank myself into oblivion so I could sleep." As his anger returned, the volume of his voice was building again. "I don't know what I'd do if I had to face the rest of my life without you now. And I don't want to have to save your father from drowning in a bottle again. Do you want to hurt my mother? Do you want Lanie to have to see you on a slab in the morgue? Do you want me to have to see you with a fatal bullet wound or with a knife in you…like the pictures of your mother?"

"Castle! Stop it!" she screamed, turning away. "Stop!"

He was shouting, too, by then. "Do you want Ryan and Esposito and Montgomery to try not to shed tears when they have to carry your casket? Do you want to leave Alexis behind to go through the same thing you did when you were that age? She loves you, Kate, she depends on you, and she's younger than you were. Would you want her to fall into the same kind of rabbit hole you're in right now…and walk right into a sniper's bullet to catch your killer?" At an absolute bellow, he closed with, "Would that be enough for you?"

"That's a low blow, Castle," she snapped back, looking absolutely livid.

"Then, for God's sake, stop and think."

She snatched the bedroom door open and moved through the study and into loft, shouting over her shoulder, "I can't stay here right now. I can't even look at you!"

Castle walked angrily into his study, shakily poured himself a drink, drained it in one long gulp, growled loudly, and threw the glass at the framed _Heat Wave_ poster in his office. The sound of the slamming front door and the breaking glass resounded through the loft; and Martha and Alexis, who were already at the top of the stairs, well aware of the argument, rapidly came down and into the study. Alexis had tears streaking her face, and she flung herself into her father's arms.

"What the hell is going on here?" Martha asked, looking shocked.

"I'm sorry." He added absently, "Stay away from the glass."

"Is Kate leaving us? Are you getting a divorce?" Alexis sobbed into his chest.

"Divorce? No. It was an argument. There's no divorce."

"Well thank goodness for that," Martha answered. "Are you going to tell us what happened?"

"Sit down. You both have a right to know." He sat in a large arm chair, with Martha in the one facing him, and cuddled his tearful daughter in his lap the way he did when she was small. "The case we've been working on is related to her mother's murder, and she's wanted to solve that for so long…" He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, trying to stay in control for Alexis. "When she sees any kind of progress, she…she kind of goes off the rails…forgets that everybody connected to the case has been killed. We have a huge difference of opinion about that. She thinks I'm too worried about it, and I think she isn't worried enough. We argued our points, and I said some harsh things that she didn't want to hear but needed to think about. Her self-defense mechanism in these situations has always been to lash out and then run in the opposite direction. That hasn't happened in a long time, but we haven't had to face her mother's murder case in a long time, either. Right now, she needs her own space to think…pull all the pieces back into some kind of order. That's where we are right now." He kissed Alexis on her head and assured her, "She'll be back. Maybe not tonight, but she'll be back. We still own her old apartment, and she may stay there long enough to cool off so we can talk more calmly. We still love each other, Honey. I'm just afraid for her. I might be shouting at you or Mother if I saw you doing the same thing, and you know I love both of you, right?"

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure. Now go back to bed and try to get some sleep. You have school tomorrow. And I'm sorry we made such a fuss that it worried you. She loves all of us. You know that, don't you?"

Alexis nodded and sniffled, and he kissed her head again. She kissed his cheek and went back upstairs; and after they heard her door close, Martha moved forward in her chair and asked quietly, "So how bad is it? The real story?"

"It's bad. There's a hired killer who broke out of prison. He's killed three people that we know of in the last four months, all related to Johanna Beckett's murder; and it's likely that he's going to come after Kate. She wants answers badly enough that she's willing to take too many chances; and when she's like this, she seems to think she's bulletproof. Her father stopped by last night to ask me to find a way to stop her. Captain Montgomery told me I was the only one who could, but I don't know if I accomplished anything at all. Mother, if anything happened to her… "

He stopped then, shedding his own tears, and Martha moved to sit on the arm of his chair to hold her son.

xxxxx

Beckett went to her apartment and paced back and forth in anger for a while, talking to herself and picking up things she could slam down on tables or the kitchen counter. Then she cried for a while. Making a conscious effort to pull herself together, she did some deep breathing, waited until her face wasn't so red or her eyes so puffy and went back to the precinct.

The captain was still there, just leaving for home. They had talked briefly, and trying to reach her reasonable side, he told her, "We speak for the dead. That's the job. We are all they've got once the wicked rob them of their voices. We owe them that…but we don't owe them our lives"

"Castle said that we can't win this."

"He's right. I've spent most of my life walking behind this badge, and I can tell you this for a fact. There are no victories, there's only the battle. And the best you can hope for is that you find some place where you can make your stand. If this is your spot, I will stand with you."

Kate nodded, and they both left soon after their conversation.

xxxxx

Beckett left the precinct, but Kate entered the door of the loft. Castle heard the front door open and went to meet her, arms open. A sleepless Alexis heard it, too, and slipped quietly to the top of the stairs to see what would happen.

Kate went straight into his arms, and he kissed her as if it might be his last chance…Kate returning it eagerly. They held each other as tightly as they could, silent for the moment, savoring the return to the loving husband and wife that they were.

Alexis was uncomfortable watching the intensity of the kiss, but she needed the reassurance of seeing that her father was being honest with her. As they held each other, she quietly went back to bed; and this time she slept.

"Can we talk about it tomorrow?" Kate asked.

"Yeah. Just come to bed with me. I need you close."

"I need you, too."

They walked together to their room, closing the door behind them…gently this time, the way they made love.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

While Kate was at home making up with her husband, Hal Lockwood was paying Roy Montgomery a late night visit. He gave Roy instructions that the next night, he was to call off Beckett's protective detail and have her meet him at the hangar where they left the helicopter…and then he was to leave Beckett to them. When Roy was resistant, Lockwood told him he could have Beckett or his family, but he couldn't have both. Then he gave Roy a meeting time and left quietly.

The following morning, Roy Montgomery had a plan of action. He saw his family off to work and school, letting them know he loved them, then went and packaged a set of files for mailing and loaded his gun before going to work himself.

xxxxx

On the same morning in the Castle home, Kate was making coffee when Alexis came down to have breakfast, and Alexis got straight to what was on her mind.

"You left last night," she said with an accusing tone.

"I'm sorry I worried you." Taking her in her arms, Kate told her, "I promised you I would be here for you as long as I live, and I will. For your father and grandmother, too. I will not voluntarily leave this family. No divorce, understand?"

"Is somebody trying to kill you?"

Pulling back, she stroked one hand soothingly on Alexis's upper arm. "I said I'd tell you the truth, too. We're not sure of his exact target, but it's possible. We're trying to find him before he can do that…to me or anybody else."

"Please be careful, Kate. I don't want you to die. We need you." Then she looked down and back up at Kate again and asked hesitantly, "Will he try to kill my dad, too?"

"I don't know why, but he doesn't seem to be interested in your dad. I'm sorry I brought this kind of worry into your home. If I had known last year what this case has uncovered this week, I probably wouldn't be here. I love all of you too much, and I hate that I've exposed you to it. You shouldn't have to worry about things like this at your age."

Alexis put her arms around Kate again, holding her tighter this time. "I don't want to think about the past year without you. I don't want to think of any of my life without you."

"Then I'll do my best to see that you don't have to. But this is a dangerous man, and it's my job. We need to get him back in prison…the sooner, the better." She held her stepdaughter for another long moment and then encouraged her to help make breakfast before school.

They were starting the meal when Castle came in, already dressed for the precinct, wrapped them both in his arms and kissed each of them on the head. In a few minutes, Martha joined them, asking, "Do I smell coffee…oh, and is that sausage? Special occasion?"

"Call it an apology to you and Alexis," Kate told her. "I'm sorry about last night."

"Just be safe, Darling. We all want you around for a long time."

"Why don't you dress for school, Pumpkin? I'll help Kate finish here, and you can set the table when you come back."

Alexis reluctantly turned and went back to her room.

When they heard her door close, Martha brazenly asked her son and his wife, "So, was the make-up sex as stupendous as the argument?" Hearing a simultaneous, "Martha!" and "Mother!" she said with a smug smile, "No need to answer. That blush tells it all." She was pointing at Kate.

Castle put an arm around his wife, and she buried her face, as well as her smile at the memory, against his shoulder for a moment before they finished their tasks and Alexis was back to set the table.

They saw to it that Alexis had a good dose of their normal, loving responses to one another before she left for school. The specter of a man with a gun possibly going after her stepmother was certainly enough of a burden. There was no need to have her worrying about a divorce as well. In a brief family meeting, Martha and Alexis were told that there was no reason for either of them to expect problems, but they were asked to be more careful of strangers or disruptions to routine.

Castle closed with, "I'll take you to school this morning, Honey, and I'll pick you up this afternoon. Until this man is in custody again, I want to be cautious. I've arranged for security, and I'll talk to the doorman before I leave.

"Richard, do you think all that is necessary?"

"Maybe not, but I'm not leaving it to chance."

"We love you, too, Darling," Martha told him indulgently, standing and kissing the top of his head before going back to her room.

"Are you ready to go, Pumpkin? We'll drop you off on our way."

"I thought I was, but I left my math book upstairs. Be right back."

While Alexis retrieved her book, Castle and his wife stood to wait for her to come back; and he asked, "Are we okay, Kate?"

"We're okay. You laid some heavy thoughts on me last night, but you were right. I needed to think them through. We have to keep working the to get Lockwood off the street, though. Neither he nor his employer seem to have a conscience, and we can't just leave him out there."

"That still leaves you in the crosshairs."

"That's why I want you to stay home today. If I do end up in the crosshairs, I don't want you close enough to be there with me. Your daughter needs you. I've accepted the truth that she needs me now, too…that I can't operate the way I used to; and I expect you to accept that she needs you even more. Just give me today without having to worry about that…please. It should make it easier for me to stay in some kind of control. I promise I'll stay at the precinct…off the street as much as possible. I'll even order lunch there if it would make you feel better."

"It would. Don't expect not to hear from me, though."

"Thank you for trusting me, in spite of myself."

"That isn't as easy as usual right now, Kate. I love you so much, and I'm afraid for you."

"Just today, Rick…to get myself together without worrying about you. You were right. We can't get whoever this dragon is yet. I'll settle for getting Lockwood back behind bars for now. We need to do that. Then I'll back off until something new comes up, and then I'll be smarter about it. And if I start losing it, you can tear into me again."

"I'll still worry, but I'll look forward to seeing him back in prison. Then I'll feel like I can breathe again."

"Me, too. I love you, and I promise to be careful…and sensible." As Alexis came back down the stairs, Kate whispered, with a flirty little twinkle in her eye, "And the make-up sex really was stupendous."

"Yeah, it was," he agreed with a grin. "Be careful."

"I will. See you later. Bye, Alexis." She kissed him, he pulled her back for one more, and then she left.

After Castle took Alexis to school and spoke to the staff to be sure they knew there was a possible security issue, he was at loose ends. He took Beckett lunch, just to assure himself she was okay, and picked his daughter up from school, stopping to get ice cream on the way home. He suspected that, with all the concern and uncertainty, comfort food might come in handy later. And he checked in with Beckett often enough she had to start ignoring his calls in order to get her work done.

It was a quiet day. They had no new leads; and as well as a lot of worry, Lockwood had generated a lot of paperwork. Around dusk, Ryan and Esposito got a phone call that gave them a lead on the retired records cop. Having noticed that Beckett seemed more in control that day, they decided to check on it before telling her anything that might set her off again. They arrived at the man's bar just after dark and were devastated to find that Montgomery was their third cop, and that they no longer knew what to expect from him. The dark alley they were in as they forced themselves to come to terms with it was an appropriately dismal place for dealing with such a revelation.

Not too long after Ryan and Esposito left, Beckett received a call from Montgomery saying they had a lead and asking her to meet him at the hangar in New Jersey. She sent Castle a quick message, but Castle was almost there by then. Roy Montgomery had called him, too. It was already dark when he arrived, and Castle pulled his SUV near the back door of the hangar…out of sight, as Montgomery had requested.

"You said you needed me to meet you and Beckett here. Where is she?" Castle asked when he arrived and only saw Montgomery.

"She's on her way. When I call you, I need you to come in and get her out of here any way you have to. If this goes the way I intend, Lockwood won't be a threat to her anymore."

"What's going on? This doesn't feel right."

"I made some mistakes when I was a lot younger, listened to the wrong people, made some bad decisions; and I'm trying to clean up some of the mess I left behind. Lockwood came by the house last night…talked to me about my family while he was holding the teddy bear one of my girls sleeps with. He had been in her room, Castle. He's a cold, heartless SOB; and, among other things, he told me I could have Beckett or my family, but I couldn't have both. Tonight is about trying to be sure he's wrong. None of them should have to suffer for my mistakes."

"What mistakes, Roy? You're not making sense."

"The short story is that I had a deal with him. Beckett was safe as long as I kept her away from her mother's case; but then we caught Lockwood, and she made herself obvious again…pushing...seeing him every week. When they got him out of prison, I couldn't rein her in. She was doing exactly what makes her such a good detective, and he knew. And I realized it was finally time for me to face it all. It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"You had a deal with him? Are you a part of this?" Then Castle had a revelation, and with a disheartened look, he said, "You were the third cop."

Montgomery nodded sadly. "Before I met Beckett, they threatened my family if I didn't keep quiet…then they threatened Beckett. Her mother was already dead because of what we set in motion. I couldn't let him have her, too. As long as I live, my family will be used as blackmail...in danger because of me. If it weren't for them, I'd have turned the guy in back then and let them kill me. Otherwise I've been a good cop. Try to believe that. I'll tell Beckett the whole story if there's time. I just need to know that you'll get her out of here before they see her. Stay out of sight. Give me time to talk to her; but when I call you, come right then and get her out. I know what I'm doing, Castle; and it's for the best."

"This plan of yours, how can I help?"

"By doing exactly what I told you. I don't want Lockwood to know either of you are here. Understand? That's how it has to be."

"I don't like the sound of this."

"Well, if you like the sound of keeping your wife alive, do what I told you," he snapped, again assuming the reins of command.

"Got it."

They paced around each other uncomfortably until they heard a car approaching. When he was sure it was Beckett, Montgomery sent Castle out to wait at the door until he was called…said the element of surprise might make it easier to deal with Beckett.

From behind the door, he heard Beckett call for the captain, and could tell from her response when Roy appeared from the shadows.

Beckett received a text from Ryan and Esposito only moments after entering the hangar, one that identified Montgomery as the third cop. She asked Roy to drop the gun, but he was having none of it, entertaining no intention of allowing his family to see him go to jail. He explained the situation with Pulgatti and the FBI agent, and admitted that her mother's death happened because of what he and the other two did that night…told her about the man who hired Lockwood blackmailing the three of them, demanding the ransom money, and using it to build his power.

"Give me a name. You owe me that, Roy."

"No, Kate. I know you. I give you a name, you'll run straight at him. I might as well shoot you where you stand."

In their next exchange of words, Beckett realized that the captain intended to face more than Lockwood…alone. He was there on a suicide mission. She told him she forgave him, begged him not to go through with it. Castle was called in; and in spite of his own misgivings, he did what he promised Roy he would do. He wrapped his arms firmly around Beckett and took her, literally kicking and screaming, out the back door of the hangar. Then he held her against the SUV, keeping her quiet until the gunshots ended and she broke away to run back in and fall to her knees, sobbing over the lifeless body of her long-time friend. The bodies of Lockwood and the others were scattered around them.

The New Jersey police were called, and were given a story that didn't stray too far from the surface truth, a story Castle and Beckett had agreed on before those detectives arrived. They were backed up by the brief, not fully explained messages from Montgomery on their cell phones. Then they took on the unenviable task of telling Evelyn Montgomery. Afterward, meeting with Ryan and Esposito in the seclusion of Kate's apartment afterward, the team agreed to allow Roy to be remembered as a hero. By the time they got home to the loft, Castle and Beckett were both emotional wrecks.

Alexis, who was on her way to bed took one look at them and knew something was terribly wrong.

"Dad? What is it? Is everybody okay?"

"We're fine, Honey."

Martha was on her way downstairs at the time, and feeling the same concern Alexis did, she asked, "Richard?"

"Roy Montgomery was killed tonight. He took Lockwood and three of his cronies down with him. We let Ryan and Esposito know, and we've just been to see Roy's wife…to tell her."

"You poor dears," Martha sympathized. "Sit down. Let me pour you some wine."

"I think I want something a little stiffer," he answered.

"What happened?"

"Can we talk about it tomorrow, Mother? Right now, it's…"

"Of course, Darlings. Just get some rest. I'm sure you need it by now."

Alexis started to say something, hesitated, then blurted out, "I know it's a bad time to ask, but does this mean Kate is safe?"

"We think so."

She hugged Kate and said, "I'm sorry about Captain Montgomery. I know he was your friend…but I can't help being glad you're okay."

Kate's tears started falling again as she hugged her stepdaughter; and Castle put his arm around his daughter's shoulders, telling her Kate needed some time to deal with everything that happened. Alexis understood.

"If Grams and I can do anything that would help, Let us know."

Kate just nodded appreciatively and pulled away, too emotional to speak, and anxious to get to their bedroom and close the door.

Castle put his arm around her waist and guided her into the study, closing the door behind them. While she went to their room and removed her jacket and shoes, he poured them glasses of his best scotch and joined her.

"What do you need from me?" he asked. "I can listen, help you with a shower, hold you,..or go away and let you have some time for yourself. Whatever you need."

"You. I need you," she answered through her tears. "And a shower. I need to wash it away…and I don't want to be alone."

They stood in the streaming water, and he held her as she mourned her captain and mentor…and yet another devastating betrayal of her trust.

"Is there anybody I can believe in?" she sobbed. "He knew, Rick. All these years, he knew who killed Mom; and even tonight, he wouldn't tell me."

"You can believe in me, Kate. Always. I promised you I'll never lie to you…or hide anything from you, no matter how much I might be tempted; and I intend to keep that promise."

"He was like a father figure when I needed one...someone in authority taking an interest. He was a mentor. But he made a deal with this man. He was protecting him. Then tonight he was protecting me from him. And now he's gone…and I don't know how I'm supposed to feel." A sorrowful growl echoed through the large shower stall, and Castle held her tighter as the water sluiced over them, washing away the remnants of the hangar and hiding most of the sounds of her sorrow from the others in the household.

"He was saving more than you, Kate. He said Lockwood gave him a choice…you or his family, and he wasn't going to allow any of you suffer for his sins. He did it for all of you."

They finished their shower, and he took her to bed and held her close through the night.

xxxxx

The next day, the precinct was a somber place. Beckett's team went in early and took down the murder board and boxed it before others started asking too many questions. It would end up in records storage where it could easily disappear if someone were given the right incentive, so they quietly made copies of everything they had found. They had no idea who to trust.

Evelyn asked that the team, including Castle, serve as pall bearers; so Beckett asked for other volunteers for that job and appointed two more from the many possibilities. She saw that the wheels were set in motion to arrange a funeral with full honors and to arrange for a skeleton crew to man the precinct while the majority of its staff attended the funeral the following afternoon. Necessary work that day was accomplished in an atmosphere of grief.

When they left that afternoon, Castle and Beckett stopped at her apartment to pick up her dress uniform and took it to be pressed. Afterward, they spent time with their family, then went to bed and made love before they both fell into a deep sleep fueled by both physical and emotional exhaustion.

Beckett was also asked to give the eulogy at the captain's funeral two days later, and she asked Castle to stand with her as she did. As they stood before the crowd assembled for the funeral, he noticed a glint from a row of tombstones a number of rows away; and a split second too late, Castle realized the glint he saw in the distance was a sniper's rifle. Almost simultaneously, there was a shot, and he shouted his wife's name and pushed her to the ground to get her out of the line of fire…too late. She had already been hit.

There were sounds of confused, frightened mourners and Ryan's voice above the fray shouting, "Beckett's down. Beckett's down."

Castle lifted himself away from her, only to find blood on her uniform. He held the back of her neck, supporting her head, begging her, "Stay with me, Kate. Don't leave me, please. Stay with me, okay? I love you, Kate." Then her eyes closed and she went limp in his arms…and he thought he might be in danger of dying, too.

Lanie was there in less than a minute, pushing Castle out of the way to assess her friend's injuries, barking orders for him to follow until the medics arrived.

Not that they didn't normally respond quickly, but word of a police detective being shot while giving the eulogy at the funeral of a police captain, who himself had been killed attempting to arrest a known assassin added a sympathetic fire to the response from a nearby station. Beckett was in the ambulance as quickly as possible, Castle and Lanie riding with her.

On reaching the hospital, Lanie was still on the gurney where she worked to keep her friend's heart beating, and had to be talked off it to give Kate over to the care of people she didn't know. Castle had run in behind them, and they were both left to console one another as they watched a medical team rushing Kate away to try to save her.

As they walked through the seemingly endless hallway to a waiting area, Esposito and Ryan were heading their way, each on their phones, sounding demanding and unhappy with the answers they were getting. Just as they ended their calls, they saw Castle and Lanie crossing at the intersection of the halls.

"How is she?" Esposito asked.

"They just took her to surgery, but…" Lanie answered. At that point, she finally allowed herself to melt into Esposito's arms and let the tears fall freely.

"What about the shooter?" Castle asked.

"Gone," Ryan told him.

"Gone? How can he be gone?" he questioned angrily.

"We don't know, but he left his weapon behind."

"It's a Mark 11," Esposito added from over Lanie's shoulder. "A modified sniper rifle. Favorite of Special Forces. Checking for prints now."

The simultaneous sounds of "Richard" and "Dad," suddenly echoed in the hall, and Martha and Alexis were there, throwing their arms around Castle. He did his best to comfort them.

Jim appeared close behind them, asking, "How is my daughter?"

Castle kissed each of his redheads and said softly, "Give me a minute. Let me talk to Jim."

Taking Jim aside and speaking quietly, Castle answered, "Jim, she flat-lined in the ambulance, but they brought her back. It's bad. I assume she's in surgery by now."

"What happened?"

"What we were afraid of, I think. The man we talked about the other night…Roy Montgomery killed him before he died himself, but…"

"So this was somebody else like him…finishing the job?" Jim asked incredulously.

"It looks like it. Who is this guy?" Castle hissed quietly in frustration. "Does he keep a full stable of hired killers on call? I have the feeling your wife's murder is only the tip of the iceberg."

"If I knew who he is, I might kill him myself," Jim answered, following with a deep breath as he pressed his fingertips to his forehead in both anger and sorrow.

"The worst of this is that Kate had seen reason. She had told me she would drop it as soon as Lockwood was back in prison. We thought she'd be safe for a while if she stopped." Tears filled Castle's eyes, and he ran his hands through his hair trying to pull himself together before facing his daughter again. "It's my fault. If I hadn't looked into her mother's case…"

"It isn't your fault, Rick." Jim assured him, placing a comforting hand on his son-in-law's arm. "That case with Coonan would have come up anyway. Lanie would have noticed the similarity. Either she or Katie would have followed that up. You know they would. Raglan would still have called her. She would have fallen back into it with or without you. You did everything you could, including risking a bullet of your own trying to get her out of the way. I don't blame you, and Katie won't, either."

"Thank you for that, but you don't need to be comforting me. I can't imagine what I'd feel if it were Alexis in Kate's place."

"I think you probably can," he answered, "and given the way I know you feel about your wife, I appreciate that you can think of it right now. Thank you for being honest with me." He gave Castle a fatherly pat on the arm before they returned to the others.

Castle told them, "We understand the waiting area is up here on the left." He put an arm around his daughter's shoulders and guided her in that direction, and Jim did the same for Martha. The rest of their entourage from the twelfth followed them.

As they all sat down, Castle asked Jim and his family, "How did you get here so fast?"

"When we went back to the town car, one of the motorcycle escorts for the funeral asked who we were, cleared our leaving, and told Darrell to follow him…brought us all the way here, siren blaring the whole way."

"We take care of our own," Ryan answered matter-of-factly.

Castle sat with his arm around his daughter, who leaned her head on his shoulder for comfort; and they all pulled their chairs into a small grouping, sitting near one another for support until someone from the medical staff could return to tell them something.


	24. Chapter 24

**AN:** Again, there's dialogue in this chapter that came from episode 1 of season 4. Credit for that goes to the professionals who gave us these wonderful characters and have allowed us to play with them.

Also again, my apologies for the delay in posting. Chapters should be back on a more regular schedule from here on. I've never left an abandoned a story; and you can rest assured, that won't start with this one. Thanks for your patience as well as the follows, favorites, and reviews. It's all appreciated.

And I appreciate that one of my younger relatives, who's an ER nurse, tried to helped me match the injuries to the "couple of scars" Beckett mentioned - which didn't match open heart surgery. We had some fun going through different possibilities where she would tell me, "Nope. She's dead." What we decided on might be at least vaguely plausible, but the medical folks can feel free to fire the cannons at me at will.

xxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 24

As they all sat in the family waiting room and worried together while Castle filled out paperwork for his wife, Alexis asked quietly, "Dr. Parish, when will we know something about Kate?"

Lanie looked up from where her head rested on Esposito's shoulder and sat up. "With the trauma team it shouldn't take too long. I've seen a couple of trauma teams in action, and it's amazing how fast they can work. They'll evaluate her and get her ready for surgery. Then somebody from the team will come and tell us what they know up to this point and they'll take her to surgery. How long we wait to hear something after that will depend on what they have to do. The surgeon will come and talk to us afterward."

"How long will that be?"

"It's probably going to take a while. I think we still have plenty of worry time ahead of us." She reached across and took Alexis's hand comfortingly.

"Is she going to live?"

"She was alive when they took her to trauma. We'll take that as a good sign. Okay?"

Alexis just nodded.

A few minutes later, one of the doctors came and asked for the contact person for the family. That duty was ceded to Castle without discussion.

"I'm Dr. Southwick," he began. He gave Castle a brief explanation of what they had found and then said, "We're taking her to surgery. If you'd like a second or two first, follow me."

Castle glanced guiltily over at Jim.

"Go on, Son. I wish I'd had that second or two with Johanna."

Castle quickly followed the doctor to where Kate's gurney was being pushed toward the operating room. They stopped long enough for him to touch her arm, place a kiss on her forehead, and whisper, "Stay with me, Sweetheart. I'll be right here waiting for you." Then they took her away and he watched until he couldn't see her anymore before he returned to the waiting room and sat down between his mother and his daughter. Martha hooked her arm through his, and he wrapped one arm around Alexis's shoulders, inviting her to lean against him. Esposito sat across from them with his arm around Lanie, and Jim Beckett and Ryan sat near Castle's family.

Time dragged by, and after the first half hour, there were trips to the status screen to see if Kate was still in surgery.

When Dr. Kovacs finally came to speak to them and asked, "Family of Katherine Beckett?" the entire group stood. Taking stock of the diverse assortment of people there and trying to understand their individual connections to the woman in his OR, he hesitated a second or two before responding.

"I'm her husband," Castle told him.

"Mr. Beckett…"

"I'm Mr. Beckett. This is my daughter's husband, Richard Castle," Jim clarified.

"Mr. Castle… your wife is out of surgery."

"I don't care what you call me. Please, just tell me about my wife. She won't mind any of these people hearing what you have to say. They're all family or considered family."

"If you'll follow me, we can speak more privately across the hall."

"All of us? Is that possible?"

The doctor sighed and looked around him. "Is that a request?"

"It is. We've just lost Captain Montgomery. This happened at his funeral as she was giving the eulogy, and…"

"We'll make room," he answered. "This way."

He led them to a conference area, where they all had to stand for everyone to fit in the room.

"She had us worried at first," the doctor stated. "Breathing was shallow, and her blood pressure was dropping too fast. She experienced a traumatic hemothorax…"

"That involves blood and the chest, right?" Castle asked.

"Sorry. Right. There was internal bleeding, and air and fluid from the lung injury. It was putting pressure on her heart. We've repaired what we could, and it appears to have gone well," Dr. Kovacks told them. "There was extensive damage to part of a lung, and we had to remove one lobe; but she should be able to function normally without it. There was an entry wound and an exit wound, the second larger than the first, and there was also damage to a couple of ribs. She'll have a chest tube for a few days for drainage, and that's going to cause her some discomfort."

"Will she be all right?" Jim asked.

"There are no absolute guarantees, but we're hopeful. It won't be a quick or easy recovery, though. She'll be here for about a week before we consider allowing her to go home. We'll continually evaluate during that time, make decisions accordingly, and keep you informed. When she does go home, she'll need someone available around the clock…a lot of family support."

"That won't be a problem. She'll have everything she needs," Castle assured him.

"When can we see her?" Jim asked

"Once the nurses get her settled, we'll take you back to see her. Any questions we might not cover now, my PA and the ICU nurses can answer later."

"I have two more requests, Dr. Kovaks. The first is for my wife to be moved to a private room as quickly as possible. Any additional expense won't be a problem. She was shot by a professional killer who wasn't caught, so security is a high priority. NYPD will undoubtedly arrange for officers outside her room, but that may not have happened yet. The second…this is Doctor Lanie Parish, one of NYPD's medical examiners, a good friend," Castle told him. "Would you explain the medical particulars of Kate's situation to her? Lanie excels at translating doctor speak into something we civilians can understand."

"Standard procedure in cases like this is to have security stationed near the patient, and I would expect that someone is already there, for the safety of the staff as well as the patient. Just a moment." He called the recovery room and verified that security was in place. Doctor Parish, I think we can do this quickly." Dr. Kovaks extended an arm, inviting Lanie to take a place closer to him as he offered information in medical terms while the others listened, trying to glean what they could from what the doctors were saying. Then he stood to go.

"Thank you, Doctor," Castle said, shaking the other man's hand. "For everything you've done."

Before leaving the room, the doctor told the group, "Short visits will be limited to Ms. Beckett's husband and father right now, and I wouldn't expect her to be awake right away. I'd suggest the rest of you should go home and get some rest. I'll be sure the staff is well aware of the security situation."

"I don't know about you, Bro'" Esposito said quietly to Ryan, trailing a bit behind the others as they all left the room, "but home is the last place I'm going. Not till we catch the son of a bitch who did this."

"Right behind you," Ryan agreed. Catching up with Castle, he said, "We're going back to the precinct. See if we can turn up anything new. We'll stay in touch."

"Thanks, guys."

A little while after the doctor left, a nurse arrived and took Castle and Jim to Kate, and they were relieved to find a member of hospital security in the recovery area. They were allowed five minutes with Kate, but she still wasn't awake.

While the three women were left in the waiting room, Martha placed a hand on Lanie's arm and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Kind of. How about you?"

"I'm afraid," Martha answered. "I love that girl like she's my own child."

"Since you won't be in the room to ask questions first hand, I can tell you what Dr. Kovaks said if you'd like."

"Is she going to live?" Alexis asked.

"We're being honest with everybody, right?" She looked at Martha, who nodded.

"I don't want to be coddled," Alexis insisted. "I want to know if we'll still have Kate, and whether she's going to have any problems after this."

Lanie nodded. "Barring complications, which are always a possibility, the doctor is hoping for a full recovery. Right now, her heart is beating without help, but it was bruised. It's called a myocardial contusion. The doctor believes they found and stopped all sources of internal bleeding. She's still intubated…and on a ventilator. Because of the lung damage, she'll have the chest tube for several days, and it's going to be painful. Losing one lobe of the lung is something she can survive, still live her life normally, and still do her job; but we're not talking about that happening any time real soon. If the next few days go well, she'll probably be fine in the long run; but for the time being, she's going to be in a lot of pain. The lung surgery would be enough of a problem for her breathing at the moment, but damaged ribs alone would cause pain when she breathes, too. Double whammy. She won't be going back to work for at least a couple of months, probably a little longer…likely starting with desk duty and gradually working into more activity from there. I don't envy your home life for a day or two after she finds that out. You know how independent our girl is. Once she's home, she's likely to be hard to live with at times; so if you need help, you can call me. I'll come and try to talk some sense into her when she's worn you and Castle out.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Alexis asked, her voice sounding more like a child than usual.

Lanie got up and moved to sit next to Alexis and hugged her close. "Alexis, if the fight in that woman holds out and all the love in this family counts for anything, I think she's going to be just fine.

"If love is all it would take, I think I could make her better right now."

"Then we'll have to count on that, Honey. Just keep it coming."

Martha reached out to rub Alexis's back gently as Lanie held her.

Jim and Castle walked toward Kate's curtained off space in recovery and stopped in their tracks as they entered.

"She looks so still…and fragile," Castle said softly after they walked inside the curtains.

"She's a fighter, Rick. We have to count on that."

Jim stood on one side of the bed, holding the hand without the IV, and Castle stood on the opposite side with his hand on her upper arm, gently moving his fingers across the skin near her shoulder. Both of them simply needed to feel that she was warm, alive, and still with them. They stood in silence, both of them willing her to live.

In what seemed like no time at all, the nurse came back and told them they needed to leave, reminding them that visiting time was limited. Both men reluctantly agreed, and Jim lifted his daughter's hand and kissed it, then placed it gently on the bed.

Castle found a place where he could bend and kiss her forehead without disturbing the various tubes and equipment, whispering, "Come back to me, Kate. I love you." After one more kiss, he stood and joined Jim for a silent walk back to the waiting room.

When he and Jim were nearly back at the waiting room, Castle suggested, "Why don't you pack some things and stay with us until we know how things are going? That way we'll all get any news at the same time…and you won't be alone. I'd lose my mind worrying about her if I had to be alone with it. Even knowing I'll have Mother and Alexis, who love her dearly, it's going to be bad enough."

"I don't want to impose."

"It's no imposition, Jim. We're all her family, and we'd all be happy to have you with us. There's a guest room that's always made up. It's no trouble."

"I'll think about it."

"Did you find out anything new?" Alexis asked, getting up as soon as she saw her father. "How is she?"

"Nothing new. She wasn't awake…still unresponsive."

Alexis hugged her father and said, "That must have been hard for you."

"It was hard for both of us," he answered, resting his cheek on her head. "Jim feels about her the way I feel about you." Looking over his daughter's head at his mother, he said, "I've told Jim he's welcome to stay with us until we know more about what to expect."

"Of course," Martha answered. "Please consider it, Jim. You don't need to be alone. You're family, too."

Alexis reached out and took Jim's hand. "I'll make you hot cocoa again," she promised.

Jim smiled. Hot chocolate had become something of a thing between them.

"I don't want to leave yet," Castle told his daughter, "but I want to check in with Ryan and Esposito. How are you holding out?"

"I'm scared."

"Me, too." He squeezed her a little tighter and said, "Give me a few minutes and we'll walk down to the cafeteria and get something to eat. They won't let us visit again for a while, and it's way past dinner time. You must be hungry."

"We're fine. Go call them," Martha insisted. "We want to know if they've made any progress, too."

Castle went in the hall, dialed Esposito, and was put on speaker.

"How's she doing?" Ryan asked.

"So far, so good. Nothing new since what the doctor told us while you were here. She's still in recovery. Jim and I were allowed a few minutes to see her. She isn't awake yet, and she's hooked up to all kinds of things. It was…" He sighed in resignation. "The doctor sounds encouraging, but all we can do is wait and hope for the best."

Esposito demanded, "Anything changes, you let us know, understand?"

"Absolutely."

"We've got the shooter's rifle," Esposito told him.

"It's clean for prints. Lab's running a trace right now for DNA," Ryan added.

"Well, what about the gun," Castle asked. "Can we track the gun?"

Esposito answered, "According to the DOD, the serial number matches a weapon issued to a Navy SEAL who was killed in action seven years ago. His body was recovered, but the weapon was not." Obviously talking to Ryan, he asked, "Anything from the K-9 unit?"

"Dogs picked up a scent, tracked it to the west side of the cemetery. But they lost it there."

"In a sea of cops, how does this guy go unnoticed?" Castle asked in frustration.

"He may not have," Ryan answered. "Half the guys we talked to remembered seeing a groundskeeper taking cover from the shooting. But according to the grounds staff, none of them were in the area."

"He blended into the chaos and then disappeared," Esposito added.

"Just so you don't forget, there was an exit wound, so the bullet's probably still there somewhere."

"Already got people on it. Had to work around the shambles the funeral turned into."

Castle breathed another deep sigh. "It was supposed to be over. If Montgomery's plan was to keep her safe, then why are they still coming after her?"

"I don't know, Bro'" Esposito said angrily. "God knows who else is involved."

"Thanks, guys. I need to get back to Alexis. I feel like I've neglected her."

"Go easy on yourself, Castle. There's only one of you. She's a smart kid. She knows that," Ryan sympathized.

"Yeah, but dads are good at feeling guilty. Talk to you later." He went back to the others and had to report that there wasn't anything new on the shooter.

Jim stood and took Castle into the hall to suggest, "I know you don't want to leave, but why don't you go home and take care of your daughter? She's scared, and she needs you for a while. I'll stay here and call if there's even a small change. I've already called in to let the partners at the firm know I won't be in tomorrow. You can come back and be here tomorrow morning, then I'll go home and get some sleep."

"And pack a bag?" Castle prodded.

"I know what you're doing, Rick, and I appreciate it. I'll call my sponsor, and think I'll be all right." He paused a moment, kneading his fingertips on his forehead, and then dropped his hand, straightened, and admitted, "But this is rough…and I can't fail my daughter again. Company might not be a bad idea. I'll stay here tonight, then I'll go home and get some sleep. After that I'll pack a bag and take you up on your offer."

"Good. You'll have your own space if you get tired of our company, and anybody you'd invite to your home will be welcome in ours. Why don't you get something to eat before we do? Then I'll take my family and Lanie to dinner in the cafeteria and spend some time with Alexis. But I'm not leaving the hospital. I'll send mother and Alexis home later."

Alexis caught the tail end of the conversation and spoke up right away. "I'm not going home. If anything happens…good or bad…I want to be here. I'm staying until she wakes up."

Close on her heels, Martha agreed. "I have nowhere to be tomorrow. If Katherine does well tonight, I'll go home and sleep in an actual bed for a while. Then I'll come back tomorrow evening and bring the two of you a change of clothes if you're still being stubborn. There has to be an available shower around here somewhere."

"Will you bring my ring, too…the one Kate gave me?" Alexis asked. "It's in the little white jewelry box on my desk."

"Of course, Darling."

"I'm not going anywhere, either," Lanie reported. "Perlmutter is subbing for me tomorrow morning. I'm taking his late shift tomorrow night."

Castle simply nodded in appreciation. As Jim had said, company wasn't a bad idea.

Jim wasn't really hungry but made a quick coffee and pastry run before the others left the waiting area. Nobody else was particularly hungry, either, but they all went to the cafeteria and picked up some things that would keep if they weren't eaten until later. Then they went back to camp out in the waiting room overnight.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Several hours later, Kate was moved to a private room in the ICU area. Jim and Castle were allowed another short visit; and rounding the corner near the door, they discovered it was already flanked on each side by officers from the twelfth.

"Sarge sent us," one of the two men explained. "He's running things until tomorrow when they send us somebody to fill in for the captain, but his authority only goes so far. Until it's all worked out, he's got a list as long as your arm of volunteers to stand guard on their own time. Shouldn't be anybody on watch here that you don't recognize. Things being how they are, he thought that might make all of you rest easier."

"It will," Castle agreed, "I appreciate it…and Beckett will, too. Thanks, Jarvis…Mitchell," he said, shaking their hands. "This is Kate's father, Jim Beckett."

Jim shook their hands, too, saying, "It feels good to know my daughter has so many people pulling for her. Thank you."

"We got nothing but respect for Detective Beckett, Sir," Mitchell told him before Jim and Castle entered the room.

The nurse patiently answered Castle's many quietly asked questions, seeming to be impressed that he thought of some of them. Jim asked a few of his own; then they both sat down next to Kate's bed, keeping vigil for as long as they were allowed. They were nearly at the end of their allotted time when her eyelids fluttered without quite opening, her head moved slightly, and a couple of the machines began to register a little differently. Jim quickly went to the door, which was right across from the nurses' station, and a nurse was there before he needed to say anything.

"It looks like she's waking up," he reported hopefully.

"The doctor has already been paged," she answered, moving to the side of the bed and checking her patient's responses.

When Kate's eyes blinked open a couple of minutes later, she immediately seemed frightened, but when she saw Castle and he spoke to her soothingly, she began to calm a bit.

"It's okay," he assured her. "You're in the hospital. The doctor will be here in a couple of minutes. Try to stay calm and still as much as you can. I love you. I'll be right here." He took her hand and held it, stroking his thumb over it until the doctor arrived a minute or so later.

When they told Castle and Jim to leave and her husband kissed her hand and reluctantly started to move, Kate's heart rate went up and the monitor made sounds Castle didn't like; but when he stepped back and took her hand again, it calmed.

"Well, Mr. Castle," Dr. Kovaks said with a smile, "looks like it's better to have you stay." Looking at a frightened and disoriented Kate, he explained, "We're going to get that tube out, but I'll need your husband to stand away until we do. He can stand at the foot of the bed where you can see him."

"I'm not leaving, Kate. I'm right here." Using his entire repository of self-control, Castle placed her hand gently on the bed beside her and released it. Then he stayed where Kate could see him but left the medical staff enough room to do their jobs. He stood at the foot of the bed, but he rested his hand on one of her ankles to maintain contact.

The tube was extracted, but the little cough to help when they removed it obviously caused her more pain than that from the sore throat that generally follows intubation. As they worked, the doctor asked Kate questions that she could answer with a nod or with minimal syllables; and before leaving, he reported to Jim and Castle.

"She seems to be aware of what's happening. That's a good sign. When I saw her during rounds this morning, her incisions showed no signs of infection. So far she's responding well." Looking back at Kate, he said, "Nice to actually meet you, Ms. Beckett."

"Mrs. Castle," Kate mumbled, her voice raspy.

Dr. Kovacs smiled again. "Mrs. Castle it is. I'll get this name thing straight after a while." Looking toward Castle once again, he said, "It's obvious that your presence is calming for her. You can have another few minutes; but your wife needs quiet, uninterrupted sleep, and I'd rather keep the visits short at least through tomorrow. After that, we'll see."

Castle just nodded, and the doctor left. The examination complete and the oxygen cannula in place, Castle was allowed to move back to Kate's side and take her hand, and Jim moved back to the opposite side of the bed as well.

"You gave us a scare, Katie Bug," her father said, squeezing her shin with his hand. "Rick has been a tower of strength for all of us so far."

"Only on the outside, if that's true at all. I've been scared out of my mind. It's so good to see your beautiful eyes again." He leaned to kiss her lips softly.

"W'happened?" she asked, her voice still raspy.

"You were shot…another sniper. It was…" He stopped, choking up before he finished, and felt her squeeze his hand weakly.

"How long?"

Her Dad took over at that point, giving Castle a moment to compose himself.

"Yesterday," her father answered. "Captain Montgomery's funeral."

"You've been out since then," Castle told her. "You had surgery after they brought you here."

Her eyes closed briefly, as if she were trying to piece it all together.

"Do remember any of what happened?" Castle asked.

Her head barely nodded, and she opened her eyes.

"Don't try to talk anymore. That can wait until later. We'll stay until you're asleep again…let you rest and get stronger. Then we'll go and let Alexis and Lanie and Mother know you finally woke up. They wouldn't go home last night, either."

Jim agreed by patting her shin again, and she looked in his direction.

The nurse returned with pain medication for the IV, and told them what she was doing.

"I promised her we'd stay until she was asleep again," Castle told her.

"That probably won't be long," the nurse answered with a smile as she completed her task. "This works fast. Stay, but after that, you need to leave and let her rest."

The heart monitor showed change again, and the nurse noticed.

"I'm not going anywhere yet, Kate. And the waiting room is just down the hall, so we can be here in less than a minute if you need us. Next time I'll bring Alexis. She's refused to go anywhere until she's seen that you're awake and responsive."

Her head moved in a small nod, but her eyes were closing again, the medication and the stress of her injuries all taking their toll to pull her back into sleep.

When they were sure his daughter was sleeping again, Jim told Castle they needed to keep their promise to leave so the nurses would trust them. We might get in here more often and maybe stay a little longer if they know we won't take advantage. Castle nodded, leaned and kissed Kate's forehead lightly, sighed, and released her hand gently. They stopped at the nurses' station on the way out and requested that they be called if she woke and they weren't there. Castle then turned to the officers from the twelfth to thank them again.

"She woke up?" Mitchell asked.

"Yeah, she did. Not for long, but it made me feel a lot better."

"Everything okay?" Jarvis asked.

"Seemed to be. The doctor was encouraging, but she's got a long road ahead of her. I'm gonna go back and tell everybody else. Thanks, guys."

Jim raised a hand in acknowledgment, and the other two men nodded in response.

As they left, the nurse who had worked with Kate told her co-worker, "A couple of times when she thought he was going to leave, her heart rate got a little faster…like she might be scared, but when he was close, it dropped again. Maybe we should keep an eye on that."

The second nurse smiled mischievously. "If that man belonged to me, I'd worry about letting him out of my sight, too. And when he got that close is when my heart rate would go up. I wouldn't mind if they gave him longer visiting times. Way better view than we get most of the time. But yeah. We should probably watch that…even if all it amounts to is satisfying our curiosity."

xxxxx

"She was awake for a little while, Castle reported to the others when he reached the waiting room. Not long, but she seemed to be aware of everything around her."

Alexis wrapped her arms around her father and was enclosed in his embrace. "Does this mean she's going to be okay?"

"They can't promise us that yet, but the doctor sounded encouraging."

"May I see her next time she's awake?"

"You can take my place," Jim told her. "I'm going to go home and get a few hours of sleep in a bed and pack some things to take to your place. It'll be easier to sleep while things look hopeful. I'll be back later on. "

"As much as I would love to see Katherine, I think I'll go, too…same reason. These aging bones need to find a bed for a while. After that I'll bring you a change of clothes, Richard. I know we won't drag you away from here tonight. I'll cede my time to Alexis and Dr. Parrish and see Katherine later."

"Shall we share a cab?" Jim asked.

"Fine with me," Martha agreed. "But are you sure you want to face the reporters while you're walking with someone they might recognize? The news, in all its formats, is full of your daughter; and I imagine the reporters and camera crews are lurking outside in small herds by now, probably with your picture in hand so they can try to get a statement. I think Dr. Kovaks has a press conference this afternoon to report on her progress."

"We'll tell them, 'No comment'?" Jim asked.

"Works for me."

"I just called the car service, Mother," Castle told them. "The driver can help if you need it. The garage isn't far from here, so it shouldn't take more than ten minutes."

"We can wait here about five minutes, then take our time getting downstairs." Martha suggested.

"I take it you've done this before?"

"More than once," Martha assured him. "You're in good hands."

Ten minutes later, hospital security and their driver were helping Martha and Jim through a loud and insistent group of varied media personnel, and they were quickly on their way to their respective homes.

And Castle sat with Lanie and Alexis, waiting for his next chance to be close to his wife.

xxxxx

About three hours later, Castle was allowed another short visit, and he took Alexis along. Lanie followed and asked if she could be allowed as well, as a professional courtesy. She explained her status and the shift she had to work that evening, and the nurses allowed three visitors that time.

Justine, the nurse who had worked with Kate during the night, had mentioned the detective's responses to Castle's presence, raising everyone's curiosity; so Kenny, the young man who was there checking the monitors when they entered the room, took his time, keeping an eye on the heart monitor.

"Your timing is perfect," he told them. "It looks like she's waking up."

"This is my daughter, Alexis," Castle explained. "We couldn't convince her to go home for some rest until she could talk to Kate."

"Just keep things on the quiet side," Kenny requested as he busied himself in the room.

Kate was indeed waking up, and her eyes fluttered several times before opening slowly. As she looked around, her heart rate reflecting her disoriented state, she found Alexis looking worried on one side of her bed and Lanie giving her a gentle smile on the other.

"Cassle?" she asked, her speech slurred by sleep.

"Right here. Just letting these ladies see you first. I'll be here as long as they let me." His hand went to her ankle again, and she seemed to relax.

Kenny was watching the monitor, and sure enough, her heart rate dropped back to where it was before she woke up.

"Kate?"

"'Lexis?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Yeah," the teenager answered, taking Kate's hand in hers. "I'm glad to see you awake. I've been so afraid for you."

"Gonna get better," Kate told her stepdaughter.

"She's been here the whole time with the rest of us," Lanie told her.

Kate squeezed Alexis's hand, but it wasn't nearly as strong as usual.

"Hey, Girl. Is Castle the only one who counts here? Nice to see you, too," Lanie teased.

"Lanie." She croaked when she spoke, and Castle was there faster than a man of his size should be able to move, offering her a drink of water, holding it where she barely had to move her head to take a sip from the straw.

"Writer-Boy, I know I work with dead people; but my bedside manner does include knowing I should get her a drink of water," Lanie told him, one hand on her hip in mock disgust.

"Sorry." He bent to kiss his wife, said "I love you.", then moved. "Going back now." The monitor showed another change, and he assured Kate, "Only going to the foot of the bed. Not leaving the room until they throw me out. Promise." And the monitor settled back to the old pattern.

Kenny went back to the nurses' station and reported what he had seen. "She doesn't lack for somebody to love her, does she?"

"Doesn't look like it," his colleague answered.

Alexis told Kate about the officers from the twelfth guarding her room.

"Tell 'em thanks," she answered.

"I will."

"Martha?"

"She knew you were awake, so she went home to get some sleep. She'll be back tonight to see you…and to bring Dad a change of clothes. We all know we won't be prying him out of here any time soon."

"Now that I've seen you, I'm going home to see if I can study. Dr. Parish said she'd share a cab with me. It's exam week, but you come first." That brought another little squeeze of Alexis's hand.

"Love you," she told her stepdaughter. "Study."

Alexis wiped a tear from her cheek. "Love you, too, Kate."

"My girl has turned into a family woman," Lanie said with a smile. "Kate Castle, you look just like a mom…a puny one right now, but a mom."

She got a puny Beckett eye roll in response, and everyone chuckled. "Love you, too, Lanie."

"I'm not gonna stay, Honey," Lanie told her. "I just wanted see for myself that you're awake…and hear your croaky little voice. You might not believe it, but Perlmutter sends his best. He didn't even gripe about switching shifts with me so I could stay here."

"Miracle," Kate mumbled with a little curve of her lips.

"I'll make sure your girl gets home, Mom."

"Thanks."

Alexis finally let go of Kate's hand and leaned to kiss her forehead. "I'll come back with Grams tonight."

"Study. Make me proud."

"Yes, ma'am." Alexis smiled through a few tears and went to hug her father before she and Lanie left the hospital.

"Okay, Castle, your wife is all yours," Lanie told him as they left.

Alexis waved to Kate on the way out, and stopped long enough to deliver Kate's message to Jarvis and Mitchell.

Kenny came back with her pain meds; and then Castle pulled up a chair, took Kate's hand in his and kissed it, and sat with her until she was sleeping soundly and he was told to leave. That became the pattern through the afternoon.

Martha and Jim visited as long as they were allowed to stay that evening. Alexis was allowed a few minutes with Kate, then she sat down with her books and studied as she waited for Jim and Martha.

Jim decided to stay; so while he was waiting for his wife to wake up again, Castle felt free to take a shower and change clothes. The guard's shifts were four hours, so trusted colleagues appeared outside Kate's door on a predictable basis.

As they sat next to Kate's bed while she slept, Jim again tried to convince his son-in-law to go home for a while.

"Son, you need to go home and get some rest. Katie's awake off and on now. We know her faculties are intact, and the doctor is satisfied with her progress."

"I don't want to leave her," Castle answered, never taking his eyes away from his wife.

"Alexis needs some time with you…away from this place, Jim argued. "She's still worried and frightened. She's a strong young woman, but she could use some comfort and reassurance from her dad.

"I know. I just…"

With what appeared to be a great effort, Kate's eyes opened slowly, and she made an unintelligible sound before she said her husband's name recognizably enough to get his attention. "He's right," she slurred.

Standing to kiss her forehead and bring her water, he teased, "Katherine Castle. Were you eavesdropping?"

"Too sleepy to open my eyes," she mumbled with a little upturn at the corners of her lips. "Need to go home…'Lexis. Take care of our girl."

"But…"

"Home," she insisted. "Sleep. Back tomorrow."

"Kate…"

"Please." Her eyes fluttered between opened and closed, and it was obvious she didn't have the energy to stay awake for long. "For me. Sleep. Please?"

"I'll stay tonight. She won't be alone," Jim promised.

"Go," Kate told him. "Kiss first?"

"I'll take my bag home and bring back some clean clothes in the morning," Castle answered, hesitantly giving in to two determined Becketts. Then he leaned in and kissed her lips gently.

"Mmmm. Love you. Tell 'Lexis…love her, too. Go." That was apparently her limit, and her eyes drifted closed and stayed that way.

"She argues with me and orders me around even when she's drugged," he told Jim, amused, and his father-in-law snickered.

"Heard that," she said with a tiny smile, but without opening her eyes again.

Both men chuckled at that, and took their conversation out to the hallway to let her sleep. They talked for a couple of minutes before Jim went to get coffee. While he was gone, Castle quietly put a couple of things in his bag and waited. After Jim returned, Castle left the whisper of a kiss on his sleeping wife's forehead, gave Jim a filial pat on the shoulder, and reluctantly went home.

xxxxx

"Dad, is that you?" Alexis called, coming to top of the stairs to check.

"In the flesh," he answered. "How is everybody here?"

"Still worried. I've seen Kate upset and sad, vulnerable; but I've never seen her look weak. Will she really be okay?"

"I hope so. The doctor came in a little after you left this afternoon, and he sounded satisfied with her progress. She has a long road to recovery, though. She'll need a lot of help when she gets home."

"We can do that, right?"

"Of course we can," Martha answered, stroking one hand over her son's cheek. "Sit down and relax, Darling. It's good to have you home for a while."

"Are you going back to school tomorrow?" he asked Alexis as he sat down.

Alexis sat beside him and pulled her legs under her on the sofa to snuggle next to him, and he put an arm around her shoulders. "I guess. The two easy exams are tomorrow. If I have trouble with those, I'll ask if I can have extra time for the others."

"I called the principal yesterday to let them know the situation, and they had already heard about it and made the connection. They're willing to work with you if you need it."

"I kind of feel like I'm deserting her if I don't go back tomorrow."

"That's how I was feeling when I came home tonight, but Jim is there. I know he can do as much as I can, and I know he'll call me if there's anything new…good or bad. Kate wanted all of us to take care of ourselves, so she sent me home. She said to tell you she loves you," he told his daughter, playing with the ends of her hair as he spoke. "She told me to go home and take care of our girl."

"She really said all that?" she asked skeptically.

"Well, she said most of it…mumbled pieces of it to tell the truth, but she made her point. She was kind of sleep talking. Ordering me around, even in her sleep.

"I told you she'd be fine," Martha chimed in, and Alexis laughed.

The three of them talked for a few minutes before Martha got up to take care of the dinner dishes she and Alexis had used.

Castle sat with his daughter, holding her against him as she voiced her fears and talked about going back to school for exams the next day. She was eventually tired enough to fall asleep on his shoulder, and he let her sleep for a little while before he shook her gently and said, "You'll wake up feeling better if you sleep in your bed. Come on. I'll tuck you in. I haven't done that in a long time."

"I haven't needed it in a long time," she answered as she stood. "Who's going to tuck you in, Dad? You need it, too."

"I haven't done that in a long time, either," Martha answered from the kitchen, and both the others smiled.

Castle walked Alexis to her room and waited while she changed in her bathroom. He held the covers while she got into bed, pulled them up to her shoulders, and kissed her forehead.

"You'll let me know if you hear anything. Right?

"I will. I promise." He kissed her forehead again, turned off the light, and closed the door behind him. Then he went back downstairs.

His mother met him at the bottom of the stairs with a glass of his favorite wine. "I thought she was supposed to be safe," she blurted out, keeping her voice quiet enough Alexis wouldn't hear and worry. Martha had been a pillar of strength for Alexis since the shooting, and now she needed to let her own feelings out. "Richard, I'm so afraid for her…and for you. You threw yourself right where a bullet had just hit her."

"Mother, I'd like to say I'm sorry, but if it could have saved her all this, I'd do it again…the same as I would for you or Alexis."

"I know. And if it didn't scare me so much to think about it, I might be more impressed. But I'm your mother…and I feel like Katherine's…and I love both of you…and I don't want to lose either of you…and poor Alexis…and…" She waved her hands near her face as she tried unsuccessfully to contain the tears. "Everybody I love is hurting, and there's nothing I can do to make it better. That's hard for a mother."

"Come here," he said, putting his arms around her for a long moment then guiding her with an arm around her waist. "Sit down with me." He led her to the breakfast bar and moved her wine glass in front of her. "I feel the same way. Kind of lost…useless. It's rough on a father/son/husband, too." He took her hand and held it as they sipped their wine. "She loves you, too, you know."

"I know I can be a little over the top sometimes. I probably took some getting used to."

"Not too much. She liked you from the first time she met you. She was a little confused, but she liked you." She bumped his shoulder and he smirked at her. They talked for a few minutes, then he drained what was left in his glass, thinking of how alive and energetic Kate was when they met and how still and listless she had been in the hospital bed the last couple of days. "Damn him. Whoever he is, he's going to pay for this one day," he said angrily.

"I hope so," his mother answered. "But right now, let it go and get some rest. Even if you can't sleep, you can lie down and try to unwind."

"I need a shower, then I'll do that. I told Jim I'd be there first thing in the morning. He needs to get back to work soon…said he might go in for a couple of hours tomorrow afternoon after he's had some decent sleep."

After his shower, Castle dressed for bed and went back to the kitchen to retrieve his cell phone…and found his mother right where he had left her earlier. He picked his phone up from the counter, kissed Martha on the temple, and said, "Thank you for taking care of Alexis."

"You never need to thank me for that."

"Yes, I do." he answered, then he asked, "Are you going to be able to practice what you preach…get some rest?"

"Maybe."

When Castle turned to go back to his room, he realized he had a shadow. His mother was following him. "Did you need me for something?"

She didn't answer, just walked into his room, pulled back the covers, and held them up for him.

"Really, Mother?" He all but rolled his eyes.

"Don't sass your mother. Just get in."

With an indulgent sigh, he got into bed and stretched out as his mother pulled the covers up to his shoulders. Then she bent and kissed his forehead. "Goodnight, Darling."

Realizing Martha needed someone to make her feel better, too, he caught her hand as she straightened to leave. "Thank you, Mom."

"You haven't called me that since you were little," she answered wistfully.

"You haven't tucked me in since I was little…ish."

"Little…ish?" she repeated, seeming confused. "Ah, yes. Right after school was out your last year of junior high. You came home with a busted lip. Defending my honor, I believe."

Putting his free arm behind his head on the pillow, he asked, "Did you know all along?"

"It didn't take long to catch on. Intuition and a few well-placed questions. It was another one of those things I didn't want to happen…like at the funeral. But by the time I saw your scrapes and bruises, it was always too late, and you were so determined to protect my feelings and not tell me. I didn't know whether to turn you over my knee or hug you; so I let you have your moment. Sometimes I resorted to bringing you cookies, or making you brownies, or with the busted lip in the way of eating, just tucking you in." Holding his hand in both of hers, she sat at the edge of the bed. "That wasn't your job, you know. I tried to find ways to mention that now and then, but I think you were born with that strong urge of yours to protect your family."

"It was just the two of us then. There wasn't anybody else to do that for you."

"When you were born, I considered adoption…for your sake…finding a couple who could give you so much more than I could. But I couldn't do it. You were mine, and I wanted you for myself. I made that decision knowing it wouldn't be easy, and that people would talk. But it was my decision. I didn't mean for you to have to take on the consequences. I'm sorry that happened."

"Kate told me that's how you'd feel."

"Smart girl, that wife of yours. She's going to come home to us and be just fine. I can feel it."

"I hope so. I finally got it right…for all of us. It can't end like this."

"It won't. You and Katherine are going to grow old together, just the way you intended." She kissed the back of his hand, placed it on his chest, and stood. "To this day, Richard Alexander Rodgers, you are still my finest contribution to the world. Now, get some rest," she instructed with a soft smile.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"That's more like it." She stood, patted his arm, kissed his forehead again, turned off the light, and closed the door behind her.

And Castle smiled, closed his eyes, and thought of Kate as the feeling of stretching out in an actual bed drew him far closer to some much needed sleep than he had expected.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

When Castle returned to the hospital early the next morning, Kate was asleep; so Jim met his son-in-law outside the door, and Castle set his bag on the floor as they talked a little way down the hall.

"When she woke up the last time, she moved more than she had before and stayed awake a little longer. She wasn't entirely herself, but she seemed more alert," Jim reported. "She looked like there was a lot of pain when she tried to move, though. I think she's beginning to realize the extent of her injuries."

"Has she asked yet…about the surgery…the damage from the bullet?"

"No. I think she ran out of steam before she got there. They gave her more pain meds, and she's been asleep ever since."

"I guess I get news breaking duty, then."

"It's probably better for it to come from you anyway. I've never seen her trust anybody the way she trusts you. She'll probably ask more questions if it's you."

"We promised each other honesty. That's all she'll ever get from me." Castle paused for a moment. "I think it's good that she's more aware of the pain. Not that she's _in_ pain, just that she's more aware of it. I was getting worried that she hadn't moved more…and I was even more worried that she hadn't asked about her injuries. That isn't like her at all. She usually wants to know every detail of everything."

"I was beginning to worry, too. Shock, maybe? Her body went through a lot. We're lucky she's even…" Jim stopped and kneaded his forehead with his fingers for a moment, and was fighting the threatening tears. "Rick that's my little girl that bullet ripped through. She may be grown and independent and stubborn as a mule, but she's still my little girl."

"I know, Jim. I know." Castle put his hand on Jim's shoulder in sympathy and squeezed gently as he spoke. "I'll bet you haven't more than dozed off a time or two all night. Why don't you head home and rest a while? Alexis's exams start today, so she'll be at school. Mother will be there, but she won't bother you. If you just want to sleep, she'll understand."

"It must be hard for her to watch all of you going through this."

"She's adopted Kate, you know…loves her like her own. She's been so strong for the rest of us; but after Alexis went to bed last night, she finally let some of it out." He released a little chuckle and ran one hand over the back of his neck as he admitted sheepishly to his father-in-law…in a whisper only the two of them would hear, "She actually tucked me in last night."

Jim chortled quietly. "You know, I think I understand that. I'll bet you tucked Alexis in, too."

"Yeah. But she's sixteen. That's a little more reasonable."

Still smiling, Jim patted Castle's arm. "I'll leave you in charge now. See you tonight."

"Bye, Jim. Thanks."

"Who's that?" Vasquez asked Carter as she arrived to stand her shift at Kate's door.

"Beckett's dad," Carter answered as they watched Castle pick up the bag he had brought with him and head their way. "The man even gets along with his father-in-law."

"Morning, Vasquez, Carter, Morley."

"How's she doing?" Vasquez asked.

"Even drugged and half-asleep she made me go home last night, so it looks like she's making progress," he quipped, and all of them grinned. "She's got a long way to go, though," he added more seriously.

"You know all you have to do is call if you need anything, right? I mean it. I owe her a lot." Taking a deep breath, she added, "LT should be here any minute, and we'll do the changing of the guard."

"If there's a ceremony, let me know," Castle teased. "I'll come and watch."

"Go take care of your wife and leave us alone, Castle," Carter ordered good-naturedly, and Castle gave him a friendly slap on the arm as he passed him on the way into Kate's room.

Once Castle was in the room, Carter filled Vasquez in on who should be in or near Kate's room, etc.

After closing the door, Castle put his bag down near the chair next to Kate's bed, then he leaned over to kiss her forehead gently enough to avoid waking her. "I love you," he whispered before he sat down and took a notebook and pen from his bag to start writing.

About half an hour later, Kate showed signs of waking up, so Castle put down his notebook and watched his wife as she slowly roused from sleep.

He was the first thing Kate saw when her eyes opened.

"Hey" she said sleepily.

"Hey, yourself," he answered.

"Watching me sleep again?"

"Yeah. Never gets old," he said with a smile that could be heard in his voice.

"Still creepy, Writer-man."

"I hear you stayed awake longer last night."

"A little bit. I sat up a little while, too. It hurt. Tube in my side…hurt no matter how I moved."

"That should be out in a day or two, but you're probably going to hurt for a while yet."

"Would you raise the bed a little more, and get me some water? Then you can tell me exactly what's wrong with me."

"So bossy," he teased as he raised the bed to sit her up a little bit more and left the control where she could reach it if she wanted it. He waited until she had winced, and moaned, and whimpered quietly, and adjusted until she was in a position she could tolerate.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.

"I don't think so. Just give me a minute to catch my breath."

"Ready for that water now?" he asked after she seemed settled.

"I think so." She looked drained already.

He poured fresh water in her glass and held the straw for her to take several sips then kissed her lips, going back for another little peck.

"Does your throat still hurt?"

"Not much anymore, but it's hard to take a deep breath."

"There's a reason for that," he answered as he waited for her to take another sip, and then he put down the glass when she waved it away.

"Tell me," she said resignedly. "Don't leave out anything. I need to know what I'm up against."

He told her everything. "Kenny told me yesterday that you're going to get a visit from PT today to show you some breathing and coughing techniques to help your lung expand."

"So you're telling me part of my lung was removed?" She sounded appalled.

"You did hear the part where the doctor said you can function normally without it, right?"

"And how long will it take until that happens?"

"Two or three months…or so. You'll probably be on desk duty when you go back to work. You're not supposed to be lifting heavy things for a few months, and I'm pretty sure shooting a glock or taking down bad guys wouldn't be on a list of recommended activities, either."

"So I'm out of commission all summer?"

"Yep. And stuck in a houseful of Castles, all trying to take care of you." There was a good-natured groan from the patient, which brought on a chuckle from her husband. "We'll try to dial it back a little, but you know how we are."

"Yeah, I do. And when I can move a little easier, the fact that I love all of you so much may be the only thing that saves you."

"We all love you, too. We'll take our chances."

"Seriously, though, that means months of PT, right?"

"Probably."

"And the guy who shot me?"

"In the wind so far."

"That means I still have a target on my back."

Castle hesitated before answering.

"Truth, Rick," she said gently. "We promised each other…always the truth."

"That's why all these guys are standing watch. I texted Esposito and Lanie an update, and Ryan called me. He said the acting captain is giving them all the resources they need. They just don't have much to go on."

"Then you're not safe around me. Neither are Martha and Alexis. When I leave here, I should go somewhere without any of you."

"No. If the guy who's been hiring assassins wants to know where you are, do you think he'd hesitate to use us to find out? It wouldn't make that much difference if you left. And we promised each other no running if things get tough. This wasn't what we had in mind, but still… No running, Kate. We do this together.

Sitting back and taking a deep breath, he observed sadly and sarcastically, "Well, this conversation must have been an uplifting way to start your day."

"Yep. Awe inspiring," she answered in kind, adding more brightly, "But the kiss was good."

"Just good? Not awe inspiring?" he teased.

"I'm not ready for awe inspiring yet."

"Then I'll save it up for when you are."

"About the conversation… I've already hired security…people I've worked with before. And I'm working on finding a live-in nurse we can trust for a week, or whatever we need, after you're home…someone who can show me how to take care of you. The security firm is helping me with that, too."

"More of your guys?"

"Yeah. Old friends/colleagues" he answered. "We go back a long way." He watched her as she seemed to take in all the new information.

"You're staring. I must look awful."

"Considering I spent time a couple of days ago wondering if you'd live through the night, you look beautiful to me."

"Well, I guess that proves it. Love is blind."

Justine was about Castle's age and rather motherly, and she came in as Castle was grinning at Kate and Kate was giving him a lovingly indulgent look.

"Looks like I missed something," she teased, smiling as she checked monitors and the IV. "I see you're sitting up on your own this morning. How bad is the pain?"

"It hurts."

"She never admits it hurts. It must be bad," Castle reported.

"It's almost time for your pain medication. Are you ready for it now?" the nurse asked.

"I'll wait a little longer," Kate answered, although obviously getting more uncomfortable. "I have to face it sooner or later."

"And it begins," Castle intoned as if narrating a sci-fi movie.

"What begins?" Justine asked, amused at the drama.

"Whatever challenges her, she stares it down until it blinks; then she goes after it tooth and nail. She's going to beat this."

"Sounds like you have a proud husband, Mrs. Castle."

"Always," he answered, and Kate smiled.

I'll be leaving in about half an hour. Do you need anything?"

"I'm a little hungry," Kate told her. "You said I could have clear liquids this morning?"

"Sure. I can get you some chicken broth. If you keep that down, Kenny can bring you some crackers with something later. One step at a time. Be right back," she promised before leaving.

Looking down at her hand, Kate looked concerned. "Where is my wedding ring?"

"I have it…and the medals from your uniform. They're at home waiting for you."

"I can't believe I just noticed."

"You had good reason not to. Your eyes haven't even been open that much for the last couple of days."

Justine came back in with the broth, and promised to check back in before she left; and the couple sat in comfortable silence interspersed with brief pieces of conversation as Kate drank the broth in small sips.

The doctor came in during his rounds and sounded satisfied with her progress. Kate asked a few questions, including when the tube could be removed and was told it might be as soon as the next day. He also benevolently agreed that Castle could be with Kate "as much as the two of you can stand it". To Castle, that meant he was moving in with his wife for the duration of her stay.

When Justine came back, Castle insisted that Kate should have the pain meds; and that time, Kate didn't argue. The bed was readjusted, Kate readjusted to the least uncomfortable position she could find, and it wasn't long before she was asleep again.

She slept most of the morning, so Castle was free to make more arrangements for her safety and his peace of mind. He caught Justine as she was about to leave after Kenny arrived and asked to speak to both of them. Taking them into Kate's room and closing the door, he mentioned the security concerns again, He had noticed that few people other than the doctor had been working in Kate's room…and said he would like to keep it that way.

"I know this is asking a lot; but I trust the two of you, and I'd like you to be assigned to Kate for the rest of the time she's here. That's going to affect your schedules, and if you have something important planned, I'll understand. I didn't want to speak to your supervisor about it until I had your permission…didn't want to put any undue pressure on you. I can request that, on the days you're already assigned to work, Kate is included in your patient assignments. And I'll offer to cover the cost of having you here for her on the days you aren't assigned to work. I'll also add a bonus to help you enjoy your time off when you finally get it."

The two nurses looked at each other in surprise.

"That works for me," Kenny told him.

"Yeah. I can put in a few extra days, too," Justine agreed.

Castle smiled and added conspiratorially, "I have to warn you, though, she doesn't like to be confined or to feel weak. She may not be as easy to work with when she isn't sleeping all the time."

Both the nurses chuckled and said they could manage.

"Good," Castle answered with a smile. "I'll go ahead and speak to the nursing supervisor…see if that can be worked out given the security concerns. It helps the guys at the door to know exactly who should be in here. Thank you both." He opened the door, and Justine left. Kenny checked on Kate and told Castle he'd be back later to change her bandages.

He spoke to the nursing supervisor, and was later told that arrangements had been made as he requested. Then he checked on Kate, assuring himself that she was still sleeping soundly before he took coffee orders from LT and Vasquez and made a quick trip to the coffee shop downstairs. He returned with coffee and pastries and went back to sit near his wife and enjoy his coffee while she slept.

xxxxx

On that same day, Michael Smith returned from a trip out of the country and checked his mailbox, finding a package from his old friend, Roy Montgomery. Looking at the files in the package and Roy's letter of explanation, he knew that Roy had left him in a precarious position. The man named in the files was a powerful man, and from what he read, a merciless one as well. When he checked the backlog of newspapers the doorman had held for him, he was shocked at the front page story that told him his friend was dead…and even more shocked to learn that the woman Roy had asked him to protect had already been shot by a sniper…at Roy's funeral. He had no desire to be involved, but he owed his friend a big favor, even if Roy was no longer around to know it would be collected. He picked up his phone, thought better of it, and took a burner phone from his desk drawer. After a deep, resigned breath, he called the United States congressional offices and asked to speak to the man with whom Roy had asked him to make a bargain for Beckett's safety. He wondered how Roy Montgomery, a young man he had known as such a sensible human being, had managed to get himself into such a disastrous situation.

xxxxx

Around noon, Castle was talking LT and Vasquez and saw a new pair of familiar faces coming toward them…Lupinski and Demming.

Demming started the conversation saying, "If either of you doesn't want me here, I can have a replacement take over in a few minutes; but I wanted to help out."

"We both appreciate that. I'll be sure Kate knows you're both here," Castle answered, shaking his hand. "Thanks for offering the option, though." He shook Lupinski's hand as well and thanked him for being there.

"How is she?" Demming asked.

"Progressing slowly. In a lot of pain, but facing it head on. The doctor seems satisfied."

"Hell of a thing," Lupinski said, shaking his head. Shooting her in front of that many cops."

"Sends a hell of a message, too. Whoever hired the shooter must be damned sure of himself." Anger was creeping into Castle's voice.

"How are _you_ holding out?" Lupinski asked.

"As long as they let me stay with her…"

"You ready to take over or you want to get some coffee or something?" LT asked the two newcomers, giving Castle a moment to get past the feelings that were obvious to the two people at the door.

"We stopped for coffee on the way, so we're ready," Lupinski told him.

"Okay, then we'll fill you in and be on our way," Vasquez answered before turning to Castle. "You remember, Castle…she needs anything, you call…after she's home, too."

"I will. Thanks guys."

The two officers each lifted a hand in parting as he opened the door to his wife's room and closed it behind him. Castle sat and half dozed in his chair, and Kate woke slowly about fifteen minutes later.

Castle's head bounced up after he nodded off again, and he saw his wife smiling at him. "Are you watching me sleep, Mrs. Castle?"

"Never gets old," she answered. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He stood and leaned over the bed to kiss her. "Water?"

She nodded, and he took care of that. "Do you want to hold it? Am I hovering too much?"

"Let me do it next time." In frustration, she took in a deeper breath than she had since the surgery, and she winced in response. "It's sad when taking a deep breath or holding my own water glass feels like a victory."

"You've got this, Kate. One small victory at a time. But it's probably going to tax your patience."

"It's probably going to tax your patience, too. You know patience isn't my best virtue."

"Not touching that," he answered mischievously.

"Good plan." Pausing a moment, she said, "I should try sitting more upright again."

"Do you want help?"

"I need to do it myself. You'll just have to let me gripe and whine while I get there."

"Okay. Just tell me if there's something I can do."

She nodded, reached the short distance to where Castle had left the control on her good side, and raised the upper part of the bed a little at a time. When she had finally reached where she wanted to be and adjusted to a tolerable position, she had cried out quietly and whimpered a few times, and there were tears in her eyes…and threatening in Castle's.

"I hate seeing you in pain," he told her.

"I know, but I need to do it on my own. I know you want to call a nurse for pain meds, but if I'm going to hurt for a while, I need to work up to tolerating it."

"Yeah. But if I could get in there and do it for you, I would."

Before long, Kenny came in to change the dressings on Kate's incisions, which required more extremely uncomfortable moving on Kate's part. Castle asked to watch what Kenny was doing, saying he wanted to be able to change the bandages without causing her too much discomfort when she got was back home. He watched as Kenny first changed the dressing on the large incision around her side, and he listened as he was told what to look for in terms of possible problems. Then the nurse took care of the area around the chest tubes and changed the dressing on the bullet's entry wound on her chest.

"I'm lucky to still have her," Castle observed quietly after seeing all the wounds.

"You're definitely lucky to still have her," Kenny agreed seriously.

"Thanks for the instructions."

"No problem. Anything else you want to know, just ask."

"He's never been shy about that," Kate assured him, looking uncomfortable, both in terms of pain and in terms of Castle seeing her wounds.

Kenny smiled at her comment. "Now that you're awake and alert, we're going to set up your pain medication so you have control of when you want to use it," he told her. "You're getting it for a reason, so use it when you need it. It's set up so you don't get too much at a time, and it's timed between doses so you can't use it too often. I'll be back in a minute with what I need to set it up." He left, planning to be right back. Before he could get back, though, he was called to help another nurse with a more critical situation involving another patient. That time gave Kate and her husband time to have a necessary conversation.

"Are you okay?" Castle asked. "Well, at least sort of okay? It looked like that hurt."

"It did."

"Do you need anything?"

"I'm cold. A hug would be nice, but that would hurt, too."

"Kenny should be back any minute. We'll ask him for an extra blanket. Maybe I could sit beside you, and you can lean on me. You think that would work? It isn't quite a hug, but I could hold your hand."

"Sounds nice."

"Yeah, it does."

Kate was quiet for a long moment, then said quietly, "I'm gonna have scars, Rick. Judging from the size of that first bandage, one of them is going to be big and ugly. The others won't look too good, either."

"I don't care about the scars. I still have you."

"But…"

"But nothing. You don't seriously think it's going to matter to me, do you?"

"I don't know. No. I think I know you better than that."

"You think? Is that a little doubt I hear, Mrs. Castle? 'Cause I just saw what's under those bandages. It won't get any worse than that…and you notice I'm not running for the hills. I'll tell you what. After the scars have faded and they aren't looking too angry, you can decide what you want to do. If you want it _for yourself_ , we can find the best plastic surgeon in New York and see what can be done. But if you consider it because you think _I'd_ want you to, don't. You don't need to go through another surgery for me. I love you; and with or without scars, you're the only woman I want." After she looked at him more insecurely than usual, he asked, "If I had a heart attack and had to have bypass surgery, would you love me any less or look for somebody else if I had a big scar down the middle of my chest?"

"No," she answered emphatically.

"Then you should understand."

"Okay," she answered appreciatively, "I got it." Then she paused briefly and said, "God, I love you."

He got up from his chair, scraping it a bit on the floor when he stood, kissed her forehead, then her lips, and got a little hum in response.

"How is Alexis doing? Did she seem worried about her exams?"

"You remembered that?" he asked standing next to her bed and taking her hand in his, elbows resting on the side rails. "You sounded so sleepy when she was here that I wondered if you would. She said the two today were the easy ones. She should be finished by now and could barely wait to get here to see you afterward. She's been wearing the ring you gave her at our wedding ever since she got home yesterday, and I doubt it's coming off again until you're better."

"You spent some time with her last night?"

"Yeah. I took good care of our girl for you."

"Who took care of you, Rick? I'm not there. I can't take care of you right now. And you always take care of everybody else first."

"Neither Mother nor Alexis have complained about how much time I'm spending here because they know that's what I'm doing…taking care of me."

"And how is that? By sitting in uncomfortable chairs for hours at a time, taking a shower in a little hospital bathroom…all to be able to visit me for ten or fifteen minutes at the most?"

"I'm here seeing that you're alive and improving, seeing what's being done for you, being close by if anything happens... That takes care of me. I need to be close…to see for myself that I didn't lose you."

"Rick…"

"I've never seen you accept help when you need it for yourself. Part of it is the stoic cop thing, and part of it is just Kate and everything she's been through. And God forbid you'd consider asking anybody for help. You don't even ask your dad for much of that. But you trust _me_ when you need somebody…ask _me_ for what you need. Do you have any idea how special it makes me feel to know that, as strong and independent a woman as you are, you chose me to be allowed to see you when you aren't as strong as you always look? To be the one you trust when you need someone…to be the one you spend your life with?" He paused for a moment, drew in a deep breath, and finished his thought. "You're still taking care of me, Sweetheart."

"Move that rail down and sit with me. I don't care if it hurts."

He chuckled and lowered the guard rail on her good side. Then he sat down gently on the side of the bed, put one hand at the top of the mattress to avoid moving her more than necessary or putting any weight against her, and kissed her cheek.

"I want to go home. Maybe after they take these tubes out, I'll stage a breakout."

"You can't do that."

"Why not?"

"You have no clothes here."

"Hmmmm… I guess wearing a bloody uniform in the halls might upset people when I leave."

"You don't have a uniform, either. Just that hospital gown. You'd have to go on the run with that sexy little butt hanging out."

"Did you take my uniform home, too?"

"Ummmm…just the medals," he answered hesitantly. "They cut your uniform away when they took you to trauma, but they made sure to save the medals."

"Oh."

There was silence for a moment, as the significance of that statement permeated the atmosphere around them, and then he removed the cannula from her nose, pushed it down under her chin, and kissed her long and slow…and very gently.

When he heard Kenny opening the door and coming in offering explanations and apologies, he quickly as possible moved the cannula back to her nose, and they smirked at each other like teenagers who just missed getting caught by their parents.

"It might not be a good idea to sit on her bed yet, Mr. Castle," the nurse told him. "I'll need you to move so I can set this up. This will give Mrs. Castle a little more control of pain."

Castle stood and moved out of the way. "She'll like that. I married a control freak."

"He feels safe way over there," Kate teased.

Kenny grinned at the exchange as he worked. "You can have clear liquids again. Would you like broth, juice, a soft drink…maybe jello?"

"The broth was good. Justine said I might get some crackers this time?"

"And she's been cold," Castle added. "Could we have an extra blanket?"

"No problem. I won't be so long this time," he said as he left.

"You should go home tonight and sleep in a bed," Kate told her husband."

"Nope. I brought clean clothes, a notebook and pens, and my iPod and iPad. The doctor said I could stay as long as we could both stand all the togetherness, and you said 'For better or for worse'; so you're stuck with me. I'm moving in."

"I suppose worse things could happen."

In response to her concern when Kenny brought what passed as Kate's meal, Castle promised her he'd get something for himself while she slept. Kenny left the room and closed the door, and she ate as she talked to Castle.

xxxxx

Lupinski and Demming watched as a colorfully dressed woman confidently walked in their direction. Suddenly Demming asked "Is that Martha Rodgers?"

"Sure is."

"My parents never missed anything she did. They took me along a few times when I was old enough. She's good. Wonder what she's doing here?"

"You didn't know? That's Castle's mother."

"And who's the good-looking redhead with her?"

"Castle's daughter, Alexis. From what I understand, he raised her on his own after his first wife walked out on them."

"Wow. Must have been tough. How old is she?"

Lupinski laughed. "High school, so watch it." Taking a good look at the man beside him, he asked, "You really thought there wasn't much to Castle, didn't you, Kid?"

"Maybe."

"When I first got here, I had my doubts as to why they kept him around, too, but he's a good guy. I've worked with him a couple of times, and he'd have made a good detective. Hey, Ms. Rodgers," Lupinski greeted Martha as she arrived within earshot. "I'm Detective Lupinski from the twelfth."

"Ah, yes. One of the helicopter pilots if I remember correctly."

"Not one of my best work moments, I'm afraid."

"I imagine my father had something to do with that," Alexis chimed in.

"Well, it _was_ his helicopter."

"And you are?" Martha asked Demming.

"Detective Tom Demming. Nice to meet you, Ma'am. I come from a family of your fans."

"It's always nice to meet someone who enjoys my work. Thank you both for keeping watch over my daughter-in-law," she said, shaking their hands. "I'm not sure what any of us would do without her."

"Is it okay for us to go in now?" Alexis asked hopefully.

"Of course. Sorry to hold you up," Demming answered as he opened the door for them.

After the door closed, Demming asked Lupinski, "You're a helicopter pilot? Castle owns a helicopter?"

Lupinski laughed again. "One of those remote control jobs. Beckett gave it to him for Christmas, and he brought it with him."

"He flew a toy helicopter around at work?"

"It was Christmas Day. Beckett had volunteered for Christmas Day duty before they got married, and he came and spent the day with us. He found a place that was open on Christmas and had 'em deliver food, too. All the work got done, but it still felt like a holiday. He flew us an announcement that there was food in the break room. Perfect landing right on my desk. Then he let some of us fly it, too." Lupinski smiled at the memory.

Demming laughed. "And you said _Beckett_ bought it for him?"

"That's what he said. She even took a turn flying it."

"Beckett? At work?"

"Only that once. It was pretty slow that morning."

Demming smiled and shook his head in disbelief. "I'm kind of sorry I missed all that."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

"Kate, you're sitting up," Alexis squealed quietly. "Does that mean you're getting better?"

"It at least means I'm awake enough to talk to you this time."

Martha swooped in after stopping to talk to the two men on watch in the hall. "There's my darling girl," she said as she entered the room and closed the door, leaving the two detectives at the door smiling at the completely unexpected and un-Beckett-as-they-know-her greeting.

Alexis leaned over the bed and kissed Kate's head, being careful not to jostle her as she did, and Martha followed with a kiss of her own. Alexis then walked around the bed to hug her father and stood with him on Kate's less injured side.

"We met Schlemming," Martha told her son quietly enough she was sure no one outside the door would hear…and with a good deal of mischief in her tone.

"Shlemming?" Kate asked, also quietly, in response to Martha, but looking puzzled as to why.

"Demming and Lupinski are on watch this afternoon, Castle answered. "I told them I'd let you know. Demming offered to leave if either of us would rather he not be here."

"That was unnecessary. Nice of him, though. "But Schlemming?"

"A character briefly mentioned in the next book," Alexis answered,

"Richard Castle, you'll take that out," Kate demanded. "It just makes you look childish."

"I'll think about it," he answered, sounding both unconvincing and remorseless.

"We'll talk about it at home," she promised ominously. Then, turning back to her stepdaughter, she moved her hand where it was easy for Alexis to take it. As Castle had told her, Alexis was wearing the opal ring, and Kate brushed her thumb across it a couple of times.

"I love you, too," Alexis responded.

"How were the exams?"

"Good. I think you'll be proud."

"I imagine I will. And about being proud. Don't be too proud to ask for a little scheduling leeway if you need it. You've worked hard enough without ever asking for favors that they'll know you aren't using this as an excuse to slack off. Your dad tells me the school is willing to work with you. I know I had you distracted for the last few days. I'm sorry it's affecting your schoolwork."

"Affecting my school… Kate, you were shot! You almost died!" Alexis sputtered. "That deserved my full attention."

"She's absolutely right, Darling," Martha pitched in. "We're just happy that psychopath didn't do his job as well as he might have."

"I think that may have been your son's doing, Martha," Kate speculated.

"But I heard the shot just before he tried to push you out of the way."

"The longer I stay awake, the more I remember. I know Rick's tells; and as I was speaking, I could see out of the corner of my eye that he was antsy about something. I turned a little toward him to see what was wrong just before I felt the shot." Turning her head toward her husband, she asked, "What was that about, Rick? I just remembered that this morning, but we had other things to talk about then."

"I saw a glint of some kind from a row of tombstones a good distance away from us…like sunlight reflecting off metal, and it didn't feel like it belonged there. By the time I realized what it probably was, it was too late. If I'd figured it out a few seconds sooner…."

"If you'd figured it out a couple of seconds earlier, he probably would have shot _you_. The fact that you knew to be worried about it is the reason I turned, and probably the reason he didn't kill me right then. You have nothing to be sorry for." She paused for a moment and added, "Except for moving in front of what could have easily been a second bullet and scaring your family out of their minds."

"Amen to all of that," Martha answered.

Alexis just nodded and held Kate's hand a little tighter. "I know it's going to take a long time for you to be better, and I'm so sorry you have to go through all this pain to get there; but at least we still get to take you home and help. It's going to be so good to have you back with us, even if you can't do much at first. It doesn't feel right without you anymore."

"I'll be glad to get there, too."

"This morning, she threatened to break out of here," Castle reported.

"Tattle-tale," his wife answered.

Martha chuckled. "Nice fantasy, Dear, but we all know you wouldn't get as far as the next corner of the hall right now. You behave yourself, and we'll be here when they release you to help you escape with the doctor's blessings."

"Somebody's always bursting my bubble," Kate complained good-naturedly.

"Is there anything you need from home, Kate?"

"Clothes? When I do get out of here, I'll need something to wear."

"Anything in particular?" Alexis asked.

"Knit pants and a soft, loose knit shirt. I doubt I'll be able to wear anything else for the next few weeks. And a wrap of some kind. It gets cold in here now and then."

"I'll bring it tomorrow."

"Thank you." Kate squeezed her hand weakly, but it was a little better than the last time.

"The doctor gave me permission to stay with Kate as long as we could stand each other."

"And I'm sure you took that as an invitation to invade the poor girl's room for the duration," Martha answered.

"Yes, but I prefer to think of it as living with my wife."

"Of course you do, Dad. Just don't drive her crazy. We expected you'd be here as long as they let you."

"You don't mind if he stays?" Kate asked.

"If he didn't, he'd be at home driving us crazy worrying about you. Better you than us," Alexis answered with a mischievous grin.

"I'm beginning to feel unwanted," they heard from the only male voice in the room. "I hate to make this such a short visit, but Kate has been awake and sitting up for longer than usual this morning, and I can tell she's in pain. We should probably let her get some sleep."

"It's okay, Kate. We'll come back tomorrow about the same time, and I'll bring you something warm to wrap around your shoulders. Is there anything else you want?"

"My Kindle. As I get more comfortable, I might want to read."

"We'll take care of it," Martha promised. "I'll put together a bag for you while Alexis studies."

"I want to hug you both, but I can't yet. I'll try to save up my energy tomorrow so we can have a longer visit."

"Darling, the fact that you aren't arguing with Richard about needing to sleep tells us he's right. Don't give it a second thought."

"Will you see that he eats lunch? I had something just before you got here, but he hasn't had anything yet." Turning to Castle, Kate said, "I'll be fine. Take our family to lunch."

"Shall I?" he asked Kate with his finger on the button to dispense the pain medication. Seeing her nod, he pressed the button, kissed her, and said, "Be right back." After walking Martha and Alexis out, he stopped across the hall and told them, "If you'll sit in the waiting room a few minutes, I'd like to stay long enough to know she's as comfortable as possible and sleeping. I'll meet you there, and we'll go to the cafeteria for lunch."

"Take your time, Richard," Martha answered. "No rush."

"Take care of Kate, Dad. We're not in a hurry," Alexis added and kissed his cheek.

"Thanks, Honey," he answered as he gave her a quick hug, kissed her head, and put a hand appreciatively on his mother's arm before unselfconsciously acknowledging the two men at the door and returning to Kate's room.

"Never had him pegged for such a family man," Demming commented after the door closed.

"Got a good family, too," Lupinski agreed. "They turn up at the precinct now and then. They're a little quirky, maybe, but good people."

When Castle returned to the room, Kate was lowering the bed, and it obviously wasn't comfortable for her to change positions.

"I wish I could help," he said sympathetically.

"I need to figure out the best way to do things, and it's gonna have to hurt while I figure it out." She made a face as she readjusted and settled in, looking worn out.

Castle lowered the guard rail and pulled his chair close enough to sit facing her, rest his forearm on the bed, and hold her hand.

"You're supposed to be eating lunch," she scolded gently.

"Wanted to make sure the new meds set-up is working before I go."

"You should just go. I know how to push the call button."

"Taking care of me, too, remember? Don't fuss."

"'Kay," she answered. "I'm really tired." She looked sleepy already.

"I'll be here until I know you're asleep."

"Love you."

"Love you, too." He lifted her hand and kissed it, and it wasn't long before she was sleeping.

Stopping on the way out, he took coffee orders from the men on watch and promised to bring it back when he returned.

A lunch with his redheads, a delivery of coffee and muffins for the officers standing watch, and a session of writing in his notebook later, the physical therapist came in and woke Kate to work with her on things that would improve the use of her lungs. With the other injuries as well, it was painful, but it left her feeling that she had done something to help herself. Castle was in awe of that part of her nature. He was sure he would have been simply feeling sorry for himself.

Lanie came to visit after Kate's next nap and was overjoyed to see her sitting up and more alert than before.

"I checked with Castle yesterday when I had time to get here, but you were asleep. I figured you needed it, so I settled for a report instead. What have they told you today?"

"Dr. Kovaks said I can stay with her full time," Castle reported with a satisfied smile.

"Looks like I have a roommate," she told Lanie with an eye roll; but there was so much affection in her voice that the eye roll was pretty effectively negated.

"I can see how much that upsets you," Lanie shot back sarcastically. "You gonna let me take a look at the incisions…make sure they look okay?"

"You can check the one on my chest, but the rest hurt too much. I had a PT session not too long ago, and I'm almost comfortable again right now."

"I think almost is about as good as it gets so far," Castle added sympathetically.

"Castle, can we have a little girl time? Could you get some coffee or something?" Lanie asked.

He looked at Kate, who nodded. "Go ahead," she told him. "You need to get out of here now and then. Stretch your legs. This furniture isn't meant for a man your size. Maybe you should take a walk and get some fresh air."

"There are still reporters hanging out in the fresh air. Not as many, but they're still lurking."

"Reporters?"

"Yeah. You've been big news, Girl," Lanie informed her. "Major coverage on every station for a couple of days. You were breaking news…things being interrupted to talk about it," Lanie told her. "Your face is still turning up in that endless cycle on the twenty-four hour news stations, and it comes up for mention on the network news, too. It's like at Cheers. Everybody knows your name."

Kate groaned. "Great. Why didn't you tell me that?" she asked Castle accusingly.

"Well, the first couple of days I wasn't allowed to stay that long, and you weren't exactly awake enough to take it in…and really, what difference would it have made for you to know? You know what? I'm thinking you two need that girl time. Coffee sounds pretty good." He leaned over and kissed her head, whispering, "Love you."

He got a loving look in return and knew his wife wasn't really upset with him. "I'll be back in a little bit," he promised before he left.

"Now, let me see that chest wound," Lanie insisted, pulling gently at the bandages. She stared for a moment before speaking again. "Damn, Kate. They must have you on their list of miracle patients. Taken in overall context you understand, you're one lucky woman. Not just that you're still talking to us, but to have a good chance of getting back to normal…" She replaced the dressing on the wound and leaned to press her cheek against her friend's, the closest thing to a hug that wouldn't cause Kate pain. "I was so scared."

"I'm not okay now, Lanie; but the doctor says, barring complications, if I do the work, I should be."

Lanie surreptitiously wiped some bits of moisture from her cheeks and around her eyes. "I hear Writer-Boy has been here almost as much as you have."

Kate nodded. "I've told you, it's Writer- _Man_." Lanie slid into her raised eyebrow, innuendo face, and Kate smiled. "Well, that, too, but it's more… He's always there when I need him. Martha and Alexis and I give him a hard time about being more of a kid than Alexis, but it doesn't take being around us long to know he's the backbone of this family…of _our_ family. We're an eclectic blend, but we make a family that works. He's exactly what you told me he'd be."

"Did I just hear Detective Kate Beckett admit that I was right?"

"Shut up," Kate answered with a self-conscious grin. "Yeah, you were right. He's the best thing that ever happened to me. I'll owe you forever for pushing the two of us to fix the mess I made."

"Hey, he has to take some of the blame, too. I'm just glad you both finally got your heads on straight. I've never seen you so happy. Even sitting here in pain, you look at him, and…" Lanie sighed. "I hope I find that someday."

They talked about work and the fact that the shooter hadn't been caught…about Castle's reaction to the discussion about scars, about going home again and PT and security…about Castle wanting to support her dad. By the time they had covered Lanie's issues about Esposito…both pros and cons…Castle was back.

He peeked in the door mischievously, asking, "Is it safe? Should I find something else to do?"

"No. Come on in, Writer-Man," Lanie answered.

"Writer- _Man_? Do I detect a promotion?"

"Yeah. Not going to swell your head with all the reasons, but yeah. You earned it."

"Hey," he said looking at Kate.

"Hey."

"Thanks for the girl time, Castle. I'm gonna go now so your wife feels free to gaze at you like you personally hung the moon just for her. If I weren't so glad to see the two of you this happy together, I might be a little disgusted." She grabbed Castle's shirt sleeve and pulled him over toward her until she could reach his cheek to plant a kiss there. "And thanks for being everything my girl needs. You're a good man, Richard Castle."

"I don't know what brought that on, but thank you. I'll just enjoy knowing I passed muster."

"'Night, Kate. I'll be back when I can. Get some rest before your dad gets here." She leaned to press her cheek against Kate's once more before she breezed out."

"You did say my dad is coming tonight, didn't you?" Kate asked Castle.

"Yeah. He'll be here after dinner. He's been putting in some time at work in the afternoons the last couple of days. He's staying with us at the loft for a while."

"Really?" Kate seemed surprised. "He agreed to that?"

"He did. He saw through my invitation, but he took it anyway…said maybe company wasn't a bad idea. He's determined not to let you down again."

"I knew you wanted to support him, but thanks for keeping him from feeling alone. I know this is hard for him, and I'd worry about him being alone with it."

"A man is supposed to take care of his family. That's just how it is. It helps you not worry, too. Neither of you needs any extra stress right now. And Alexis loves having him around. They do their hot cocoa thing and talk."

"How do you know? I can't even get you to go home and sleep in an actual bed."

"I call all of them while you're sleeping. You still do enough of that for me to find times that work with everybody's schedules."

"I hate that you're being pulled in so many directions."

"You and I both have times like that. Too many irons in the fire. Right now, though, I have everybody's permission to slow down. There are always priorities, and my priority now is you. If Alexis were hurt, or mother were sick, you'd have to get in line…and I know you would understand. This shouldn't be on your worry list. Your only concern should be getting better."

"Okay," she answered, and yawned, then winced.

"You and Lanie had a pretty long girlie session," he said, smiling as he pulled his chair up next to her bed and handed her the water glass. "I can tell you're hurting. Push the button and let the meds help you sleep. You'll feel more up to seeing your dad tonight."

"Then I'll leave you totally bored instead of mostly bored."

"I have a couple of notebooks. I'm getting some writing done while you sleep, too."

"Does Nikki get shot in this book?" she asked hesitantly.

"No."

Something in the look on his face didn't add up, and she asked, "What aren't you saying?"

"Always detecting, aren't you?"

"So?"

"It's Rook…he's the one."

"Why?"

"Because I can't write hurting you like this. I…"

"I get it, but it's gonna be hard to read. I don't want to even imagine watching you go through this."

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, then readjusted the chair and leaned his head against the head of her bed, the closest he could get to her without causing her pain. She turned her head to kiss his cheek, and he kissed her lips gently, their unspoken conversation enough for both of them. He released the medication for her, and they both eventually dozed for a while before someone brought her dinner. Dinner was nothing heavy, but a little more substantial than her last meal.

Castle stayed and talked to Jim for a few minutes before he deferred to some dad/daughter time for his wife and went to find his own dinner elsewhere. Kate fell asleep not long after her father left, and Castle turned out the light and took his bag into the bathroom. He washed his face, brushed his teeth, and changed into a T-shirt for sleeping.

That done, he went back and tucked the blankets a little higher on his sleeping wife and contemplated his own sleep. He had snagged an extra chair when Jim visited, so he took a deep, resigned breath and was about to arrange the second chair to prop his feet in when Justine arrived. "Impressive arms, there, Mr. Castle," she said with motherly mischief as she busied about. "Why aren't you home where there's a bed? You don't really intend to sleep in that chair, do you?"

"I'm here because my wife is here. And yes, I do." Looking at the two chairs, he added, "Can't say I'm excited about it, though." Do you suppose you could find me a blanket and a pillow?"

"I think I can manage that."

"And she's only been asleep about thirty minutes. She had PT and several visitors today, and she was exhausted. Whatever it was you were going to do, could it wait a little while?"

"Checking vitals. I can give her a little more time. Be right back with blankets." She returned shortly with a pillow and two light blankets. "Tomorrow I'll see that there's a reclining chair in here. This isn't normally an ICU room, so it should have one anyway."

"Thanks, Justine. See you later."

The nurse stood with one hand on her hip and watched as Castle adjusted the chairs close to Kate's bed and sat down.

"Must be love," she observed. "I can't think of another reason for that." Then she turned and left him to work it out.

xxxxx

The following morning's rounds were eventful. The doctor was encouraging. The hated chest tube was removed. The catheter was also removed, which meant Kate would have to be out of bed now and then.

Justine, true to her word, had a much more comfortable chair delivered to the room early in the day, telling Castle he had to share it with the patient. Kate would be gaining some mobility in the next few days and should be out of bed more. After taking two more of her final exams that morning, Alexis returned to the hospital with Martha, bringing Kate the things they promised and visiting a bit longer than the day before.

When Kate needed the bathroom the first time, Castle insisted on learning how to help her out of bed with the least amount of stress to her injuries; and the next time, he helped her without calling the nurse. The process worked well in general; but by the time they got there, Castle could barely restrain himself from trying to hold her up entirely. Kate was a little grumpy from the pain and difficulty of movement, as well as from the overly careful attention. He stood with her in front of the toilet and asked, "Do you need any more help?"

She looked at him and snarked, "I'm here, the back of this hospital gown is already open. "Are you gonna try to pee for me, too?"

Holding his hands in front of him as if in surrender, he answered, "Okay. Hovering again. Got it. Closing the door. Let me know if you need help getting up."

"It may not be fun, but I can get up, Castle. There's nothing wrong with my legs."

"Nope. Can't argue with that. Undoubtedly the finest legs I've ever seen."

"Out, Rick. I gotta pee."

Hearing his first name told him he'd softened his wife's mood. Castle closed the door with a grin, turned to lean against the wall and wait for her, and encountered an amused Kenny peeking around the door.

"I did knock first, but I guess you were distracted," Kenny told him.

"Very independent woman," he explained to the nurse with a little smirk.

"Rick, I know you're still out there," Kate called a couple of minutes later. "You can open this heavy door if you want."

Castle heard the water running as she washed her hands, which took longer than usual, and opened the door as soon as the water stopped. He provided the support he was instructed to provide as Kate returned to the bed, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "Helicopter husband."; but the snark was missing, and there might have been a little hint of a smile.

"You two are fun," Kenny commented as he went about the tasks he came to take care of.

The rest of the day was encouraging. Kate seemed a bit more comfortable, and the added mobility seemed to be enough of a personal challenge to make the discomfort it caused worth her efforts.

That night, Justine was thanked once again for arranging for the more comfortable chair. When she entered the room during the night to attend to her duties, she found Castle asleep with his chair aligned next to Kate's bed, her bed adjusted to a height that allowed him to comfortably rest his arm on the bed and hold her hand. The nurse smiled at one of her all-time favorite couples and after a moment of taking in the scene, she gently roused her patient.

That was the way she found them sleeping for the duration of Kate's stay.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Castle had just emerged from the bathroom, freshly showered and shaved about the time Kate woke up.

"Help me to the bathroom?" she requested, and he did…reluctantly shoving aside his tendency to be overzealous in helping, and allowing her to do as much as possible on her own.

"How long have I been here?" she asked as they walked.

"This is day five."

"Rick, why don't you go home and get some sleep in a real bed? I'm sure Martha and Alexis would stay with me for a while, and Kenny and Justine are great. They'll take good care of me."

"When I go home, I'm taking you with me. Until then, I'm here."

"You're being unreasonable."

"Go on. Do what you need to do, then we can talk. If you need… Never mind. I'll wait out here and be available for the heavy door."

She tugged at his shirt gently to get him to bend slightly and kissed his cheek appreciatively. "Thank you."

"Do you want me to leave?" he asked as they walked back. "I know I get carried away now and then. Is it too much…having me here every waking moment? You can tell me if it is. I won't be insulted." He paused a moment and grinned. "I promise not to try to pee for you or anything."

Kate grinned back. "I get grumpy sometimes. You've been really sweet about that."

"I think you've earned the right to be grumpy now and then. So would it help you be less grumpy if I went home for a while? I'll go if you want some space."

After he helped her ease back into the bed, she asked, "You really don't want to go, do you?"

He shook his head.

"It's comforting having you here. I just feel guilty that you have to sleep in an uncomfortable chair and eat hospital cafeteria food…and be trapped in this room…and apparently have to dodge reporters…"

"Hey, I still get the easy part. You're the one recovering from a sniper bullet…and with a lot of grace and courage, I might add. I'm so impressed with your strength…always have been." He gently sat down on the side of the bed on her good side. "Is there anything I can do…anything I can get you that would help you feel better?"

"Not much. Everything between my waist and my shoulders hurts, when I move…and it hurts to take a deep breath. I'm sick of this thing in my nose…and having an IV follow me everywhere. And I'm soooooo jealous of your showers. You're all clean and I just feel…icky. The little bird baths Justine gives me don't leave me feeling clean for more than a few minutes. I splashed some water on my face and dried it…mostly. One handed doesn't work too well." She stopped her rant for a moment before picking it up again. "And I want clean hair. That shower cap thing with the waterless shampoo wasn't much help. It still feels gross." She looked over at him and said, "See? Not much you can do."

Castle kissed her hand in sympathy, then he leaned over to pick up his iPad to check online. After scrolling down the page he found, he said excitedly, "Look at this." And he showed her a picture of an inflatable sink sort of contraption designed to be used for bedridden patients. "That should work. I could at least wash your hair. Don't know about a shower, though. The incisions…"

"I'll settle for bird baths and clean hair. At least I've had a couple of clean hospital gowns."

"Let me call Mother. Alexis has her last exam this morning and she and Mother are coming to see you after that. I know where there's a home care medical supply store. We used to pass it when I'd pick Alexis up from school. I went in once out of curiosity…thought it might provide useful information if one of my characters needed such things. You wouldn't believe the things they have." Checking his iPad again, he said. "Good. It's still there."

Kate watched her husband's excitement and smiled as he put his plans together.

"Mother can pick one up if they have it…or find out where to get one if they don't. Maybe they can bring one when they come."

She may have something else to do, you know."

"No. She's cleared her schedule for a couple of weeks to be around for Alexis…and you. She loves you, Kate. All we have to do is ask. She's willing. Or it's something your dad could do if he wants. They're all in the same house. They'll figure it out for us. And maybe we could manage to shower your lower half. But they probably wouldn't want us to do that."

"Do we have to tell them? Can't we be sneaky and try it? I hurt anyway. I might as well feel clean while I do."

Her sound of desperation brought a chuckle from her husband. "I know you're still in pain, and we'd have to take the IV. It would be an interesting shower."

"Please?"

"Let me think about how. We know we can at least get your hair clean." Then Castle was on the phone and talking to Martha, giving her details, texting a link, and making suggestions that included Jim. He was assured they would arrive with what he needed, and he turned to his wife looking very pleased with himself.

"You are less than half a day from clean hair, and maybe…no promises, less than two hours from at least half a shower, but we should wait until the doctor has been here on rounds. And we'll figure out how to make the other half of you feel cleaner."

"You're amazing."

"Yeah, you're lucky on that score, right?" he teased with a self-satisfied grin. Watching her face, he said, "I'm also safe. You can't grab my ear or throw something at me 'cause you'd hurt yourself."

She just smiled at him. "Don't even want to. I love you, Richard Castle."

"I love you, too, Mrs Castle."

"The incisions are healing well, your breathing well." Kate's doctor told her when he came in later. "Looks like you're handling the mobility well. Are you doing your PT…the breathing…"

"Faithfully," Kate assured him, and Castle nodded in agreement.

"I'd like to keep you here another couple of days to be on the safe side, get another x-ray, run a couple of tests to be sure; but I think we can consider letting you go home after that. You've made a lot of progress in the last few days."

"So I could go home day after tomorrow?"

"As long as nothing new surfaces, probably no longer than the day after that. We'll see."

"Thank you, Doctor. We're both anxious to get home," Castle said.

"We just want to be sure your wife is ready for that, Mr. Castle."

"Of course," Castle answered, reaching to shake his hand. "And until then, you're stuck with both of us."

"Worse things have happened," the doctor responded with a smile and shook Castle's hand. "See you tomorrow," he said to Kate, and she nodded as he left.

Kenny was there soon after the doctor left. He was planning to change the bandages, but Castle stopped him. "Could you wait until later for that?" he asked. "And maybe find us a couple of extra towels and a wash cloth...and a clean hospital gown. Kate really wants a bath, and I'd like to help her with it. I know you have other patients to attend to. I have more time than you do. Would you change the dressings after she feels cleaner?"

"I don't mind doing that, but I thought Justine..."

"She's doing everything she's supposed to, but have you ever gone several days on bird baths?" Kate asked. "I never feel entirely clean. There's no substitute for real soap and water. "I'll make sure he doesn't make a mess," she promised with a smile.

"Sure. I can do that. Be right back." He left and returned with towels, a wash cloth, a fresh gown, and a mildly concerned look.

"You showed him how to change the bandages and let him change the big one under your supervision, and you've seen him help me out of the bed and across the room. Have you seen him do anything that looked even vaguely like he might not be cautious with me?" Kate asked. "The worst that's likely to happen is that the sheets get wet and have to be changed."

"They're due for that anyway," Kenny conceded.

"And, Kenny… Could you keep this between us? The people standing watch at the door…they're all people we work with…people we trust, who care about us. They all know we're married and have seen each other naked, but to know it's happening on the other side of the door, just behind their backs… That could be awkward for all of us. My wife has earned every ounce of the full respect she commands on the job. You haven't seen her in action, but it's an awesome sight; and I don't want it tested if a little gossip about her husband and a bath is carelessly mentioned at the precinct. This is only for her comfort and peace of mind, not…"

"I get it, Mr. Castle. Not a word."

"So we can have some privacy for a little while?"

"Yeah. I get that, too. I'll be sure to knock first when I come back,"

"Thank you." Castle extended his hand, and Kenny shook it. A small show of respect between them.

When Kenny went back to the nurse's station, where he knew the officers at the door across from them could probably hear some of their conversation, the word "bath" wasn't mentioned; but he looked like he had something on his mind. Another nurse at the station watched him work for a few minutes before she finally asked, "Anything wrong? Is everything okay with Mrs. Castle?"

"What? Oh, yeah. She's fine. Well, as fine as she can be right now. It's the two of them…the way they take care of each other. He could go home where it's comfortable…sleep in a bed…relax…then come for long visits, but he won't leave her. She should be worrying about getting better, but she's after him to go get something to eat or get some sleep at home for a little while…to take care of himself. They joke and tease and gripe at each other, or about each other; but…I don't know. There's something there you don't usually see."

"You mean they're really in love?" the woman teased, faking a swooning look.

Kenny grinned at her antics, swatted her arm, and then looked serious again. "It's more than that. He has so much respect for her. Maybe that's it. They have that kind of respect for each other…as well as being so in love." He copied her fake swoon, then he paused and chuckled. "I'm learning a lot from being around them. My girlfriend is gonna be glad I met them."

"Maybe I should offer my boyfriend to help out in there for a while," the woman answered with a grin.

Answering the sound from the call button in one of the rooms, Kenny said, "Be right there." Then turning back to his colleague, he said, "Gonna go see what Mrs. Yates wants. I wish she had somebody like Mr. Castle. She's such a sweetheart."

Castle went to the side of the bed to be there when Kate got up. At this point, though, his independent wife was insisting on doing most of the work herself, and he was there more for back-up. It took a little longer; but she approached it as a personal challenge, and he wouldn't take that from her. That independent drive would be her saving grace in getting back to normal eventually.

Once she was standing, he asked conspiratorily, "Are you ready for your secret shower?" and dropped a gentle little kiss on her lips.

"Sorry it can't be one of those showers we really enjoy," she answered, returning his kiss.

While he was standing close enough to kiss her, he carefully reached behind her, under her hospital gown, and squeezed one cheek. "Don't worry about that," he assured her as he patted the other one. "We'll get back to that when you're up to it. But you didn't seriously think I'd do this without copping a few feels, did you? Taking care of me, too, remember?"

"It didn't occur to me that you'd want to," she answered quietly, looking down. "I'm not too desirable right now."

"Have more faith in me, Kate…and in yourself. I hope you're not thinking I'd…" He paused a moment and took a deep breath. "Not gonna happen. You're still you, and I still want to touch you. I just don't want it to hurt you when I do. And think about it. Would I be groping you if I didn't still think you're desirable?"

She leaned her forehead against his shoulder; and when he gently lifted her chin to kiss her, he found tears sliding down her cheeks.

"I didn't mean to make you cry. Did I say something wrong? I meant it all as…

"Happy tears. You said all the things I needed to hear. And I wasn't suggesting... I…" Kate seemed to have run out of words.

"Does that mean I can still cop a couple of feels?" he asked with his little smirk.

"If this still interests you," she answered, sniffling and waving her hand toward herself, "I sure don't have any objections."

"Well, now that that's all settled, let's go find me some opportunities," he answered with appropriate eye-brow wiggling. He picked up the gown and the bath paraphernalia from the foot of the bed as they ambled slowly across the room. Then he took his wife into the bathroom, closed the door, and positioned her where she could safely lean against it if needed as he quickly stripped out of his clothes, leaving them where they wouldn't get wet.

"I really wish I could help you with that," Kate told him, watching him undress.

"We'll put it on your list of goals. We can start one later if you want. It can be really long…full of little things you can have fun checking off."

She smiled, getting into the spirit of the semi-illicit shower and his silly list of goals. "Yeah. That sounds good. Let's start with the shower and the hair washing. Then we'll have something to cross off today." He grinned as he adjusted the temperature of the water. Going to meet her before allowing her to walk over to the now wet tiles, he removed her gown and what she referred to as "the stupid hospital socks," he took the towel from his shower that morning, and dropped it on the floor for her to walk on to get closer to the shower area.

"Come on," he teased. "Shuffle on over here and let's get you feeling clean."

Castle was careful, but still made the bath feel like a game. He got his body wash from the shelf and lathered his wife up to barely above her waist with the soap and washcloth, playing a little bit with that, too, then leisurely sprayed it off as she groaned in satisfaction. He then had her sit on the toilet seat, and he washed her upper half with enough soap and water to make her feel that she'd had a bath, but skirted her bandages as much as possible. After rinsing the soapy parts of him quickly, he dried both of them and helped her into her fresh hospital gown and the non-skid socks and put his clothes back on.

"I can't get used to the shower not having a curtain or wall or anything," he commented as they left the room. "It's like a big shower with a toilet and sink and hamper in it. Weird."

"I don't care. I feel clean…except my hair."

"You kind of smell like me," he commented with one of his little smirks.

"Yeah. Well, as the doctor said, "Worse things have happened."

"Are you tired?"

"Exhausted. Something else for the list. Take a shower without being exhausted from it."

"Why don't you try to take a nap before Mother and Alexis get here?" he asked as he stood by while she maneuvered herself back into the bed.

"Won't be a problem," she assured him.

He put the oxygen cannula back in place and then resituated the IV as she found a position where she could rest. "It's time for pain medicine, isn't it? He asked. "You're not using it as often as you should, you know."

"Probably. But I hate that I need it. Would you do the honors?"

"Sure. Then I'll clean up in the bathroom before I let Kenny know the coast is clear."

"I think he looks up to you."

"For what? I don't remember doing anything impressive since I've been here."

"That's part of the reason it's impressive, Rick. You don't even know you're doing it. It's just being you." She took a deep breath, made a face when it hurt, and closed her eyes. "Thank you for the shower. I feel so much better…all things considered."

"Any time."

"And for keeping me from being all mopey and wallowing in self-pity." There was a little smile on her lips, but her eyes never opened.

Castle smiled, kissed her head, and went to clean up the evidence of a shower. The floor was cursorily dried, and towels were hung on the grab bars, then he got his phone and closed himself in to call his mother with another couple of items to add to the list of things to bring, After checking to see that Kate had fallen asleep as quickly as it looked like she would, he took orders from the two uniforms at the door, spoke to Kenny quietly, and went to treat himself to a good cup of coffee…feeling pleased with his morning's work.

When Kate woke up, Castle was writing again. She watched until he stopped and stretched, then said, sleepily, "Hey. You look busy."

"I finished my chapter while you were sleeping. I'll let it sit a while then take another look at it."

"Do I get to read it?"

"Right now, you get anything you want. Do you really want to forgo the surprise?"

"Maybe."

"You were a big help last summer. Why don't we wait until we're home? It's something we can sit down and do together."

"Can we start my list right now?"

"Let me get the other notebook. I haven't used that one yet." He leaned over the chair arm, dragged his bag over to retrieve the notebook, and asked mischievously. "Do we start with the hair washing or you helping undress me?"

She smiled. His mischief, as usual was contagious. "Let's start with something we can check off today."

They got a few items on the list before Martha, Jim, and Alexis all came in together for a visit, not planning to stay long. Each of them had a shopping bag with things that would contribute to clean hair. Alexis had gathered Kate's shampoo and conditioner, along with her hair dryer and, on a whim, had included her body wash, and lotion. Martha had the inflatable contraption, and Jim had a five gallon bucket, a short hose, and a small pitcher. There was an obvious family effort to make Kate feel better.

When they came in, Castle and Kate were talking, and Castle was writing things down.

When the greetings were done, Alexis asked, "What are you doing?"

"Making a list of things I want to be able to do again so I can start checking things off," Kate answered.

"We're going to make it really long with lots of little things to check off. So far we have clean hair as number one, and to be able to wash her hair herself, to get rid of the IV, to get rid of the oxygen, and to go home."

"I like the last one," Martha commented.

"Me, too," Alexis echoed. "Can we help?"

"Sure. I'm gonna love checking things off." She looked at Castle. "How could I have forgotten? Add drinking coffee." Everybody in the room laughed.

The others started adding things…some silly and some good goals broken into small pieces. As Castle wrote, Alexis unpacked the box Martha had picked up for them. "Looks like somebody has to blow it up," she announced.

"Here, Richard," Martha said, handing the item to her son. "Put some of that hot air to a useful purpose." Castle reacted in mock affront while Jim walked to the chair and took the notebook and pen.

"I'll write. You inflate the sink," he said, amused at the entire process.

Castle vacated the chair to let Jim take over and then started blowing up what turned out to be a soft version of a sink to catch the water, with a section cut out to make a neck rest, and there was a drain with a removable plug.

"This thing looks like it might actually work," Alexis said in surprise.

"I can't wait," Kate answered.

"What did you do this morning?" Martha asked. "Anything exciting to tell us?"

"I figured out how to give Kate a half shower, half bath so she'd feel better. Clean hair ought to be the icing…"

"I don't think my brain needed that thought," Alexis interrupted.

"Mine, either," Jim agreed.

Kate groaned, and Martha just laughed.

"Castle, we forgot taking a shower without being exhausted. Add that one, Dad," Kate said. "The what-happened-this-morning answer for general company, Martha, is that the doctor said I might be able to go home in a couple of days. _Might_ ," she emphasized. "I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but I'll be really disappointed if I can't."

"We all will, Darling," Martha answered, and there were sounds of agreement from the others.

Castle was looking from the "sink" he had just blown up to the box on the foot of Kate's bed. "Jim, you might as well add getting this thing back into that little box when she's better," he remarked.

Kate's lunch was delivered, then all the visitors left and Castle took care of all the things on the lunch tray that required two hands, leaving Kate to handle it from there. She insisted.

"I miss the moments of measured chaos," Kate said with a soft smile when she and Castle were alone again. "Dad seems to enjoy it, too. It's good for both of us to have more family."

"It's been good for us, too."

Looking at his notebook while his wife ate her lunch, Castle smiled. "Our list grew pretty fast. If the whole family is looking at it, I guess we can't include having you help me undress."

"That would probably gross Alexis out."

"Yeah. And make your dad want brain bleach." Picking up his notebook and pen, he said, "Of course, I could go to the back of the book and put it on a new list that we can keep in our room…just for us."

"Do that. And letting Rick get to second base."

"I think we might check that off today. I took a few liberties in the shower," he said with a grin.

"And you were so careful it hardly counted. Not what I had in mind."

"Okay. I'm leaving that for you check off today and adding letting Rick _really_ get to second base for later. We'll think of lots of other things, and I'll type them up when we get home. We can post the family list on the refrigerator, with the understanding that you get the honor of doing the actual checking. We'll keep the other one in the nightstand…for our eyes only."

"I like that. I'll be so glad to get home. I know I'll still hurt for a while, but I want to go home." Kate's eyes were blinking closed now and then.

"That visit wore you out, didn't it?" Castle asked.

"A little bit."

"Then just doze a little while. I might take a little nap, too. Hair washing later." He pulled his chair up next to her bed and they both slept lightly until Kenny knocked before coming in to change the bandages.

"Where did you get that?" Kenny asked, immediately recognizing the inflatable sink. "I haven't seen one of those in a while."

"I looked online and sent the family on a mission. They brought everything I need to wash Kate's hair – carefully, I promise."

"Shampoo cap didn't do it for you, either, huh?" Kenny asked as he worked on the bandages.

"No," Kate answered uncategorically and without further explanation.

"And she has a perfectly good husband available to help out. Might as well make use of him."

"It's never good to leave this one with nothing to do," she teased with a loving look in Castle's direction.

Kenny smiled, appearing to understand the both the love in the teasing and Castle's desire to do something for his wife. When he left, he reminded Castle this was one of the days he wasn't originally scheduled to work. "If you need any help, let me know. I'm just pitching in out here when things get crazy."

"Thanks. I will." Castle answered. After the door closed, he turned to his wife and said, "I know you're not comfortable lying completely flat, but the bed needs to be pretty close to flat. We'll have to figure out how work around that." He said as he picked up the bucket and took it to fill in the bathroom. He placed it beside the bed, put the little pitcher on the bedside table, and asked, "Ready?"

"Do what you have to do. I only need to be okay enough to get through a few minutes."

"And you get to smell like you again. Alexis brought your shampoo and conditioner," he answered as he lowered the upper half of the bed. He raised the height of the bed to reach her easily, helped Kate get situated, got the "sink", and gently slipped the opening under her neck. With lots of scooping and pouring of water, he finally rinsed the last of the shampoo and conditioner out of her hair, then wrapped a small, thirsty towel Alexis had also brought from home around Kate's head and carefully removed the sink from under her head. Not entirely trusting the position of the sink, he called Kenny to help him empty the water back into the bucket.

"Feel better, Mrs. Castle?" the nurse asked. "I'll take care of this," he told Castle, picking up the bucket.

"Sooooo much better," Kate answered, sounding very satisfied as she moved the head of the bed to a more acceptable position.

As the nurse emptied the water, Castle plugged in the hair dryer and went to work.

"You look like you know what you're doing," Kenny commented.

"Single dad for a long time," Castle explained. "She's grown now, but that took a while. In between, I learned a lot of things I didn't think I'd ever need when I was your age."

"I don't know if I could do that."

"You play the cards you're dealt. I wouldn't give up that time with my daughter for anything, though. Totally worth it."

"And he's a great dad."

Wouldn't surprise me a bit," the nurse answered." I'll be back a little later and change the sheets.

When her hair was dry, Kate thanked her husband. "That feels sooooo much better. Best husband ever."

"That was easier than I thought. We can do it again whenever you want." He leaned and dropped a little kiss on her lips.

Kate made another trip to the bathroom and wanted to sit in the recliner again; so Castle helped her adjust it, settled himself on the bed, and they talked for a while. He told her Esposito had sent a text saying he and Ryan and Lanie would stop by after dinner.

"It's gonna be nice to see the boys. Anything new about the shooter?" she asked.

"Nothing they've told me. They've been working on anything that could have even a vague connection. They want this guy bad."

"Roy must…" She stopped completely. "Roy. Oh, my god, Rick. Roy…"

The horrified look on Kate's face told Castle she had finally made all the connections to the day of her shooting, and probably to the situation that led up to it. Seeing the tears and an accompanying meltdown coming, he was off the bed in seconds. He helped her stand, sat down in the chair, and eased her gently into his lap, her uninjured side canting to his body, and held her as carefully as he could.

"I remembered I was speaking to a crowd. How could I not remember it was at Roy's funeral? How could I have forgotten that?"

"You've remembered everything in stages. Maybe your mind and body are gauging how much you can handle, and today was time for this."

"He's gone. I'll never see him again." Tears fell fast, and she began to cry. "I've been worrying about clean hair while Evelyn and the girls… They didn't even get to have a peaceful funeral for him because of me. He's dead because of me. And his girls… They're even younger than I was when Mom was killed. Evan is in college like I was. How do I live with that?" She started crying in earnest and clutched her chest in pain, speaking in little bursts, with difficulty. "I loved him…like a dad. Respected…what he…taught me. Loved his family. But I'm…so angry. He knew…everything. Let me need therapy…trying to find out who... Castle…"

She took the hand he offered where she could reach it without much movement of her arm, and she held it as she cried, leaving him wishing he could ease the pain in her body as well as in her soul.

Castle held her as close as he dared, trying to minimize the movement that he knew was still painful for her, encouraging her to calm down. When she calmed enough to hear him, he assured her, "He isn't dead because of you, Kate. Roy is dead because of what he and his partners did before you even graduated from high school. Your mother was killed because of what they did. Your father is an alcoholic because of what they did. You're missing part of your lung and have months of physical therapy ahead of you because of what they did. Roy knew everything you wanted to know, and he never told you any of it…never allowed you the choice to leave it alone or not. He let you spend a decade of helping your father out of alcoholism…of drowning in trying to find your mother's killer. I loved him, too, but it doesn't change the truth. He made some bad choices that affected your life well beyond your mother's death. Sweetheart, none of this is on you because he never told you what was happening. Roy finally reached a crossroads…one where he knew he finally had to face the trouble he and his partners had caused. He knew exactly what he was doing, for everybody. One day when you're better, I'll tell you how Lockwood talked to him about his family. This entire mess goes back to dirty cops corrupting a green recruit and starting something that was taken out of their control…something that allowed whoever is behind these assassins to build too much power. I promise you we'll figure it out one day. I'm going to help you find him…for you, for your parents, and for Roy and his family."

"Castle…"

"Shhh… You're in pain, and your breathing doesn't sound good. It's scaring me. I know it's hard, but try to calm down and get control of your breathing. Breathe with me." He paced his breathing in hopes she would follow. The chair had been moved back next to the bed after the hair washing, so he slid his arm away from his wife long enough to push the call button and then pushed the one that dispenses the pain medication.

Kenny was there shortly; and seeing the picture before him, looked worried. "She's having trouble breathing? When did this start?"

"She finally remembered the last of the details about her shooting, and it hit her pretty hard. Could you put the tissues where I can reach them and get the sheets changed? I just hit the pain meds, and she needs to be back in bed."

"Won't take but a minute." He handed Castle the tissues and made short work of changing the sheets. "Let me help," he offered, going to help Kate stand.

Castle stood and took over, helping his wife get back into bed. He wiped her eyes again, made sure the cannula was back in place, and pulled up the covers…in effect, tucked her in.

Kenny checked vitals, monitored her breathing for a long moment, told Castle a couple of things to look for, things that might indicate a problem, then went to consult with her doctor. He left promising to monitor regularly at shorter intervals than usual.

Standing next to her bed, Castle held Kate's hand. "I wish I could make it easier."

"You are, Castle." Her speech was still ragged, but improving a bit. Imagine if I were going through all this with just my dad…having to worry about him backsliding while I'm trying to get better. I wouldn't have anybody else. You're not just helping. You're my lifeline."

The possibility of Kate going through all of this alone brought tears to Castle's eyes as well as hers, and he walked around to the recliner where he could easily reach her. She inched over closer to him, and held his hand as her breathing gradually calmed and she drifted off to sleep.

He sat with her for a while, but after the emotional effect of Kate's meltdown, Castle couldn't think about sleeping. He was too angry. He simultaneously grieved for the Roy Montgomery who had been his friend, but he condemned the same man for what he felt was a form of long-term abuse of a vulnerable young woman who only wanted the answers she deserved about her mother's death. As her superior, he did mentor her into a position where she could use her formidable abilities as a detective, and he had welcomed her to know his family. But, at the same time, he had made a deal with the devil to keep her safe…as well as himself and his family…all the while knowing the toll it was taking on Kate's mental and emotional well-being. He had to admit Roy had been walking a tightrope for years and wondered what he himself might be willing to ignore given the same circumstances…and the same choices for the Castle family's safety. Castle needed an outlet…needed to move. When he was sure his wife was asleep and breathing more easily, he disengaged his hand from hers, reported to Kenny before he left, and set out at a brisk pace to get coffee for himself and the officers on watch.

When Lanie and the boys came to visit that night, the conversation was light at first. Then it delved into the lack of anything of value to follow to find the shooter. And before the visit ended, they had mourned the loss of their captain and friend together, as a team. Then they vowed to somehow clean up the mess he had left behind…no matter how long it might take.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Early the morning after her breakdown about Roy's death, Kate had two new visitors with a message to deliver.

"Hey, Beckett," came the almost unison greeting.

"Karpowski, Vasquez," she answered, surprised.

"We won't stay long; but before you go home, we thought we'd give you a head's up about a couple of things."

"We wanted to see how you're doing anyway, so when the acting captain said somebody should fill you in, we volunteered.

"Fill me in on what?"

"Well, starting with the mail…"

"What mail?"

"A ton of it," Vasquez answered. "It started coming in the day after you were…um…"

"It's okay, Vasquez. You can say it. I was shot."

"I don't even like to think it. Anyway, the mail is from everywhere, and it just kept coming in at the precinct. There were a lot of postcards, which were read, of course. Sorry. They were all saying how sorry they were that this happened or wishing you a speedy recovery. There was one snarky anti-cop note; but it wasn't really threatening, just annoying. Most of the unopened letters are likely to be the same…a few bad apples among the good wishes. I wouldn't be surprised if Castle didn't have another ton from fans, since you're his wife. It's all been bagged; and since the guy escaped, it's being sent through security before you get it. They don't want him to get to you some other way. The first of it should be at your place sometime tomorrow.

"But why…"

"Beckett you've been big news," Karpowski told her. "Haven't you seen any of the coverage?"

"No. Lanie mentioned it, but I didn't want to watch. I'm living enough of what happened already. I definitely don't need to see myself getting shot if that's any part of it." Looking at her husband, she asked, "Have we even had the TV on?"

"I hadn't thought about it, but no. I don't think we have."

"The two of you are confined to this little room, and you haven't even turned on the TV? What have you been doing? Sorry. None of my business."

"I've been sleeping a lot. I don't know what kind of mischief he's been up to while I was napping," Kate teased.

"I'll have all of you know that I've conducted myself admirably." Castle insisted.

"I'll want evidence, Castle," Karpowski shot back with a grin. "Anyway, you might want to check social media, too. The news anchors don't have but so much to work with, so they've been speculating. And, of course, the twitter verse and such is buzzing with its own theories. The biggest speculation is that your mother's death and the attempt on your life are connected. If there's any truth to that, maybe whoever hired this guy won't be stupid enough to keep coming after you right now. Another attempt would make even bigger headlines and bring more interest in exposing him. Her? Them?"

"From your lips to God's ears," Castle muttered in the background.

Then there's the possibility of the FBI getting involved, since it seems to be connected to the guys Montgomery took down," Vasquez cut in. "I hear Lockwood had surveillance pictures of you in his room a while ago. Then he's back, and he's killed, and there's another hired killer right on his heels gunning for you at a police funeral? Not much room to think coincidence there. So, since Lockwood crossed state lines into New Jersey…" She stopped and shrugged. "FBI people came in to talk to the acting captain, and he managed to put them off until the new captain takes over next week. From what we hear, she's straight from IA, tough as nails, and absolutely by the book. Sounds like the precinct is going to be a different place."

"I guess Ryan and Espo are keeping you up to date on finding the guy. From what they tell us, there's not much there, though." Karpowski said.

"They were here last night, and that's what they told us, too," Castle agreed.

"We all thought, in case the press starts throwing questions at you, you might need to know some of what's going on in the world outside."

"Thanks for the head's-up." Kate answered. "My preference would be sneaking out the back door and ignoring it all, but it's nice to have time to put a plan together."

"I'll call my publicist and have her help us think it through. This kind of thing isn't Kate's idea of fun under the best of circumstances, let alone now."

"I've got to say, you're looking better than I expected," Karpowski told Beckett mischievously. "Not your best, but pretty good under the circumstances."

"Thank you?" Beckett looked amused.

"Hurry up and get back to work, Beckett. We need another strong woman to help us stand up to this new captain." Vasquez told her.

"I'll do my best," Kate promised.

"Got to get to work. You take care of her," Karpowski said to Castle."

Before he could answer, Kate told them, "I couldn't ask for better."

"What she said," Castle answered with a grin, pointing to his wife as the two women were leaving.

"Letters…Twitter… I don't think I want to know," Kate said after they were gone, looking worried.

"If all that is going on, I'm surprised Paula hasn't called me. Looks like you might officially be a celebrity."

"Great," she answered, none too pleased. Looking toward the ceiling, she whined, "Please let this hospital stay count as time served on my fifteen minutes."

"With that kind of public response, we might need to make some kind of public thank you statement before we leave here. After that, we can stay home and ignore the reporters. I'll talk to Paula and find out how crazy it could be."

"If we have to do it, can it be really short?"

"I can do the speaking if you don't want to." He looked at her mischievously. "You could hide out until it's over…or just sit beside me and look pretty."

"Sit?"

You don't think the hospital is going to allow you out of this room except in a wheel chair and accompanied by security, do you?"

"No way I'm going in front of cameras in a wheel chair. No. Just…no."

"There may not be a choice other than to sneak out the back way and hope they don't find us."

"Door number two, please.

"Let's talk to Paula. She's good at these things."

The doctor was there shortly after the two policewomen had visited during their pre-work hours. He told Kate that she was progressing better than expected, her tests all looked good, and that, unless something unforeseen happened, she could go home the next morning. Kate was elated. It almost balanced her dread about the publicity…and Castle was just as pleased.

"I guess I need to call Paula right now," he said after the doctor left.

"Call the family first and tell them they're going to have to put up with us again," Kate answered happily.

"Want to call your dad and let him deliver the good news?"

She nodded and smiled, holding her hand out for the phone he offered. Her father's number was already showing on the screen.

"Hey, Dad."

"Katie? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. It is. I get to go home tomorrow. Will you tell Martha and Alexis we're coming home?"

"I'll shout it from the rooftop if you want. This is great news." There was quiet noise in the background, and Jim's voice said, "She says they'll be home tomorrow." That was followed by a squeal of delight from Alexis and a "Wonderful!" From Martha. "What can I do to help? Do you need me to bring some things home before you leave?"

"We haven't had a chance to talk about plans yet. I found out this morning that there's been a lot more publicity about this than I was aware of. Rick is going to call his publicist for advice on how to handle it. After that, we'll call again."

"Whatever you need, Katie. You know that."

"Yeah, I do. Thanks, Dad. Bye." She handed the phone back to her husband. "Thanks for thinking of calling my dad first."

"If it were me, I'd want…" His voice trailed away, and he looked uncharacteristically shy at her adoring look.

"I'm really glad I have you, Richard Edgar Alexander Rodgers Castle."

"Me, too, Katherine Houghton Beckett Castle."

"Now, call Paula. See if she can see a graceful way out of this publicity nightmare."

"There's where you and Paula are going to differ. She generally goes with 'There is no bad publicity'."

"Well, let's see how she feels about that after _she's_ been shot by a sniper."

"I'll make that point. Do you feel up to a short meeting this afternoon?"

"I guess that would be easier than working it all out over the phone."

After a conversation with Paula, Castle informed Kate that his publicist was juggling her afternoon schedule to accommodate being at the hospital with them. "I'll be sure the afternoon watch knows it's okay to let her in. Since she reorganized her schedule for us, she wouldn't take too kindly to being turned away."

Paula arrived after lunch, shortly following the change in guard duty. As they would for any high profile situation, the hospital's PR department had another press event scheduled for the doctor, announcing Kate's release from their care; so Paula decided it was best to coordinate with them to confine the publicity to a specified short time and to a limited area within the building. She wanted Kate and Castle to each make very brief statements thanking the public for their support. After that, they could get Kate into a waiting car and take her home. Esposito and Ryan already planned to stand morning watch and accompany them to the car to ward off the worst elements of the press. Castle protested that his wife wasn't up to a public appearance, but Paula suggested they decide the next morning and still sounded hopeful. The publicist also mentioned an increase in fan mail since the shooting, and Castle told her he would see to it that it went through a security check.

With the exception of her annoyance and concern about the publicity, the rest of Kate's stay was routine; and she and Castle looked forward to her discharge the following morning. They found time for another shower and had washed her hair before the family came to visit that evening. Since her hair was clean for the possibility of cameras the next morning, the family took all the shampooing paraphernalia with them, along with anything Kate and Castle wouldn't need after that night. That left the couple with no more to take home the next day than what would fit into Castle's duffel bag.

The discharge process for Kate began early. A press conference with Dr. Kovaks was scheduled for eleven, so the staff was taking care of Kate's final tests and the ensuing paperwork as quickly as possible to coordinate her release with the doctor's time in front of the cameras. Paula had encouraged Kate to make a statement, but Dr. Kovaks strongly stated his opposition to that when he examined Kate and spoke to them that morning.

"Let your husband make a brief statement, Mrs. Castle. He's done a lot of this. You don't seem as comfortable with it, and additional stress of any kind is the last thing I want for you. Besides that, while the press is confined, your security team can take you to your car. He can join you there."

"Door number two?" Castle asked, remembering her earlier statement.

"Door number two…please," she answered.

Justine had adjusted her schedule to be there when the couple left that morning, so she was there when Kenny delivered the paperwork to Kate and started giving the couple discharge instructions. They worked with one another while covering the information about what to expect and how to handle post discharge necessities at home, and they both seemed pleased to hear that there would be a nurse at home for at least a few days. Since her shift was over, Justine took charge of Kate's wheelchair and, flanked by Ryan and Esposito, walked with Castle to the nearby elevator. The press conference was set up in a corner of the lobby, and the press was already waiting when the doctor entered the area, followed by Castle.

The doctor spoke first, telling his audience of Detective Beckett's release from the hospital and a brief indication of the progress she had made. When he paused, one journalist shouted, "Has Mr. Castle been here? We haven't seen much of him."

Dr. Kovacs released a short burst of a laugh, then he answered with a friendly smile in Castle's direction, "There's a reason for that. The only way we could get rid of him was to discharge Mrs. Castle from the hospital." The press members chuckled as Castle smiled unapologetically. Dr. Kovaks added one more statement before stopping. "Mr. Castle asked to make a brief statement; but it will be brief, and there will be no questions. Mrs. Castle…Detective Beckett…was severely injured barely a week ago, and she should not be kept waiting."

Castle took the doctor's place at the microphone. "My wife and I need to thank the trauma team and the rest of the staff who worked with us after the surgery. The care and the understanding about the need for security was over and above the call. Kate was surprised…pleasantly, I should add…at the outpouring of goodwill in her direction and would like to express her appreciation for the supportive messages from so many people. We also need to publicly thank the officers and detectives from the twelfth precinct, a large number of whom volunteered their own off-duty time during the past week to provide security for the woman they've known for years as Detective Beckett. Their generosity is something neither of us will ever forget. Now, I need to take my wife home. He turned, shook Dr. Kovaks's hand, thanked him, and left the press behind with a wave.

When Castle reached the town car, Michael and Justine had helped Kate get in the car while the boys stood watch. Ryan and Esposito managed to block Kate from the view and possible threat of the lone cameraman who had caught the fact that she was being helped to slip out of the hospital unnoticed. Castle slid carefully into the seat with Kate, trying not to jostle her too much, and Michael closed the door behind him.

"Stop being so careful, Rick. You're on my good side. Let me lean against you. I'm not going to be that comfortable on the way home anyway."

He slid closer, and tentatively put his arm around her shoulders, his wrist behind the shoulder on the injured side. "Tell me if it puts too much weight on your incision."

"It's keeping the incision away from the seat. It's good so far. And I like your arm around me."

"Me, too." He kissed the top of her head and sighed contentedly. "We're going home."

"I can't wait."

They heard the driver's door close; then the car was started and Michael pulled out of the hospital pick-up circle and toward the street.

"Take the path with the fewest potholes, Michael. I'm sure you know where most of them are by now."

"I'll be careful," he promised.

"Thank you," Kate answered.

The ride home was a bit slower than usual, and as smooth as a ride through Manhattan streets could reasonably be. As they moved through the streets, Castle noticed that Kate became a little more tense.

"Are you in pain?" he finally asked.

"No more than at the hospital."

That was what he expected, but he didn't say anything. He'd ask later, after they were home...and alone. He expected it could be something she would rather not discuss with an audience present.

"The nurse will be at the loft this afternoon. If you don't think she's going to work out, the security company has a second option lined up. If we're satisfied, she'll move into the guest room and be available around the clock for a few days. I want to be sure we didn't miss anything in the instructions before we left the hospital and that I don't miss anything that might call for medical attention.

Kate huffed a little laugh. "I doubt that's going to be a problem. As careful as you've been so far, I'll be surprised if you don't call for an opinion if I have a hangnail."

"Oh, you don't have one of those, do you," he teased with mock concern.

"Shut up," she answered with a grin.

Michael was suppressing his own grin up front, but couldn't contain a small, upward curl of his lips.

Back to business, Castle continued, "If it looks like we don't need a nurse for more than three or four days, we'll let her move on. If we need her, she's available for the week. The flexible time is figured into the fee. I've worked things out with Eduardo and security so there's no outward indication of where she's going when she comes in. She'll appear and be here until she's gone."

"It still amazes me that you turned out to be such a planner."

"I have to keep you guessing. Can't let you get bored with me."

There was a little gasp from Kate as they went over a bump in the pavement.

"Sorry, Miss Kate. I couldn't avoid that one."

"Don't worry. You've done better than I thought possible," she assured him.

When they arrived at their building, half a dozen more off-duty officers and detectives from the twelfth had arrived to assist Ryan and Esposito in blocking the reporters who had gathered in front of the building after hearing that Kate had been discharged from the hospital and was on her way home. Michael stood at the open car door, and the other members of the precinct formed a barrier that allowed them to shield their detective from view, both providing security and giving her the dignity of not being seen struggling to leave the car. Castle employed the technique the physical therapist had suggested for helping Kate out of the vehicle, and moved her toward the wheelchair Eduardo immediately brought to the car.

"No. I want to walk into our home," she protested.

"Do you remember how long it took to cross that hospital room? If you try to walk from here, it might be dark by the time you got to the loft," Rick teased. "I'll push you to the door, and you can walk inside; but you aren't ready for walking this far yet. You'd be so winded you couldn't enjoy being home."

"Fine," Kate grouched. "You get to drive. Michael, he's trying to take your job."

The other members of the twelfth smiled at one another as they watched the exchange between their stubborn colleague and the writer who had wormed his way into feeling like one of their own.

"It's good to have you back, Miss Kate. Darrell sent his regards." Michael said with a touch to his hat to indicate his respect.

"Thank you, Michael."

Michael stood at his post with the door open, helping block the view from the reporters until they were ready to move the wheelchair. The group from the twelfth divided their efforts to both hold back reporters and provide security cover on the way to the building.

Once in the building, Kate looked at the colleagues around her and nearly shed tears. She stoically confined it to a sheen of moisture in her eyes and said. "I don't know what to say, guys. I just… Thank you isn't …"

In true cop spirit, one of the men said, "Just hurry up and quit slacking off, Beckett. Get yourself back to work."

That lightened the mood, and Beckett grinned at them. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm working on it. Thanks guys."

With varying good-byes, the men left, Ryan and Esposito remaining in the lobby.

"You all squared away?" Esposito asked.

"I think so," Castle answered. "You want to come up?"

"We'll just walk you to the door and leave your family to get back together." Ryan nodded his agreement. "Lanie had a call this morning, but she said she'd like to stop by tomorrow if you feel up to it," Esposito told Kate. "She said she'd call first, though."

Eduardo pushed the elevator button, Castle thanked him for his help with all the arrangements for getting Kate home, and the three detectives and the writer got in the elevator and got out around the corner from the loft.

When they reached the door, Kate reminded her husband, "You said I could walk in on my own."

"Then let's get you on your feet." He first opened the door, then helped her out of the chair and steadied her.

By then, Martha, Alexis, and Jim were gathered at the door in anticipation.

"We'll leave you to your family, Beckett," Ryan said. "I know Castle has security in place. See you soon."

"Thanks, guys," both Castles answered in unison and with similar sincerity as they left, all four lifting their hands in parting… Kate's not lifting quite as high as the others.

"Kate, you're walking," Alexis greeted enthusiastically as her stepmother walked slowly into the loft. "I'm so glad to have you home." She looked hesitant but hopeful. "Is it okay to hug you?"

"Gently, but yeah…please. I've missed this."

"Me, too."

"Is getting bear hugs on that check list somewhere?" Kate asked, smiling.

"If it isn't, we'll put it there," Martha answered, moving Alexis aside for her own gentle hug. "Welcome home, Darling."

Jim stood next to Martha and she moved out of his way. He held out his arms, and Kate said, "Hey, Dad," just before melting her good side against him with tears falling. She rested her head against his shoulder and he looked to Rick, who understood the questioning look in his eyes immediately.

"Around her waist," he advised.

Jim wrapped one arm carefully around Kate's waist and placed the opposite hand on the back of her head. "Welcome home, Katie Bug," he said softly, kissing her head, tears in his eyes as well.

Seeing her tears, Castle was concerned. "Kate, are you okay?"

"It's a daughter thing, Dad," Alexis assured him. "You can be strong for just so long, but when your daddy puts his arms around you, it's okay to cry."

He pulled his own daughter into his arms, and seeing the look of pride on Jim's face, he said, "You're welcome to stay as long as you want, Jim. We can all have a hand in helping Kate get better."

"The other women of the house have already issued that invitation. They also made up the other guest room for the nurse. I told them I'd stay a few more days, Katie…if that's okay with you."

"It's fine with me, Dad," she sniffled against his shoulder. Uncharacteristically admitting weakness, she added, "I'm really tired."

"It's about time for your medication, too," Castle said. "Do you want your dad to take you to our room while I get your meds?"

Kate just nodded.

Martha stroked her hand over Kate's hair and said, "Get some rest, Darling. We'll talk later."

Alexis took Kate's hand and squeezed it. "I'm so glad to have you back home."

"I love you, too, Honey," Kate answered.

Castle was already getting the medication from his bag. "Alexis, would you get Kate a bottle of water from the fridge?"

She met him at the door of the study with the water. "I'll be back in a few minutes, he promised.

Jim had helped Kate sit down on the bed, and Castle sat down beside her with the pills he brought. He opened the bottle of water and dropped the pills in her hand, passing her the bottle after she popped them in her mouth.

After swallowing, she asked, "So, is this how it's going to be? The two of you tag teaming me through everything until I finally lose it and kick both of you out?"

"You know you love us both too much to kick us out," Castle protested.

"Tell you what," Jim said with a grin. "You rest for a while, maybe get some sleep; and I'll make you one of those really evil grilled cheese sandwiches I used to make you when you were sick."

"And you love my tomato soup. I'll make some of that."

The full Beckett eye roll came out in full force, but it was followed with amusement. "The prosecution rests."

"I think we lost, Jim," Castle observed.

"It does look like the evidence is against us," Jim agreed.

"Okay, I'll lie down," Kate answered, "but when I get up, I'd better smell tomato soup and see evidence of sandwich prep."

"Alexis made your favorite cookies, too," Jim reported. "I'll let Rick get you settled."

"Let me help you get into bed. I have a bunch of different pillows. We'll find the ones that make you most comfortable," Castle told her. "Be right back." He returned with a couple of boxes with pillows of assorted sizes and shapes, and they found a couple of wedges that took pressure off his wife's ribs and incisions.

"Where did all this come from?"

"Some of the mischief I got into while you were napping," he answered playfully as he arranged the covers and kissed her forehead. "Now get some sleep. I'll get to work on the soup."

"It could be worse."

"What?"

"My two favorite men in the world liking each other enough to be such a good tag team."

"We'll try not to overdo it. Promise."

"Love you."

Kate slept most of the afternoon, so when she woke up, the family had a comfort food dinner of grilled cheese, tomato soup, milk, and cookies.

The nurse had arrived earlier in the afternoon, and the family already felt comfortable with her. She was there for dinner as well, so there was time for her to talk to Kate.

"Tell her about yourself," Castle encouraged the nurse, a woman who reminded them a bit of Justine, but with a little more of a no-nonsense edge to her personality.

"I'm Meagan, she said, introducing herself to Kate. Before I was a nurse, I was a Marine; so I'm going to get you started on your PT routine, too. When I leave, someone else will take over that job. I have at least as much combat training as you do, so it should be safe for your family to be out of the house when I'm the only one here. Your husband has other security in place anyway. I have a soft side for my patients…right up to PT or severe stubbornness about what's in your best interest. Then you may not like me anymore."

"Sounds good…except for the PT and stubborn part," Kate answered, taking a liking to the woman right away. Then she turned to Castle and grinned. "She's staying, right?" And he nodded.

When they went to bed that night, Castle kissed his wife and slipped into bed fully on his side. He reached over and took her hand and asked what had her so tense in the car that afternoon.

"It was so loud. All the sounds and flashes of light…so many people all in motion near the car. It made me nervous. I don't know why."

"If it still bothers you when we go in for the visit with the doctor in a couple of weeks, we can spend some time in the Hamptons. The beach house is pretty quiet, and we have some good memories there. We can start with short walks in the direction of the beach and work up to some of our long walks gradually."

"That does sound nice, but I don't think I want to make that trip until my ribs are better."

"We'll take things at your pace. Any time you're ready.

The next couple of days began to fall into a pattern of people in the loft coming and going for their daily activities, Kate's PT and nursing checks, and Castle trying to keep himself from hovering. He did get some writing done, and Jim was back at work almost full time. Alexis dragged a large bag of mail into the living room while Kate sat on the sofa, and they started reading through the large number of letters and cards wishing the detective well, thanking her for her service, and expressing hope that the perpetrator would be caught.

The third day she was at home, Castle received a call from the doorman and there was a knock on the door, but Alexis didn't recognize the face she could see through the peephole.

Castle went to check and pulled the door open right away.

"Jordan Shaw? What are you doing here? Not that we aren't glad to see you," he backtracked.

"Like everybody else, I heard that Beckett was shot, and I was in town. Just thought I'd see how she's doing. Is this a bad time?"

"No," Kate answered. "I'm not exactly involved in a flurry of activity yet…other than reading all this mail. This bag came this morning. There was another one like it yesterday, and I think there might be another one. It's hard to believe this many total strangers took time to do this. I'm holding on to anything that sounds off, but there aren't many of those."

"Paula says there's another one at Black Pawn," Castle commented. "They've sent that one to security, too."

"Come and sit down," Kate invited, and Jordan sat down in a chair across from her.

They talked a little while, Castle popping in and out of the conversation. They touched on Kate's progress, Castle's heroics, the couple's marriage, Jordan's family, and a few other subjects spoken of just as briefly. Then Jordan looked serious.

"I'm actually here to tell you we may have a line on your shooter. I can't share anything right now, and it's a tenuous connection at best; but from what I hear, your guys haven't found anything to follow. I know from working with you, if there was anything there, they would probably have found it. What we have isn't evidence from your shooting, more of a connection to another case that my team is keeping low key. We think it involves the same man. The FBI wanted to take your case and Roy Montgomery's from NYPD, but that was vetoed from somewhere higher up for some reason. Right now, it looks like nothing is coming of it. I just wanted you to know, if anything comes of this connection, I'll pass on what I can."

"I appreciate that, Jordan."

"Not too many women in this business. Gotta take care of each other." Standing and picking up her purse, she added, "My plane leaves in three hours, and I still need to take the car back to the office to meet my ride to the airport. If I get moving now, I should get home in time to have dinner with the family today."

"Forgive me if I don't walk you to the door?"

"I probably wouldn't forgive you if you _did_. Take care of yourself, Beckett."

"Thanks for stopping by."

"Castle, you take care of yourself, too," Jordan said quietly from just outside the door of the loft. Taking care of somebody else the way I'm pretty sure you're taking care of Beckett and the rest of the family takes a toll. Be sure you get enough rest, too."

"Thanks, Jordan. I will. And thanks for the visit. I could tell Kate enjoyed seeing you, even before the possibility of something on her shooter came up."

"I have a lot of respect for somebody who leads a team as effective as hers. She deserves what I can afford to give her. You do understand I can only do that if it doesn't compromise the other case?"

Castle nodded. "And I'm sure Kate does, too."

Jordan nodded in response. "See you." And she rounded the corner to get on the elevator.

Later that evening, after dinner, Castle answered a call.

"Mr. Castle, I'm a friend of Roy Montgomery's. I'm calling about Detective Beckett. We need to talk."


	30. Chapter 30

AN: This chapter uses some pieces of dialogue from an episode, "Rise". Some of the lines have been assigned to different characters' voices, but the credit for them still goes only to the show's writers. I only play with the characters they created.

Chapter 30

"I'm listening. What about Detective Beckett?" Castle asked Smith stiffly.

"Her safety."

"Does her safety exist anymore?" he demanded. "Are you aware of what happened to her recently? Are you responsible for that?" While he spoke, he went to the door and motioned for Kate to join him; and when she came into the study, he closed the door behind her and signaled her to be quiet.

"Is everything okay?" Kate whispered softly. Her husband was obviously upset.

"Calm down and let me explain." Smith answered matter-of-factly. "I had nothing to do with the shooting. I'm a friend of Roy Montgomery's. He saved my life when we were younger, and I owed him. Roy finally called in his marker; so, for him, I'm picking up where he left off. He sent me some records…some files to be used as leverage against the man who _is_ responsible. But this is a dangerous game."

"I've seen my wife's injuries. She nearly died. This is no game. Roy told me she'd be safe, but she wasn't. So why should we believe _you_?"

"When Roy sent the files, I was out of the country. By the time I got back and found them, it was too late; but I've made contact with the man responsible, and I have the same understanding with him that Roy had."

"What kind of understanding did Roy have with this man? Kate asked, letting her presence be known.

"Mr. Castle, Roy's instructions were to keep this information away from Detective Beckett."

"I don't lie to my wife or hide things from her. Roy has already kept too much from Detective Beckett. It's time we give her the information she needs to be able to make reasonable choices."

"Detective, the files I have… If they ever got out, they could hurt some very powerful people. You've seen firsthand the lengths they're willing to go to in order to keep that from happening. Roy Montgomery struck a deal with the man who set the ball rolling. It protected your captain's family as long as he kept quiet, and it protected you…on the condition that you refrained from working on your mother's case."

With no small amount of anger in her voice, Kate stated, "So you're telling me that, in order to protect myself, I have to start protecting a man who is responsible for the murder of seven people that we know of…including my mother…and tried to kill me? I have to accept this deal that I never knew about or he'll have me shot again, or attacked some other way?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you. Negotiating the terms of the arrangement is out of my control. I can only continue it in Roy's place. Working on your mother's case, or your own, could affect your family's safety the way his involvement affected Roy's. You have to decide if you're willing to continue…to take that chance with the people you care about. Right now you're in no condition to protect even yourself, let alone your family. I'd agree to it if I were in your position."

"Who is this man?" Castle asked, calmly but firmly.

"He's to remain anonymous. Roy's instructions." There was a pause. "I really wish you hadn't chosen to include your wife in this, Mr. Castle."

"Keeping secrets is not something we do in our marriage. This SOB has already nearly killed my wife. He doesn't get the chance to ruin the trust between us, too. And my wife doesn't deserve to spend another minute thinking she has a target on her back if this deal removes it. You'll have to deal with both of us."

"Then the agreement is up to the two of you now. I only need to know that the arrangement is accepted. This man seems paranoid, and he knows you had a visit from an FBI agent today. He called me about it. It's why I called you tonight."

"It was a social visit, wishing Kate a quick recovery. Someone we collaborated with on an unrelated case last year. She isn't even assigned here, just happened to be in town. You can tell him that."

"And he's watching us?" Kate asked. "How? Security already checked the loft for bugs or cameras and found nothing."

"Money or intimidation. He apparently has eyes and ears everywhere. Don't think you can investigate without his knowing. And if there's anything else you particularly don't want him to know, be careful about mentioning it other than at home."

"I'll stop," Kate agreed. "I have to, Castle." To Smith, she added. "He has to understand that I'm on medical leave for at least a couple of months. I'm not working the case now. Whatever is going on at the precinct is out of my hands for the moment; and when I do go back, it will be to a new captain who knows nothing about all this. I wasn't even aware of the files, so I don't know what's there. Whatever investigation might show up on this man's radar, it won't be mine, and it won't be at my request."

"That's all I need to know. I'll pass the message along." Then Smith hung up before any questions could be asked.

Castle held his phone out and looked at it. "Dammit! He hung up. I had more questions."

Kate growled in anger and frustration. "How long has Roy had that deal? He never… This is so unfair. All those people murdered, all those families grieving, lives ruined while this guy enjoys being wherever he is in his ivory tower. And we have to protect him, or he'll kill me, too…maybe both of us…maybe all of us. And he just gets away with it," she ranted.

"We'll find him, Kate, but Smith made a good point. Right now, you can't even protect yourself. I promise you we will figure this out. We're gonna find him, and we're gonna make him pay. Just not today."

"Castle, if I don't do this, I don't know who I am."

"You're who you always were. You're the one who honors the victims. You're the one who can bring their families peace."

"Except for mine." She curled into Castle as much as her injuries allowed, and he held her gently.

"You need to get better," he soothed. "Let this guy back away from you so you're safe while we figure out how to be smarter about finding some answers." She nodded against his chest. "Now we have to decide what to tell Mother and Alexis and your dad. I'm sure they could see that something is going on."

"We tell Dad and Martha the whole story. They know a lot of it anyway, right? You'll have to decide how much to tell Alexis."

"The whole truth, I think. She's terrified someone will come after you again, and losing you would devastate her. I think we need to take that worry away from all of us. Alexis grew up with two family members who tend to attract reporters, and she learned early not to say anything about family if you don't want to see in print or on video. We'll have to trust her…and I think we can."

"I think so, too." She lifted her head from his shoulder and asked, "Would you talk to them? I'd like to lie down and take some time to process the last few minutes."

"Yeah. Want me to help you with your pajamas?"

"Yes, please. And you can tuck me in, too, if you want to." Looking at the expression on his face, she smiled and said, "Yeah, I know that's what you've been doing. It's kind of sweet, and right now it's comforting…but don't expect that to last too much longer."

He smiled back. "Then I'll enjoy getting away with it for a little while longer. Let's get you ready for bed." When Kate's clothes were changed, she was tucked in with some mutual teasing about it. Castle then kissed her, closed the bedroom door, and went to talk to the rest of the family.

"Forgive me, Meagan, but I need a few minutes to speak to my family privately." He motioned them toward his office.

"No problem, Mr. Castle. Is there anything else you need me to do tonight?"

"No, thank you. Kate is in bed for the night. I took care of what she needed."

"Then I'll get some rest, too and give you some privacy."

"See you in the morning," Castle answered.

He closed the door of the study and indicated that the three others should sit down. Pulling a chair a little closer to them, he said, "I'm sure you're wondering what that was all about."

They nodded, leaving Castle to explain.

"A man just called us, said his name was Smith." Castle told them about Smith's connection to Montgomery…and the files and the agreement, ending with, "Beckett's safety was also part of the deal."

Jim's pained voice broke into the explanation. "But they went after her anyway."

"He didn't get the files until after she was shot."

Martha huffed in frustration. "And she knows?"

"Yes." Castle paused. "He says she's safe now…on one condition. She can't go near her mother's case…or her own. If she does, he can't guarantee her safety. If she digs, they will kill her."

"Alexis asked timidly, "And this man…you believe him?"

"I do."

"Then it's good you told her," Martha answered.

"I was so afraid she'd put on blinders and run right out into the line of fire, and I couldn't let that happen." He paused a moment before saying with obvious relief, "She's angry, but she agreed to the terms."

"Thank God." Jim answered, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees…his head in his hands. "Do you think she can actually do that? Give up Johanna's case?"

"Not if I stop her. She'll listen to me. I can steer her away. Besides, she's worried about all of us. She doesn't want to take chances with our safety. That was a big factor in her agreeing so quickly."

"You're not going to change her, Son," Jim answered, sitting up. "Sooner or later, she's going to keep digging."

"There's something else you aren't telling us, isn't there?" Martha asked.

Castle sighed and reluctantly admitted, "I promised her that we'll use the time she's getting better to figure out how we can do that safely."

"Richard!" Dad!" "Rick!" he heard simultaneously.

"I don't want to lose her. I'll put it off as long as I can, call in help if we find someone we can trust. I'll be careful. But I know her, and Jim's right. This isn't something she can give up indefinitely."

"Dad, you're a writer, not a cop. Stop pretending!" She got up and left the room, and they could hear her running up the stairs.

"Let me talk to her," Martha offered. "I'll calm her down before you have your own talk with her," she told her son.

Castle just nodded, worrying about his child. He knew she was envisioning both people she now viewed as her dependable parents being in the hospital with gunshot wounds, or worse. This whole situation had been hard on her, and she was breaking. He knew she understood his need to be with Kate for the past week. He also knew Alexis would have done the same for Kate herself if anyone had allowed it, but it didn't change the fact that he had left her to her grandmother's care for an entire week after a traumatic event. While he knew she had been in good hands, it was time for the dad in him to surface strong and visible now that he and Kate were back home. And he knew Kate would agree to that, too.

"Does the worry and guilt about how you take care of them ever go away?" he asked Jim.

"No. But you're asking the wrong man. I have so much more to feel guilty about than you do."

"I didn't mean…"

"It's okay," Jim answered. "I know that. Just reminding you that your perceived sins are still small enough to be easily forgiven. She's just afraid. Martha and I took good care of her." After a small pause, Jim smiled. "She called me Granddad the other day."

"Yeah?" Castle smiled in return.

"It felt good." Jim paused. "Is that okay with you? I'd like to be able to introduce her as my granddaughter. I had almost mentioned it to her before, but I didn't want to push…wanted her to decide for herself."

"That's fine with me. Jim. And I think she'd love that." They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, then Castle stood and said, "I'm going to get a ginger ale and wait in the living room for Mother. You want one?"

Jim nodded and stood to follow him.

Martha came down the stairs a few minutes later, saying, "I've softened her up for you, Richard. You're on your own now."

Castle stood and took a deep breath, then he went upstairs to face his daughter. He knocked and waited until he heard an answer.

"Hey," he said, peeking around the door. "Am I still a welcome guest in here?"

"I guess."

"Honey, I know this week has been rough on you. You didn't need to hear about anything else that would upset you, and I'm sorry. I was trying to be honest with you. Kate and I won't do anything stupid with her mom's case. I promise you that." He sat down on the bed beside her. "She used to go off the rails every time that case crossed her path, but when Smith mentioned her family…and she takes that to mean all of us…she agreed immediately. I honestly think all I'll need to say to keep this under control is that we have to worry about you. And I honestly don't think she could love you any more if she had given birth to you."

"I honestly think she loves me _more_ than the one who gave birth to me. That's why it was so hard. I finally know what it's like to have somebody I can depend on like a real mom, and I almost lost her. And I feel so guilty for thinking that way. Kate is hurting and looking at weeks and weeks of physical therapy to get better, and all I can think about is me."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with a teenager thinking like that," he assured her, pulling her into his arms. "Kate's feeling guilty that she's the reason everybody is so scared. I'm feeling guilty that I wasn't here with you this week. Jim is feeling guilty because he couldn't convince Kate to put her own safety ahead of finding justice for her mother. Your grandmother is holding herself together by a thin thread so she can mother all the rest of us. I doubt anybody knows how to do this the right way. We're all playing it by ear…figuring it out as we go."

Alexis was crying at that point and sniffled out, "I'm so scared, Dad. I don't want Kate to die…and I'm even more afraid of losing you. The two of you have had too many close calls, even without her mother's case figuring in. You've just been lucky to have lived through it so far."

"Well, you can relax for a while. Except for a trip to see the doctor in a couple of weeks, Kate will be confined to the loft for about a month. If our security team hasn't seen a reason to worry by the end of that time, I think we can all relax."

"Until whoever this guy is decides he doesn't need to let her live anymore."

"When did you become the pessimist in the family? We're all going to be fine."

"If you say so."

"I say so, and I'm the dad…so you should believe me."

"I'll try."

"Are we okay now, Baby Bird?"

"We were okay before, Dad. I was just scared."

"Me, too."

Kate won't be going out any time soon, I won't be going out too far or too often for a while, and we have security people on duty. We'll be okay. After she's feeling enough better to travel, we can go to the Hamptons for the rest of the summer. She can do her PT anywhere. Things are going to get better."

"Do you think this deal is going to work?"

"As long as those files are where he can't get to them, I think so. Somebody who's gained a lot of power doesn't usually want to lose it."

"It's still scary."

Castle nodded and kissed her forehead. "Do you want to come downstairs and play a video game with me…or something else?"

"No. I think I'll read a little while. See if it helps me get to sleep."

"Okay." He stood and said, "I'll make happy face pancakes for breakfast. I think we could all use them, Don't you?" Alexis smiled and nodded, and he kissed her forehead again. "See you in the morning."

The Castle clan started the following morning with chocolate chip smiles greeting them from the pancakes on their plates. Even Meagan was caught up in the spirit of the family treats.

At the end of the meal, Meagan asked, "Is everything all right? Anything I need to know about?"

"I'm sure you're aware that the family meeting had something to do with last night's phone call. It's a complicated situation, but it shouldn't affect you; and it should provide the rest of us some peace of mind."

"As long as it doesn't affect the care of my patient, I won't pry any further."

"If anything affects that, I won't hesitate to tell you."

"Good enough. Thanks for the pancakes," she smiled. "They were fun. And, speaking of fun," she added, looking at Kate, "We'll let your pancakes settle, and then it's time for PT." Noticing Kate's expression, she added. "I'm treating you like one of my Marines because you act like them. They never think we're progressing fast enough, either, but there are things you can't rush. We can do what we're doing several times a day, but we can't progress to more difficult things too fast or you'll set yourself back…and I know you don't want that. Once you're back in shape, maybe we can spar sometime. I need to stay in shape, and I'm guessing you'd be a tough opponent."

"You're on," Kate promised. "You hear that, Castle? I get to beat Meagan's butt."

"No time real soon, though." Meagan paused as she picked up her plate to take it to the kitchen and leaned in Kate's direction with a little show of mock intimidation. "And even then…don't count on it."

Everybody at the table laughed at the trash talk between the two women before they started gathering their own dishes.

"Dad," Alexis asked quietly," Paige's older sister and her boyfriend are going to Coney Island this afternoon, and I told her I'd ask if she and I could go with them."

"How much would you hate me if I asked you to find something to do closer to home? Your father's nerves are still on edge, and I think I'd like to keep you a little closer to the nest for a while."

"It would be nice if you just ordered me to do that. I'm not sure I'm ready for that much open space and that many people yet, either."

"So you were hoping I'd say no, and then you could roll your eyes and tell Paige how I'm being overprotective…and save face?"

Alexis grinned sheepishly and answered, "Something like that."

"You just keep being sensible, and I'll keep being your scapegoat."

"I would like to get out for a little while, though. Maybe I could talk her into a movie. There's one we both want to see, and it's playing at the theater around the corner from Paige's place…and she's only a block away. Is that close enough? I could be home for dinner."

"I think your aging father's heart could take that."

"I think my teenage heart could, too. Thanks, Dad," she said appreciatively and kissed him on the cheek before going up to her room.

"You're going to let her go on her own?" Martha asked, surprised.

"You're sending security, aren't you?" Kate didn't really seem to be asking.

Castle calmly took another sip of his coffee. "Damn straight. Donnie knows how to blend in. If it turns out to be an ultra girly movie, he'll just have to say he's meeting his girlfriend there. He looks young enough."

"Poor Donnie," Jim sympathized with a smile.

"He's being paid well," Castle answered unapologetically. "We'll all have to ease back into living normally again. Baby steps."


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Beckett had been out of the hospital for two weeks. She and Castle had just come home from her first doctor's appointment, and she was exhausted and in pain…and irritable. After refusing to use a wheelchair, she had expected some discomfort from the impact of all the walking; but she hadn't counted on being so winded as well.

When she stopped at the door and leaned against the wall before going any farther, Castle advised as he closed the door, "You should sit down and catch your breath."

"Ya think, Castle?" she snapped wearily, moving away from the wall to get to the sofa.

"Hey, I was perfectly willing to push the wheelchair, so don't take it out on me," Castle answered as he headed to the kitchen to get her a bottle of water and something for the pain.

There was a knock on the door, and Beckett, not having moved very far from it yet, turned to answer it.

"Lanie? Come in. With all the overtime you've put in this week, I'm surprised you have the energy to visit. I'm actually surprised you still have the energy to stand."

"I don't. Looks like you don't, either. Girl, sit down before you fall down," Lanie scolded. "You're out of breath, and you look like I could push you over with one finger."

Beckett didn't argue, just went to the sofa, sat down, and leaned her head back in relief.

"Hey, Lanie," Castle called from across the room.

"Hey, Writer-Man."

"Have you had lunch? I was about to order something. Kate wore herself out being stubborn and didn't even feel like waiting in the car long enough for me to go in and pick something up."

"Why am I not surprised?" Lanie answered as Kate shot Castle a glowering look. "I finally got some time off," Lanie told them, "and I wanted to stop by and see how things are going and what the doctor said. If I had gone home first, I wouldn't be here for a couple of days. 'Cause when I get home, I'm planning to sleep that long." She plopped down on a chair across from her friend and asked Castle, "So what's for lunch?"

"I was about to call Remy's," Castle answered as he placed the bottle of water on the table next to his wife and dropped the pills in her hand. "We're both having milkshake and cheeseburger withdrawal."

"Remy's sounds great, but they don't deliver, do they?"

"No, but I can call it in and have somebody pick it up."

"He knows a guy," Beckett teased, softening a bit; and Castle smiled back at her.

He made a couple of phone calls as the women talked, told them lunch would be there soon, kissed his wife on the top of her head, and went to his office to give them time to talk.

"So you're answering the door now?" Lanie asked.

"Sometimes. It's a getting a little easier to move around. I won't be seeing normal for a while yet, but better is a welcome change. Small blessings."

"Are you breathing easier…when you aren't being stubborn?"

"Same as the moving around. Not normal, but better. If I try to take on too much, my ribs remind me they don't approve. I guess I'm lucky I'm down to heavy discomfort instead of rip-roaring pain. The doctor pointed out how badly my ribs were damaged, how much had to be repaired…and suggested that I need to develop more patience."

"Uh-huh. You had that same conversation with Meagan, didn't you?"

"Shut up," Beckett answered good naturedly.

Lanie just laughed. "What else did he say?"

"That everything looked good…for somebody three weeks out from being shot and losing part of a lung."

"Is your boy still being patient?"

"He's better than I deserve. I get ornery and snap at him, but he just takes it in stride; then, after a while I'll pull myself back together and apologize. We're okay. I know how lucky I am to have him. God, Lanie, I love him so much it scares me."

"Yeah. Nobody can miss that. Neither one of you hides it well."

Kate nodded. "We're a little disgusting, aren't we?"

"A little," Lanie admitted with a smile. "Looks like he's still right on top of whatever you need."

"He is. It's entirely foreign to his general 'I have to take care of my family' nature, but he's trying hard to let me do things for myself as much as I can. Getting the staples and stitches out made it a little easier to move. It doesn't pull quite as much now around the incisions."

"The smaller ones should feel pretty normal before long, but that long one on your side is going to take longer."

"That's what still slows me down…that and the ribs. I still can't lift that arm above my shoulder without pain, and moving the other one somehow pulls at some of the same muscles. I don't think Rick minds that I still need some help washing my hair and my back, though," she admitted. "He gets to share the shower."

Lanie gave a little snort of humor. "I'm sure he doesn't."

"I talked him into getting rid of the shower chair this morning. He's being so careful it drives me crazy sometimes."

"It's because he nearly lost you. He's isn't over being scared. You need to be happy that he loves you as much as he does. There was a time you didn't make it easy for him."

"We both have nightmares sometimes, Kate admitted softly. "I wish I could spare him that."

"Honey, I think that's pretty normal, too. That's why there's a mandatory psych eval before you go back to work. Might not hurt to suggest that your other half should see somebody, too. This was pretty traumatic for the entire family. Think about it, okay?"

Kate just nodded, looking thoughtful.

"Is your dad still staying here?"

"Until the end of the week. I think he was waiting until after the appointment today to see what the doctor said. Everybody in the family has helped take care of me. They took turns so they could all do what they needed to do…and probably to equally distribute time spent with the irritating patient."

They both chuckled and then talked until the Remy's order arrived.

Castle answered the door and paid the young man who delivered the food. "Where do you want to eat?" he asked his wife. "Want me to bring it to you there?"

"I think I can sit at the table long enough to eat."

"What if _I_ don't want to move?" Lanie challenged playfully and made a big show of dragging herself out of her chair.

They all chatted through lunch, and then Lanie took her dishes to the kitchen and gathered her belongings.

"Don't get up, Kate," she insisted. "Take good care of Little Miss Grumpy there," she said as Castle walked her to the door. Looking directly at Kate, she said "And give it a couple of weeks before you try to do as much as you did today. Work up to it. Don't just jump into it. You need some sleep, too. Do something about that, understand?"

"You're so pushy," Beckett answered with a smile. "Thanks for coming by."

"Thanks for lunch," she said to Castle before she left. "When I get home I don't even need to eat. Nothing stands between me and some quality time with my pillows."

Castle closed the door and then went back and took the rest of the dishes to the kitchen. "She's right, you know. You overdid it this morning. You should lie down for a while."

"It may surprise you to know that Little Miss Grumpy agrees with both of you. Thank you for putting up with me."

He came back from the kitchen, put his arms around her gently after she stood up, and asked with an easy smile, "What did you think I'd do…throw you out because you got shot and were cantankerous about it? You put up with a lot from me sometimes, too. I'm toning that down until you're better, then I'll get you back," he teased and planted a little kiss on her lips. "And when your PT has progressed that far, Alexis and I have agreed that we're buying you a lightsaber so we can help you out."

"Lightsaber duels, huh? Sounds like fun. Add that to the list."

"I'll do that after you're lying down. Come on. I'll tuck you in. My reward for putting up with cantankerous Kate?"

"I want to start checking more off that list in the nightstand, too," she told him as they walked. "You've got some big rewards coming on that front."

"And when we're sure it won't cause you any new problems, I'll be exceptionally happy to help. We've managed a few of the little ones." By then they were standing next to the bed, and he kissed her long and slow, keeping it loving rather that sexual. "Do you want to get out of some of your clothes first?"

"Shirt and slacks," she answered, stepping out of her shoes and unfastening her slacks to let them fall so she could step out of them. Castle helped with the knit top.

"I'll be glad when I can wear a bra again," she complained. "I felt a little exposed this morning. But the band on them still hurts the incision under my arm, and getting one on or off, even if it fastens in front, is still too hard."

"Then you'll just have to keep depending on my help for a while and stay on top of your PT. And we'll have to keep working on what Meagan showed us to discourage the scar tissue. It's going to get better eventually

"I hope so. The last thing I need is to be bouncing when I'm chasing down a suspect."

"Well, for now, just chase down a nap." With bare breasts right in front of him, Castle bent the index finger of one hand and gently smoothed it across angry red mark on her chest, asking softly, "How much does it still hurt?"

"A lot less than it did at the hospital, but it still hurts."

He leaned his head down and kissed the healing wound. "I hate seeing you hurt."

"It's probably improving as we speak," she answered, wrapping her arms loosely around his waist and giving him a loving smile.

"And why is that?"

"You just kissed it better."

He gave her his smirky smile and very gently pinched her bottom.

"Hey, I thought you didn't like to see me hurt," she teased flirtatiously.

"Only when you're mocking me. Get in," he ordered mischievously. And she did. When she was comfortable, he pulled the covers up over her and leaned to kiss her forehead, then her lips.

"I love you," Kate said.

"Another reward," he answered with a smile. "Get some rest." He then went to the kitchen and added lightsaber duels to Kate's ever growing list of goals, smiling at all the little things she had been able to check off. The list had been one of his best ideas ever. The family had spontaneously fallen into helping to make it, and the checking off was usually done around dinner, when most of the family was there to help celebrate Kate's small victories.

Castle was writing when, almost simultaneously, Kate woke and Alexis got home.

"I'm in my office," he called out to whoever might want to know.

His daughter was there almost instantly, pausing barely long enough to drop her purse on the couch. "How did the doctor's visit go?" she asked.

Kate had barely had time to struggle back into her shirt when the front door opened, and she had both legs in her pants by the time Alexis got to the office but was still pulling them up. Then she walked into the office with all the dignity she could muster, bed head and all. Kate gave Alexis the doctor's report, and Castle gave her the stubborn report…all of which Alexis would relay to Martha and Jim when they got home later.

"Want me to brush your hair?" Alexis asked.

"That would be nice," Kate answered. "The brush is on the vanity in the bathroom."

Alexis got the hairbrush and made quick work of taming Kate's hair. "Do you feel okay? Dad said you kind of overdid it this morning."

"I did, but can we let it go? Lanie and your dad have already hammered me for it, and I admitted my sins to him before I took a nap."

Alexis smiled and answered, "Not another word. I'm just glad to know the doctor is happy with your progress."

Taking the hairbrush from her stepdaughter, Kate looked at it as if it were a foreign object. "When did I start saying, 'Sure, Kid. Go ahead and brush my hair for me?' I have some serious readjusting to do."

"I offered, remember. Would you do the same for me?"

"Of course I would."

"Then don't worry about it. Consider it payback for all the French braids and hairdresser services before dates and parties. You did those things because you love me, right?"

"Right," she said, taking Alexis's hand and absent-mindedly rubbing her thumb across the opal ring Alexis had worn since Kate's first day at the hospital.

"Then we're even." Turning to her father, the teenager said, "I'll be in my room a little while. I promised Ash I'd call when I got home."

"Okay. See you later," he answered.

"You have a really good kid," Kate said as she watched Alexis leave.

"We have a really good kid, Kate. She knows she has a mother, and she's old enough she doesn't need a mommy anymore; but she sees you as the mother figure she's always wanted…as somebody she can always depend on. She sees you as hers, too, not just mine; and I think she needs you almost as much as I do. She enjoys being able to help you."

"It's just...I feel like a leech right now. I feel like helping me is wearing down the entire family. Somebody is always having to alter a schedule or stop what they're doing because of something I can't do for myself. I can't help the rest of you, and if I try, you won't let me. I can't run my own errands. It's even still hard to shower or wash my hair alone. I feel like such a burden."

Castle saved the document on his computer, walked over to the sofa where Kate was sitting, and pulled her gently into his lap. "I hope you don't think I see you that way. Kate. We've been helping each other with errands and other ordinary things for most of the last year, and we've been shoring each other up when one of us needs it for longer than that. We help each other shower and wash our hair all the time. Why should that feel like a burden just because you need it right now? I still enjoy touching you, and you know I've always enjoyed playing with your hair. Getting you in and out of your clothes isn't a bad deal for me, either…especially getting you out of them," he added with his signature eyebrow waggle. And nobody has minded bringing you things or helping with whatever has made you comfortable. Instead of worrying about being a burden, try to find some joy in the fact that you have four other family members and three good friends who love you enough to willingly be there to help."

"I'm just so tired of feeling dependent. I hate not having full control of my body."

"I know," he soothed, but it's already getting better. "You overdid it this morning, but you got through it. You're the extraordinary KB. You've got this. It's going to take a while longer to get back to normal, but you heard the doctor. He said he expects you to make a full recovery. So just go with whatever it takes to get there. Nobody in this family thinks you're a burden."

She curled into him and stated firmly, "I want to help with dinner tonight. I can still slice and dice and measure…and help set the table if somebody gets the dishes down for me. It might take me a little longer than usual, but I need to feel useful again. I feel like I'm being treated like an invalid right now."

"Then we'll start putting you back to work," Castle answered.

Kate chuckled at his teasing smile and said, "High time," then poked him in the ribs.

From there, they sat exactly as they were and alternately talked and simply enjoyed being together for another few minutes. Then Kate got up to do her PT stretches, and Castle went back to his desk to finish the last few paragraphs of the chapter he was working on.

Kate helped with their meal that night, and everybody cheered as she crossed "a trip outside the loft" off her goals list. She then spent some time with her father.

xxxxx

After dinner the next night, Kate helped with clearing the table, but nobody would let her do more. Her father helped, too, and then he went to get his suitcases. After stopping at his apartment for a few things now and then, more than he realized had migrated to the guest room at the loft.

"Jim, I'll miss you. It was nice to have another male in the house," Castle said as his father-in-law came down the stairs.

"I'll miss you, too, Grandad," Alexis echoed. "You'll come back soon, right?"

"I'll definitely be back sometime soon. I'll miss you, too."

"Richard liked having another man around. I enjoyed having someone closer to my age. You're welcome any time."

"Thank you, all of you, for letting me be here all this time. It meant a lot to be around to help Katie. I'm glad she has this family."

"You have this family, too, Jim. Don't ever doubt that," Castle assured him. "We've all enjoyed having you here. After Kate's next doctor visit, we're all going to the Hamptons for the rest of the summer. You're welcome to join us there whenever you have the time. Sun, sand, pool, ocean breezes, relaxation…your daughter. Are you interested yet?"

"You make a good case, Rick. I'll see if I can work it into my schedule."

Kate had stood on the sidelines letting Castle's family say their good-byes before she wrapped her arms around her father's waist and rested her head on his shoulder. "Thank you for being here, Dad," she almost whispered. "It was nice seeing you every day."

"I liked that, too, Katie Bug. My apartment's going to feel a little lonely the next few days."

"You can always call…or come and visit," she said hopefully.

"I will, Baby Girl," he promised and kissed her forehead when she lifted her head. "You take care of yourself. Don't be too stubborn too often."

"I'll do my best, but you know I can be a lost cause sometimes on that score."

"I'm pretty sure Rick knows that, too," he teased.

That brought a chuckle from both his daughter and his son-in-law.

Kate kissed his cheek, and he moved away to get his luggage.

"Let me help you get that downstairs," Castle offered. "I called a town car to get you home. If we have to let you go, it might as well be in comfort." He took the larger bag before Jim reached it, Jim got the smaller one and a duffel bag, and they left.

"It already feels like the loft is missing something," Martha observed. "I got used to having him around."

"Me, too. I like having a granddad around," Alexis agreed.

"Well, now you're stuck with only your grandmother again," Martha said dramatically, grabbing Alexis for a teasing hug. "And poor Katherine is stuck with only her damned old mother-in-law."

Kate laughed along with them. "Dad liked being with us. He'll be back."

Castle came back smiling. Looking at his wife, he reported, "He said to tell you to behave yourself…not to make him come back here and turn you over his knee."

Kate smiled. "He used to tell me that, but he never did it." Changing the subject, she said, "Meagan will be back tomorrow. She said we'd add to the PT routine if everything went as well as she expected with the doctor."

"Two weeks and we'll be in the Hamptons again," Alexis said with a smile. You can do some of your workout on the beach…or by the pool.

"I think I'll ask if we can do some Yoga moves by then," Kate said.

"If you do, could I do them with you? I'd thought about taking a yoga class. Maybe you could help me?"

"Certainly, Grasshopper," Kate answered with a grin, and both women giggled.

Castle put an arm around Martha's shoulders as he watched his wife and daughter together and whispered to his mother, "I told you my dreams come true."

He felt satisfied that he had been there to do his share of helping with the initial parts of her recovery.

Everyone in the family knew Kate had a long way to go but they all helped her rejoice in crossing off her small victories from the list of goals they had started in the hospital.

In spite of periodic fits of pique, everyone, including Kate, was seeing noticeable degrees of progress.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Through the next three weeks, Kate was healing and feeling stronger. There was still some residual pain, but it was manageable; and it was getting easier to take the deeper breaths required for pushing her level of physical activity forward. As minuscule as they were in relation to what she was accustomed to, she had started referring to her physical therapy sessions as workouts; and she seemed to relish every small, new addition Meagan allowed. She could now do the same amount of walking when they went for the next doctor's appointment and not expect to come home completely exhausted again…tired maybe, but not bone deep exhausted. She and Castle had taken walks in the building, even included one flight of stairs the last few times. In the past week, they had started taking short walks outside, and it was both exhilarating and nerve-wracking for her. After being safely cossetted away from the outside world, first in the hospital and then in the loft, for so long, the noise and commotion of city streets and the constant proximity of strangers was disconcerting for her…not something that anyone had expected would bother her.

Castle had asked Meagan to stay to work with his wife's physical therapy, to help her get back to normal activity without hurting herself. Meagan had seen Kate's determination and frustration with her limitations, and it was obvious that he might have cause for concern; and she had agreed immediately. The two women related well to one another…one a decorated former marine, the other a decorated police detective…both fully understanding the physical and emotional strength it takes to do their jobs well in occupations that are still for the most part a man's world, and both earning respect there. If Meagan didn't know her job well, the security company would never have hired her; but, more importantly, Castle had noticed that Kate was willing to listen when the other woman made a comment or a suggestion about her recovery time. That alone was worth anything he had to pay for her services. He had already talked Meagan into spending time with them in the Hamptons while they were there and would happily keep her around as long as necessary.

The security team had seen nothing to indicate a problem, so at the end of one month from Kate's discharge from the hospital, Castle hesitantly accepted Smith's word that they were now safe and cancelled most of their security services. Remembering Smith's warning not to talk outside their home about things important to their privacy, though, he still had someone come in at random times to sweep the loft for anything suspicious. He hated feeling even mildly paranoid, but he didn't intend to take chances. If all went well, after Kate's upcoming visit with the doctor, they would be leaving for the Hamptons the next morning; and his security people would be there first thing to meet them with a report when they arrived.

"Hey. Are you ready for breakfast?" Castle asked as Kate came into the kitchen from their bedroom.

"Yeah. I'm excited we're going out for that."

"We've already made it to the coffee shop on the next block a couple of times."

"But this feels different for some reason. It feels like we're about to take a big step forward. Maybe because I know we're leaving for the Hamptons tomorrow if the doctor approves. You do think he will, don't you?"

"I do. You've made a lot of progress in the past three weeks." He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her. "You look good, by the way," he said mischievously. "I noticed this morning in the shower that you're filling out your birthday suit a little more. I think you've gained back most of the weight you had lost, and you couldn't afford to lose that much weight. That should make the doctor happy. And don't worry. The no bra thing isn't obvious at all." With a little smirk, he added, "And it's a kind of a turn on to be the only one who knows."

She kissed him back and said, "Well, you're the only one I want to turn on."

Smiling happily, he said, "Let's go while we still have plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast." He called their driver to let him know they were on the way down, and the town car was waiting when they reached the front of their building. Being honest with himself, he felt the same thing his wife did about turning a new corner, and it felt like it called for the car service, not a taxi.

They enjoyed their breakfast out. Their unhurried time was wrapped in a cloud of good food, good conversation, and anticipation of good news from Kate's doctor.

She arrived at the doctor's office breathing much more normally than the last time, and the report after her evaluation was as good as they had expected. They were already imagining the sight and sound of the ocean when they left.

"How are you holding out?" Castle asked as they approached the town car.

Darrell held the door, smiling and touching a hand to his hat as Castle ushered his wife into the car and slipped in beside her.

"I'm good…as long as I can sit down now and then," she answered. "Any short trips you'd like to make while we're out?"

"Feeling adventurous today, are you, Mrs. Castle?"

"Feeling a little freedom. It's nice. I promise not to overdo it and worry you this time."

"A little shopping for the trip…new bikini or something?" His eyebrows were in motion as he spoke.

She laughed. "I could use a couple of pairs of shorts. And I won't even need you to help me in and out of anything."

"That's supposed to be a plus?" he teased with a bit of a grumble. She laughed; and when Darrell was back in the car, Castle gave him directions to a store he knew Kate favored.

They did their shopping, opted for lunch out at a little restaurant a couple of doors down from the store, and went home in good spirits.

Martha was there when they arrived at the loft, observing as they came in. "You both look happy. Does this mean we're cleared for the Hamptons tomorrow?"

"It does," Kate answered with a happy smile. "And I was feeling well enough that we did a little shopping and had lunch on the way home. New shorts for the beach," she said, pointing at Castle, and he lifted the bag he was carrying and wiggled it at his mother.

"That's all you came home with?" Martha scolded. "Katherine, you married a multi-millionaire. Alexis and I need to retrain you in the philosophy of retail therapy. Clearly you haven't grasped the concept yet."

"It's all I needed."

"There may be no hope for you," Martha answered, shaking her head dramatically.

Castle just chuckled and took their purchases to their room.

Kate had her phone out and was texting when Castle returned. "Letting my dad know the appointment went well…and that we won't be here for a while after tomorrow," she explained. "He had a meeting this morning. It's probably over by now, but I didn't want to interrupt with a phone call…just in case." Looking at Castle sheepishly, she said, "I think I'll lie down for a little while. I really enjoyed this morning, and I didn't overdo as much as last time; but I'm kind of tired. Good tired. You made the morning feel special."

He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a firm kiss before he let her go, saying, "It felt pretty special to me, too. Get some rest. Packing to do, and a long drive tomorrow."

Martha watched her son as he watched his wife walk to their room. "You both feel like things are turning in the right direction, don't you? It's been too long since I've seen either of you look… I'm not sure how to describe it, but it translates as optimistic."

"About time we can start feeling that way again, don't you think?" he asked, turning toward her.

"Yes, it is," she answered, giving his arm a loving squeeze. "Alexis will be thrilled that the appointment went well. She can hardly wait to get Katherine to the beach house again."

"All of us have some good memories there. It's where we started building this family…the one I've always wanted."

"I'm happy for you, Richard. Hell, I'm happy for all of us. You finally found the right woman. But the best part is that you finally look happy…deep down happy." She took in a long breath, released it, and said, "Well, enough of this maudlin chatter. I need to see the realtor about a building for the school, and I don't want to be late. I wouldn't want to have to reschedule and miss the trip to the Hamptons tomorrow."

"I'm going to get out the luggage so we can pack when Kate wakes up. Didn't want to jinx anything by being packed too soon."

"I think Alexis is hiding her suitcases. I caught her packing a couple of days ago in spite of you."

He laughed. "It wouldn't surprise me. I was interfering with her innate need to be prepared. You should hit the road, Mother. Traffic was bad on the way back this morning. Will you be home for dinner?"

"I'm planning to. Shall I pick up Italian on the way home so we don't have to mess up the kitchen tonight?"

"Good idea. That gives the rest of us more time to get ready for the trip, too."

"Well, fortunately, I only have a few things left to pack. I started a couple of days ago without you, too." She patted his cheek and swept out of the loft.

xxxxx

When Alexis came home from spending the morning with some friends before leaving for the rest of the summer, Castle took the opportunity to visit the precinct. He called Ryan first to be sure the boys were there, then went in to the twelfth, hoping to get a glimpse of the new captain before he left.

Ryan and Esposito welcomed him in as usual and others on the floor came over to speak to him and shake his hand or called out from their desks as well. Several of them asked about Beckett and sent their regards.

When things settled down, Esposito offered information. "We still got nothing on Beckett's shooting, man. It's like this guy disappeared in a puff of smoke."

Ryan gave a little snort. "He didn't even leave a puff of smoke."

"Well, he did…sort of," Esposito amended. "We got some DNA, but we haven't been able to do anything with it. There's nothing in the system. If he gets careless again, we can match it now, though."

"With all the if's that come with that possibility, Ryan's probably right. Not even a puff of smoke."

Esposito took Beckett's file from the drawer, dropped it on his desk, and opened it. "You can see how little there is to go on. We have a ton of witness statements from the funeral, statements from everybody we could place as having access to Montgomery's body, his family, his funeral arrangements, you name it. Nothing there. You want to take a look…see if anything catches your attention?

The new captain had been watching since Castle entered the room. She had let it pass at first, but then Esposito opened a police file and was giving the man access to it. She stormed out of her office, high heels clicking and a look on her face that was every bit as intimidating as Beckett's.

"Detective Esposito, would you care to explain to me why there's a civilian standing at your desk being given access to a police file?"

"Castle, this is Captain Victoria Gates. Captain, this is…"

"I know exactly who this is, and my question still stands." Looking at the file on the desk, she added acidly, "Being allowed access not only to a police file, but his wife's shooting case at that. Any of that flies in the face of procedure."

"But Castle has worked with us for the last three years as a consultant."

"Consultant. Please. He's been following Detective Beckett around for research…or so he says. I know you had an arrangement with Roy Montgomery, but I don't see your muse here, Mr. Castle; so there's no need for you to be here, either. And, even when she's back, I don't need some dilettante writer with nothing better to do hanging around my precinct and getting in the way. Have I made myself clear?"

"Crystal," he answered stiffly. "Nice to meet you, too."

He turned to the boys. "I actually came by to tell you that tomorrow I'm taking my family to the Hamptons for the rest of the summer. Call if you have some time off and would like come and visit…Lanie, too." Turning back to the glaring captain, he added icily, "And if you have any interest at all in anything other than getting rid of me, I'm able to tell you that one of the department's best detectives saw the doctor this morning and is making solid progress in her recovery." He then turned and walked away without allowing time for her to answer.

She also turned and stalked back to her office. Nobody was happy about the meeting.

Esposito's phone rang just as the captain's door closed more firmly than necessary, and he and Ryan gladly put away Beckett's file, holstered their weapons, and left for the crime scene, catching up with Castle on the way out.

"That was just wrong," Ryan said as they fell in step with their friend.

"Yeah. She's a piece of work." Esposito agreed. "We'll put in a good word when we can, but it may be good you're in with the mayor."

"I really shouldn't even look at it. Kate's been leaving it alone, and I don't want to accidentally say something to set her off. She needs to concentrate on getting better." He paused, looking thoughtful. "I'm not planning on giving it to her any time soon. I don't think I even want it in the house, but sometime before we get back to town, can you get me copies of anything new since just before the sniper…and under the radar? I don't trust anybody anymore. But only if you can manage it without getting yourselves into trouble. I don't want to cause you any problems. I'm guessing nobody wants to tangle with Gates. A stick drive would be good. Easy to tuck away. Beckett is going to want to know sooner or later, and I'm pretty sure Gates won't let her work on it. We're both staying away from it for now, but if we have a copy when she's ready…"

"Yeah, Castle. We know both of you," Ryan said with a grin, and he slapped Castle's arm with the back of his hand. "We'll see what we can do, and we'll hold on to it until you ask."

"Crime scene waiting. Gotta go. Good to see you, Bro'. We'll be in touch," Esposito said as he got in the car. Ryan waved before he opened the door and slid into the driver's seat.

Castle walked down the block to his car and sat for a minute or two, gripping the steering wheel in anger. He didn't want to take the anger home with him. Kate would know, and he didn't want to tell her yet what she'd be walking into when she went back to work. Alexis was at the loft. Kate seemed fine when they got home…just a bit tired. His mother was bringing dinner. He had clothes at the beach house and didn't need to pack as much as they'd need for Kate, so he didn't rush to get back. He gave himself some time to calm down first. He was also concerned that he had asked for the files. That was going behind Kate's back, and he'd have to tell her what he'd done sooner rather than later. But if they looked at anything, it should be in the privacy of their home. Maybe he'd get another computer he could keep off the grid…something intended only for storing files and working on projects he didn't want anyone to know he had. He'd start looking into that.

He felt himself calming down, stopped at Kate's favorite coffee shop and bought two coffees and a hot chocolate, then headed home. A few minutes later, he balanced the drink carrier as he opened the loft door and announced himself and his gifts as he entered. He handed Alexis a hot chocolate made just the way she liked it, then turned to Kate and said, "Your coffee, Detective," and watched her smile. Their fingers lingered against one another a little longer than necessary, and they had one of their coffee moments.

"Things will be normal again one day, won't they?" she asked softly.

"Yeah. They will," he answered. "Mother is bringing dinner so we don't have to clean up the kitchen as well as pack."

"I don't have to pack."

"Should I cover my child's ears?" he whispered. "Although I wouldn't mind if you had no clothes, it might traumatize the teenager."

Kate grinned. "Our girl already helped me. My suitcase and another bag are in your office…ready to go. You're the only slowpoke."

"I'm going to enjoy my coffee, then I'll do something about that," he answered and sat down at the breakfast bar. Kate sat down beside him and bumped his shoulder gently.

"Excited about tomorrow, daughter? Grams said you were packing two days ago."

Alexis moved to the end of the counter nearest her stepmother. "I'm excited about the beach and excited that Kate gets to see somewhere besides a block or so of our street and a doctor's office. It feels…"

"Like it's going to be good to get back to where we all started feeling like a family?" her father asked.

Alexis looked a little self-conscious, but she nodded. She twisted the opal ring and glanced over at Kate. "I remember helping Dad hide this ring until he decided when to give it to you."

"That's a nice memory," Kate answered. "When he gave it to me is a good one, too. And giving it to you was pretty special. I remember worrying that you might think it was silly…or not enough because it was originally given to me."

"It was perfect," Alexis assured her, and Kate took her hand and gave it a loving squeeze.

"What time are we leaving?" Kate asked.

"Is eight too early?"

"Not if your suitcase is ready," she teased.

"Nag, nag, nag," Castle answered with his signature smirk. "I'm going."

xxxxx

Kate observed as other people took charge of loading everything, refusing to let her help with any of it. "I guess I'm lucky I got away with carrying my purse."

"That's only because you took the small one," Castle answered, handing the last bag to Michael to put in the trunk.

"I don't understand why we needed a limo. Don't you usually drive your own car?"

"I want you to have room to lie down if you get tired. Darrell is driving the Mercedes and riding back with Michael."

"All this is so I'll have room to lie down if I want to?!"

"We'll all be more comfortable. There are four of us. And I could order breakfast and have it waiting in the car. We're celebrating your newest taste of freedom. Just get in and enjoy it, woman."

"Woman?"

Martha was already in the car, and Alexis got in as her parents pestered each other. Alexis took Kate's hand and pulled her toward the car.

"Get in or we'll never get there," she insisted.

"Sorry Alexis," Kate answered. "You coming, Castle?' she asked over her shoulder, and he just smiled and followed her into the limo.

They shared the breakfast Castle ordered for the trip, talked about what they planned to do for the summer, and pointed out landmarks that told them how far they were from the house. During the second hour of the trip, Kate wasn't taking part in the conversation as much as usual. It wasn't long before her head was leaning to one side, and finally she was leaning against Castle's shoulder.

"Hand me your pillow," he said, gently rousing her.

"Hmmmm?" she mumbled.

He reached across her, grabbed the bed pillow they brought along for her, put it in his lap and patted it in invitation. "Lie down. You'll be much more comfortable."

She leaned sideways and put her head in his lap, lifted her feet to the wide seat of the car, and adjusted her position a bit; then a couple of minutes later she turned over to rest on her back instead. That didn't last long either. Finally she turned facing away from the women across from her and settled down again. "Sorry, Ladies. I know that isn't my best side, but this is more comfortable.

"You don't have a bad side, Beckett," her husband declared. "I've been watching that side of you since the day I met you, and it still looks fine to me." After a long moment, he asked mischievously, "Are you comfy now?" After hearing a nondescript little sound of contentment, he said, "When I was a kid, a friend of mine had a puppy; and he'd turn in circles like that until he finally found a comfortable spot."

"You calling me a dog, Rick?" she asked, popping the "k" at the end of the word a bit harder than usual, and heard chuckles around her.

"Stuck your foot in it that time, Richard."

Castle laughed, too, and his wife complained, "Be still. My pillow is moving."

"I only meant you were as cute as a puppy."

"Good save," she answered, patting his stomach but never opening her eyes. "Love you, Writer-Man."

"Love you, too, Detective," he answered as he ran his fingers through her hair and massaged her scalp.

Once Kate was asleep, she was oblivious to the others talking around her. She didn't wake up until the car reached the stop-and-go traffic near the house.

"Thanks for being my pillow," she said sleepily as she sat up. "Sorry to desert everybody," she said to Martha and Alexis."

"That's okay," Alexis answered. "Now you might have the energy to unpack and maybe walk down to the beach. I can help you if you want."

"You're really ready to make your nest and set up residence for the summer, aren't you?"

"I guess so. It's so different from the city. I love it here."

"Me, too. So, we'll unpack first, make it home, and decide what to do after that."

The limo pulled up in front of their house, followed closely by the Mercedes, and Darrell and Michael helped get all the luggage inside.

Castle stood with Kate near the front door and told her, "You don't have to unpack right now if you don't feel like it."

"I know. I also know that, if it weren't for having to take care of me, you and Alexis would have been here a lot earlier in the summer. The whole summer so far has been all about me. It's time for me to do as much as I can to make it all about Alexis. She hasn't once mentioned the beach or made me feel like a burden, and I can see now how important this place is to her. So, I'm going upstairs to unpack and put things away right now. She wants this to immediately feel like our summer home, so that's what she gets. After that I'm going to walk down to the beach with whoever wants to go and soak up the smell of the ocean, and the roar of the waves, and the sunshine, and the breeze…and the peace…and you. None of that will ever be the same again without you."

Castle took her in his arms and gave her a long, loving kiss. Alexis came bounding down the stairs about that time, stopped in her tracks, and rolled her eyes. Then she grinned joyfully and turned, bounding back up the stairs again. It already looked like home.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

After unpacking, Kate went to find Alexis. "Clothes are put away, shampoo and toothbrush, and so on are in their proper places, suitcases are stored, and we have the security report…all good. It's looking like home in our room, and we're ready to visit the beach. You coming?"

"Right behind you."

"Do you think Martha will want to come with us?"

"I'll see."

"Okay. We'll meet you downstairs."

Kate swung by their room and asked, "You ready, Rick? I told Alexis we'd meet her downstairs."

He came to meet her and took her hand to lead her down the stairs.

"Are you taking one of your walks, or just walking out to the beach to soak up the initial effect of being here?" Martha asked as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Probably the latter today," her son answered. "Come on. You can always come back in when you've had enough."

Alexis grabbed Martha's arm and tugged her toward the back door. "Yeah, Grams. Come on. You have to at least get close to the ocean, even if you don't want to get your feet wet."

Castle chuckled at the sight of his daughter manhandling her grandmother out the back door. "I guess we'd better move before she comes back for us," he said, grinning at his wife.

"I guess so. It's fun to see her so excited," Kate answered as they walked out toward the beach. I don't remember all that little girl excitement from last summer. She must have been more subdued then, trying to figure out how I fit into her world."

"Maybe, but she warmed up to you pretty quickly." Putting an arm around Kate's waist, he watched Alexis talking animatedly to Martha. "This place always brings out the little kid in her. I guess I need to make the most of that this summer. No telling where she'll be this time next year."

"You're already imagining an empty nest." It wasn't a question. It was more of an understanding of the man she loved.

"Without you, I don't know how I'd survive when she leaves home."

She didn't answer, just tucked herself against his side in support.

When they reached the beach, red hair was blowing in the ocean breeze from two sides. Martha was trying to tame hers, but Alexis was facing the wind and reveling in letting it take charge. Rick and Kate smiled as they watched her. The teenager kicked off her flip-flops and wandered into the edge of the waves, testing the temperature of the water before moving closer to the surf. Martha gave up in a minute or so and turned to face the breeze herself, also enjoying her granddaughter's enthusiasm.

"She's been such a grown-up since the shooting," Kate said sadly. "Being here must be like having permission to be a kid again. It feels so good to see her like this." Kate kicked off her sandals, too, and moved down toward the surf with Alexis.

"Oooo. It's a little cold," she said when she was close enough for Alexis to hear her.

"Not bad after you get used to it," Alexis answered and grinned.

They wandered back and forth as the waves lapped in different locations and depths, and laughed as a couple of deeper ones threatened their clothes.

"Uh-oh," Kate called out. "That's a big one coming in. They scurried back toward where Martha and Castle were watching, and laughed as the water chased them up as far as where the sand had been dry before; then they watched a minute before walking closer to the water again.

Castle stood next to his mother, hands in his pockets, smiling, and said, "I am such a lucky man."

"Yes you are, Darling," she answered. "You have all that and a phenomenal mother, on top of it."

He laughed and put his arm around her shoulders. Take off your sandals and roll up those pants legs, Mother. Today you're gonna come and play with your children."

They spent about half an hour on the beach, then Martha announced she was going back to the house.

"Can we take a walk?" Alexis asked hopefully. "It could just be a little one."

"Tell you what," Kate answered. "Why don't you take a walk with your dad…as far as you want. I'll stay here with Martha and we can have some snacks waiting when you get back. Go and enjoy the beach. You know you want to."

"But…"

"No buts. Just enjoy your first day here."

Castle grabbed his daughter's head and scrubbed his knuckles playfully on the top of it. "What do you say, Pumpkin? Think you can keep up with your old man?"

"I think I can leave you in my dust."

"Big talk, Kid. Let's go." He looked at Kate appreciatively. "We'll be back," he said Schwarzeneggar style, and dragged Alexis off by her head.

"Looks like the two biggest kids among us are off," Martha observed as they saw Alexis pull out of her father's grip, both of them laughing as they wandered off down the beach.

"I'm going to straighten myself up, Martha said as she and Kate walked back to the house. Then I might actually help get those snacks ready. They usually need them after their walks."

Kate chuckled. "I might sit by the pool for a little while. It feels good out here."

"Don't overdo it," Martha warned. I didn't see any sunscreen floating around yet. Wouldn't want to get burned on the first day here.

"Yes, ma'am," Kate answered mischievously and got a teasing swat on the arm for her trouble.

When Castle and Alexis returned, the promised snacks were waiting. After some generous nibbling, Alexis went to her room to shower and stretch out for a little while and Castle joined Kate on a wide lounge chair in the shade of an umbrella near the pool. Martha had already excused herself for some beauty rest. Later, they all went to Bernie's for dinner, Bernie and Inez fussing over Kate, and letting her know they were glad to see her looking healthy.

After Martha and Alexis had gone to bed, Castle took Kate outside to sit on "their bench" the way they had the summer before. They snuggled close, her head resting on his shoulder and his arm around her, and alternately talked quietly and shared kisses and gentle touches.

"Rick?"

"Yeah?" He left a soft kiss on her brow after answering.

She stroked one palm over his cheek and said, "The doctor said…when I think I'm ready. I want you so much. I feel like we've been teasing each other for the last couple of weeks."

"But it was some pleasing teasing," he answered with a smirk. "And some of it has worked out pretty well for us the last week or two."

"I don't want to wait anymore. He said not to be too aggressive yet and to be careful of my ribs. Remember the limo after your book tour? We've made that work before."

"Ooooo. Limo technique. Yeah, we did. No bouncing the car. No pressure on your ribs. And, as I recall, very satisfying.

She growled in response to the less than chaste kiss that followed his recollection and readily admitted to having the same memory of that trip home from the airport. "Do you think Darrell and Michael really don't know? Or are they just amazingly good at pretending they don't?"

"I don't think either of them have that much acting ability," he assured her, rising to take her hand and help her up. "You're sure about this? I don't want to hurt you. It's the only reason I waited until we saw the doctor yesterday…'cause, Kate, I always want you."

"I'm so tired of everything in our lives being on hold because of me. I was going to ask you last night, but I fell asleep before you got out of the shower. Sorry."

They walked back to the house, looking forward to the rest of their night but not in a big hurry. They had the rest of the summer here, and both were smiling, savoring the anticipation of something else in their lives getting back to normal. When they entered their room, Rick pulled the covers down to the foot of the bed and took his wife into an easy embrace. He decided on an easygoing seduction…making it fun. They laughed softly and teased and caressed, knowing they didn't need to stop or to modify anything; and they gradually made their way out of their clothes and into their bed, eventually falling asleep in a satisfied tangle of limbs.

The couple made happy face pancakes for breakfast the next morning. Castle said just plain ol' pancakes weren't quite enough to honor the night before. When Martha and Alexis came downstairs, they found the other two members of the household bantering good-naturedly and sharing more little random kisses or touches than they had seen between them for a while.

"What's for breakfast?" Alexis asked.

"Pancakes," her father answered. When he turned to face his daughter, it left Kate in full view as she added the chocolate chips to the pancakes.

"Happy face pancakes?" Alexis exclaimed enthusiastically. "It doesn't look like anybody needs commiseration this morning, so what's the occasion?."

"Celebrating our first breakfast in the Hamptons," he answered.

"And life getting closer to normal again," Kate added, and Castle gave her a beaming smile, leaning to kiss the top of her head before he turned back to the pancakes. "Coffee is ready," he announced over his shoulder.

"Want some help? Alexis asked as she got down mugs for herself and Martha.

"Thanks, but we've got it," Kate answered. "Sit down and enjoy your coffee, and let me wait on you and Martha for a change."

They chatted back and forth until the pancakes were ready; then Alexis swung by the refrigerator to get the canned whipped cream, which Castle snatched from her hand. He flipped the cap off and turned the can upside down above his face, released some of the sweet concoction into his mouth and held it up to Alexis expectantly. She leaned her head back and opened her mouth, and he fed his baby bird. Then he held it out to Kate with an eyebrow raised in question.

She looked like she was about to refuse, but then she grinned and said, "Why not? When in Rome…" before opening her mouth and accepting the whipped cream.

Castle grinned and looked at Alexis. "Did you see that? The final test of a true Castle!" Then he kissed Kate full on the lips, both of them leaving the kiss laughing, and with little smears of whipped cream on their lips. He took the pancakes to the kitchen table while Kate refilled their coffee mugs, and they sat down to enjoy breakfast with their family.

xxxxx

Meagan arrived around noon, and was welcomed and shown to her room. After a tour of the house, she and Kate sat down and mapped out the next couple of weeks of her workout routine; and to Kate's satisfaction, it was about to expand. They went over what parts of her normal yoga routine she could return to now, and planned one session that afternoon before dinner.

"This is a great place for getting you back in shape. Do you have gym equipment hiding here somewhere?"

Castle turned up about that time and told Meagan, "If you need something, tell me and I'll get it."

"Weights." Looking at Castle in his T-shirt, she clarified, "Smaller ones than you probably used to get those arms"

Castle smiled at the off-handed compliment. "Alexis used to want to work out with me when she was little. I have weights appropriate for age five through teenager…and the ones for manly arms," he added, striking a body building pose for the two women. As they laughed at his silliness, he said, "I'll be in the pool if anybody needs me."

He leaned down to kiss Kate's forehead, taking a moment longer than usual, and Kate touched his cheek, giving him a brief kiss on the lips. He stood and smiled down at her, holding her gaze another moment longer than necessary. Then he touched her shoulder and trailed his hand across it as he left.

"You guys are more touch feely than usual today," Meagan observed with a smile.

"I love this house. We have some good memories here, and it's so much more relaxed than the city. I guess we both feel all of that."

"Those memories…did you take walks on the beach?"

"Nice, long ones, usually close to dark. Sometimes just the two of us. Sometimes with Alexis. It was nice...time spent learning to be a family."

"Watching you talk about it, I can tell it was. And it will be again. You can choose your walking companions, but let's limit your distance until we know what you can handle." She smiled mischievously. "The trick is to walk only half as far as you think you can and then turn around and walk back while you still have the energy to get home. You can expand that a little at a time and keep stretching your limits. We'll see what you're made of. We have to get you ready to go back to work."

"Sounds good to me. Shall we get started?"

"Where do you want to work, here…backyard…beach…pool?"

"Pool, I think. Alexis is there, and she wanted to do the yoga workouts with me. While I'm just getting back to it might be a good time to get her started."

"You sure Castle can handle it?" Meagan asked with a grin. "Those pants fit you like a second skin."

"We'll see. But it's kind of fun when he can't."

The two women laughed as Kate picked up the yoga mats…one for herself and one for Alexis.

Meagan walked with Kate early that afternoon and helped her decide her present limit, assuring her that it would probably expand quickly.

After dinner, Martha encouraged Meagan to sit with her in the Adirondack chairs behind the house while Rick, Kate, and Alexis walked down the beach.

A little ways, into their walk, Kate asked Alexis, "Is there anything special you'd like to do while we're here?"

"Ash is doing an internship until August, then he has a couple of weeks off before he leaves for Stanford. Can we invite him to visit for a few days? And can I see if Grams will go back to the loft with me the week before he leaves? After that I won't see him until he comes home in the fall for Thanksgiving."

"I think we can work that out. What do you think, Kate?" Castle asked.

"I think Ashley is a nice guy, and we'd enjoy having him visit."

"Thank you, thank you," Alexis answered, excitedly hugging both of them. "I'll call him as soon as we get back."

"Well, Ash is taken care of. Is there anything you'd like to do before he gets here?" Kate asked.

"Can we go to the lighthouse again? It was so much fun last summer."

"Kate may not feel up to quite as much as we did last year," Castle reminded her, "but we can go any time you want."

"We saw everything last year anyhow. A short trip is fine. And maybe we won't have to outrun a storm to get home this time," Alexis responded.

"Would you like to wait until Ashley is here and take him along? He might enjoy it as much as you did." Kate suggested. "I'd be a couple of weeks stronger by then, too."

"Yeah. Let's do that," Alexis answered with a big smile. "Good call, Kate."

"We could have dinner somewhere and go to a movie on Friday," Castle said.

"Can I invite Nina? I thought I might go and see her tomorrow."

"Is that the girl I met last summer?" Kate asked.

"Yeah. Her family is really nice."

"Fine with me," Castle agreed, and Kate nodded.

"What do you want to do, Kate?" the teenager asked.

"Hang out with my family while I get better," she answered. "Anything else is gravy. Oh, and I'm hoping my dad can come for a weekend while we're here. I guess we'd better coordinate all these visits so we don't run out of rooms."

By the time they got back, they had talked and laughed, walked in comfortable silence, and had a few tentative plans. When they reached the house, Martha and Meagan were having tea in the kitchen, and Alexis waved on her way to find her phone to call her boyfriend.

"What was that?" Martha asked, looking amused.

"Young love," Castle told her. "Alexis asked if she could invite Ash for a few days, and we gave her permission. She was headed for…"

"The phone," Martha finished for him. "Enough said."

"How are you feeling?" Meagan asked Kate. "Everything good?"

"A little tired, but otherwise fine," Kate answered. "Want some tea, Castle?"

"Not now. I had a few thoughts while we were out. I think I'll go write them down before they escape into the ether."

Kate had a cup of tea with the other two women before she excused herself, saying she was tired. On her way to the stairs, she stopped in Castle's study and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

"Almost done," he said as he paused. "Going to bed? You must be tired."

"Not that tired," she whispered close enough to his ear that he could feel her breath against it.

"Another couple of sentences, and I'm done…or I could stop right where I am…" he answered, with a roguish smile, holding both hands in the air well above his keyboard.

She grinned. "Finish your sentences. I'll meet you upstairs." He hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her down for a real kiss. "Mmmmmm…nice, she moaned. "Don't take too long,"

He smiled at her. "It won't take more than a minute…assuming I can still remember what I was going to type." He watched her walk out, shook himself out of the staring, typed his last lines, saved his work, and turned off his computer. Then he said goodnight to his mother and Meagan and went to enjoy some quality time with his wife.

xxxxx

Kate woke up hungry in the early hours of the morning; and after a moment to enjoy the view of her sleeping husband, she slipped stealthily out of the bed so she wouldn't wake him. She went downstairs and had a glass of milk and a muffin before going back to bed. When she reached the top of the stairs, she heard whimpering from down the hall. It seemed to be coming from Alexis's room, and Kate moved quickly to get there. After knocking softly and getting no answer, she realized the whimpering was getting louder, and Alexis was mumbling something frantically, so she opened the door…just in time to see her stepdaughter turning in her bed and calling out "No! Kate! Daddy!" By the time she got to the bed, the next "No!" was much louder, and she was able to wake the teenager before she woke the rest of the house.

"Alexis. Wake up, Honey. I'm here. It was just a dream. Wake up."

Alexis was completely disoriented at first, then began to put the situation together.

"Kate," was all she could say, several times, as she slumped into her stepmother's arms, still breathing raggedly.

"You were dreaming about the funeral, weren't you?"

Alexis's head nodded against her shoulder.

"Tell me about it," Kate said gently, holding the teenager tightly.

"You don't need me to tell you about it. You're still recovering from it."

"I'm not asking you what happened there. I'm asking what happened in your dream." When Alexis didn't respond, she said. "Okay. Let me guess, and you can tell me if I'm right." She took a deep breath and drew from her own bouts with nightmares. "This time I died?" There was a nod against her shoulder. "And your father was shot?" Another nod. "Did he live?" A shake of the head side to side this time. "Have you been having these dreams ever since I was shot?" another nod. "I'm so sorry, Honey. Does your dad know?" Alexis's head moved to indicate another "No". "Do you want me to stay with you a little while?" There was another nod.

Kate released her strong hold on her girl, and Alexis slid back under the covers, holding them up for Kate to get in with her. Kate reached over and wiped the tears from her child's cheeks and smoothed the shiny red hair back from where the tears had it stuck to her face. "We'll talk tomorrow. Try to sleep now. I'm fine. Your dad is fine, and I'm going to be right here if you need me."

Alexis turned away from her in the bed and asked softly, "Do you have to tell Dad? I didn't want to worry him."

"Yeah. We need to tell him, but I'll be with you. We're family, Alexis, and we love you as much as you love us, and we don't want you to keep things like this to yourself. We have to work together. That's best for all of us. But that's for tomorrow. Now relax and try to go back to sleep." As she said that, she started rubbing Alexis's back, something Kate's mother had done to soothe her after nightmares; and after a couple of minutes, the girl's tense muscles began to relax and her breathing began to even out. It wasn't too long before she was asleep. Kate was on her back, keeping one hand on Alexis's side so there was contact. She was awake for a good while before she eventually drifted off to sleep.

Castle woke about six-thirty and discovered that his wife's side of the bed was not only empty but cold as well. She wasn't in the bathroom, so he took care of his own business there and went downstairs to find her. He found no sign of her either there, or on the beach, or in the pool area; so he started the coffee, set out the vanilla syrup, and went back upstairs. Just as he was about to be upset that she might have gone for a walk without leaving him a note, he noticed that his daughter's door was ajar. That was unusual. She usually slept with her door closed. He approached the door quietly and stepped barely inside, not wanting to wake her up, just needing to check on her. The sight that greeted him was that of his wife beside his daughter, one arm protectively resting on his child's side. His first response was tender delight, but that was followed by the realization that something must have happened to have brought Kate to his daughter in the middle of the night. Then he worried.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Her Detective Beckett senses alerted Kate to Castle's presence in the room, and she held one finger to her lips to ask for his silence. She then slipped out of Alexis's bed as stealthily as she had left her own earlier in the night, closed the door quietly, and guided him downstairs without a word.

"What happened," he asked on the way down the stairs. "Is she sick?"

"No. She's been having nightmares since I was shot, but she didn't want to worry you…or anybody else apparently. I got up to find a snack last night and heard her in the middle of one of them when I came back upstairs. She didn't want me to tell you, but I told her we had to…that we'd all talk today. You and I both know how bad the nightmares can be…and how varied. When I went to her last night, she woke up thinking you and I were both dead. And she's been handling this on her own. I wonder about Martha, too. Through everything that was going on, she was a rock for all of us; but it had to take a toll on her. What hasn't _she_ told us?"

"How could Alexis have hidden that for so long? I feel like such an incompetent father. I expected it at first. Mother mentioned that Alexis had some nightmares while we were at the hospital, but…" He got down mugs and put them on the counter and ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Aren't we still having nightmares?" Kate asked, preparing their coffee and leaving it on the counter to put her arms around his waist and rest her head on his chest.

"Not nearly as often…" he answered, wrapping his arms around her, too. "And some of ours date back way before that sniper at the funeral.

"But we can get past them because?"

"Because you're right there…or I'm right there…when one of us is dreaming, to reassure the other one." Then the reason for her question hit him. "But my little girl is alone with it and won't come to me. How could I have missed that?"

"We're all outwardly feeling better, Rick, but the possibility of a threat is still hanging over all of us. We can all get through the day feeling better, but we can't control it when we're sleeping.

"We'll talk to Alexis when she comes down for breakfast. "Might need the happy face pancakes for commiseration purposes this time."

Kate nodded her agreement and moved on to her next thought. "I'm going to have to pass a psych eval before I can go back to work. Maybe I should call a few weeks ahead of going back and arrange to talk to whoever they assign me. Therapy helped me before. I guess we should keep an eye on things and see if it looks like the rest of the family should talk to somebody, too. Rick, I'm so sorry I brought all this into what used to be a peaceful home. It's all my fault that everybody is…"

"No. It isn't your fault. It's the fault of the people who created this mess…and the one in charge…the one who's hiring professional killers to take out anybody who might threaten him." He drew her closer and tucked her against his side. Kissing the top of her head, he emphasized each word as he reiterated, "It is…not…your...fault."

"But…"

He stopped her protest with a sweet kiss. "Don't, Kate. It won't change anything, and it won't change how we love you. And you didn't marry me knowing this would happen. It isn't your fault. I blamed myself for a while, too…thinking I started it by stirring up your mother's case. But we're the good guys in this. We're just caught in the crossfire, and we have to leave it alone for now." He paused, leaned back against the counter, and stared straight ahead.

"Something is on your mind. What is it?" she asked.

"I need to tell you something. It doesn't amount to anything right now, but…"

"That's your 'I wish I hadn't' face. What have you done?" He took a breath, but before he started, she said, "Wait. If this is going to be as serious as it looks, especially after the last piece of conversation, let's sit down. She pulled away, picked up their mugs, and nodded toward the kitchen table.

They sat down side by side at the table, arms touching, and each took a sip of their hot coffee before Castle began.

"I stopped by the precinct the day before yesterday. I was going to see the guys and invite them to come and visit when they had some time off. And I was hoping to get an impression of the new captain while I was there."

"And…" Kate prodded.

"Big impression. She hated me on sight…didn't even try for a polite introduction. Esposito put the your case file on his desk, and he and Ryan were going to have me take a look to see if anything new jumped out at me. She came out of her office like a hell spewed she-devil, reamed them out for showing it to me, said she already knew who I was before they finished introducing me, and kicked me out. I got the distinct impression she doesn't want me there." After pausing to take another sip of his coffee, he tacked on, "I may not have been pleasant when I left."

"Can't say that I blame you. Did you see anything worth remembering…in the file?" she asked hesitantly, nervously running one finger around the mouth of her mug.

"Didn't have time with the Wicked Witch of the West moving in on us that fast. Ryan and Esposito tried to explain, but she wasn't having any of it."

"Is that it? I can plan on working for the Wicked Witch of the West from now on, and she won't want you coming back? Your friend the mayor can fix that, though, right?"

"I guess, but that would probably make her hate me even more. The boys were leaving for a crime scene right after I got to the street, and they caught up with me and gave me some back-up." He hesitated before going on, but then plowed ahead, knowing it was necessary. "I asked them if they could get us copies of your file…anything new since you were shot. Under the radar…and only if they could find a way that wouldn't get them into trouble. I told them we didn't want it now, asked them to keep it under wraps until we asked for it."

"Castle, as much as I want to see it, we can't."

"I know, Sweetheart. I know. I shouldn't have done it. I asked them to put copies on a stick drive. I thought about getting a computer that won't be connected to the internet, something to give us a place to put things together without someone else getting to it. We'll leave it alone as long as we can, but sooner or later it's going to find us again. It always does. It's an option if we need it, but we won't touch it unless we have to. I don't think they have anything new, anyway; and I don't want to do anything that might put you in the crosshairs again."

A few renegade tears broke through Kate's self-control and rolled down her cheeks, and Castle pulled her into his lap, stroking her back and resting his cheek on her head. We're gonna be okay. Surely the Universe wouldn't put us through all this and then do us in anyway."

"I hate that our family is suffering for it. It's my baggage, my mess. Whoever it is running all this is after me. Your family shouldn't have had to give up their peace of mind because I'm part of them now. You would all have been better off if you'd never met me…if I had just disappeared."

Before Castle could say anything in response, a third voice was heard not far from the foot of the stairs. They looked up and found Alexis standing there appearing upset, tears building in her eyes, too.

"You're not leaving, are you?" she asked, looking at Kate accusingly. "You promised me you'd never voluntarily leave this family."

Kate got up and wrapped her in her arms the way she had the night before. "No, I'm not leaving. I won't leave you, Alexis. I just feel so bad that all of you have had to suffer too. It makes me feel selfish, but I won't leave you."

Castle came and put his arms around both of them as Alexis sniffled into Kate's shoulder, "I'd rather have bad dreams every night than not have you. Dad and I need you, Kate."

"I need you, too…and Martha. I'm not going anywhere."

By that time there were tears all around. Castle had one hand at the back of each of their heads and was nuzzling one's head and then the other.

"Let's walk out to the beach, Pumpkin. We need to talk," Castle said softly.

"She told you?"

"Yeah. Come on. I was out looking for Kate earlier, and it's already warm. Grab some towels and let's go sit on the sand."

Kate got three bottles of water from the fridge while Alexis got the beach towels, and Castle opened the door for them and followed them out. He helped spread the towels on the sand, and they sat close together, Alexis in the middle. Castle put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his side.

"So you've been having nightmares for six weeks?" Again his little girl was reduced to nodding. "and you weren't going to let me know?" Another nod. "Will you tell me why? Why you would try to handle that entirely on your own? You know you can come to either of us…or your grandmother."

"At first I did talk to Grams. I think we were both having nightmares then, but she said it was probably normal and they would gradually stop as the shock wore off. At first it was every time I went to sleep, then it was just at night. When it wasn't every single night anymore, I thought it was getting better. When I had a dream, Grams let me come and sleep with her like when I was little, and that helped. I told her it was getting better, and after a few nights without finding me in her bed, I guess she assumed it was. And you and Kate were home by then. You know how she wears her sleep mask and has spells of using earplugs when she sleeps? Well, she was using the earplugs again."

"And she didn't hear you waking up after the nightmares…and I was too far away to hear you?" Another nod. "I did go up and check on you, you know…every time I'd get up during the night. But I still missed it. Why didn't you come to me when you were scared…at least talk to me about it during the day?"

"Dad, you were exhausted from burning the candle at both ends. We all tease you about me being the adult in the family, but we all know you're the reason I can be an adult when I need to. You're the one who taught me about responsibility, and family, and taking care of each other. You were taking care of Kate, arranging security, talking to doctors, trying to write in between…because, heaven forbid Gina should give you any leeway because your wife was in the hospital…fielding calls about how things were going, making sure Grams and I were okay, and constantly worrying about something. I didn't want to add to that, and I thought it was stopping. I hadn't had one for a week."

"Did anything trigger the one last night?"

"When I talked to Ash, he asked about Kate…how she's doing. Maybe having to think about it again to answer him set it off. I don't know." Her eyes were still down as if she were ashamed.

"Alexis," Kate said softly, slipping her arm under her stepdaughter's and taking her hand, "There's no shame in having nightmares. You went through something traumatic, and it's normal that your mind doesn't simply let it go and get right back to normal. Your dad and I have nightmares sometimes, too. But we each have the other one there to get us through it. I know if I weren't here, you'd probably go to your father if you were frightened. Don't let me be the reason you don't. You can come to me, too if he's off on tour or something. I don't want you to be alone, either."

Alexis sat up straighter, but she was still looking down. "I didn't want to wake you up. You were hurting and needed your sleep."

"Honey, that's very noble of you but unnecessary. I don't want to be the reason that either you or your father won't take care of yourselves. From now on, you come to us when you're upset or afraid, understand?" There was another nod. "And don't assume that because I'm in your dad's bed that you can't come and knock on the door when you need us."

"But you're getting better now. What if I'm interrupting…" She waved her hand as she tried to convey her message without having to actually put into words things she'd rather not associate with her father. The movement was slightly reminiscent of her grandmother.

"Then interrupt," Kate insisted. "Life is full of priorities, and you're at the top of our list."

"She's right," Castle agreed. "Top of the list."

Alexis held Kate's hand tighter. "You never make me feel like I don't belong with you. I know you're not my mom, but I like that you treat me like one."

"Sometimes I don't know quite what to say when someone asks about you. Stepdaughter doesn't seem close enough, but you already have a mom. My Alexis doesn't work, either, but it's how I feel. Like I have a claim on you."

"I guess that means you're my Kate?" Alexis asked, finally looking more her usual self.

"Count on it."

"So," Castle asked, "just to be clear, you're going to come to us if this happens again, worries about interrupting or not?"

"Yeah, okay."

"Okay. Settled. Does anybody feel up to a walk before breakfast? Maybe a short one. I think I'm about to be hungry."

Hearing agreement from both women, he stood and mischievously tugged at the towel Alexis was sitting on, and she and Kate stood, too.

"He has the patience of a puppy sometimes," she said jokingly to Kate.

"Yeah, sometimes," Kate answered, looking at him lovingly. "But to give him credit, sometimes he has the patience of a saint. I've been a recipient of that."

"Me, too," Alexis agreed.

They left the towels in a heap far enough from the water that a rogue wave wouldn't wash them away. Then Castle put an arm around each woman's shoulders and they walked in the quiet enjoyment of family and a beautiful day before coming home and having breakfast together.

Alexis woke from another nightmare a few days after the discussion on the beach, and this time she went straight to the master bedroom and knocked on the door. Castle shuffled to the door, rumpled from sleep and in his bare feet. He took one look at his daughter and put his arms around her.

"Nightmare?" he asked, and she nodded against his chest.

Kate met them at the door, running her fingers through her hair to tame it a bit. Patting Alexis's arm, she walked past them saying, "Come on. Kitchen. Hot cocoa therapy."

"My favorite kind," Castle answered, tugging at Alexis's hair. "See? Whipped cream, hot cocoa… A true Castle. She's definitely ours." Alexis smiled at that.

That became their ritual for Alexis's nightmares. Now and then Rick and Kate utilized hot cocoa therapy for themselves, but they generally practiced other methods of recovery that didn't take them out of their room.

xxxxx

Meagan gauged Kate's progress and adjusted her workouts accordingly.

"I'm seeing a lot of progress," Meagan told her as they finished the first week of her new workouts. "You're a tough one."

"Isn't this how you'd work?" Kate answered, breathing hard and wiping her face with a towel.

"Probably," Meagan admitted, "But I've never been shot, and I've never had to have the kind of surgery you did. I'm really impressed with what you've already accomplished."

"It feels good to be moving again, even if it's a lot less than I was doing before."

"If you keep improving at this rate, you're going to amaze your doctors. It's mid-July, and you won't be going back to work until sometime in September. We still have at least six weeks before you can plan to go back. Keep this up, and even if it's desk duty, which it's likely to be, I don't see your doctor holding you back."

Kate bent forward and put her hands on her knees until she caught her breath, then stood and breathed out, "I've finally reached a point where I can feel myself getting stronger. Every three or four days I find something else that's easier to do than it was the day before." With a big grin, she added, "I love it."

"I can tell. The way you work, you hardly need me."

"Rick needs you as much as I do. He doesn't trust me not to get carried away…and he might have good reason. So I do want you to stay. It's good for me to plan with somebody who knows what she's doing and won't let me hurt myself." Rolling her eyes and making a face to go with the self-deprecating statement, she admitted, "I'm a little stubborn like that."

"Not going there," Meagan answered with a grin as she gathered the few pieces of equipment Kate had used. "You know, this could be the easiest job I've ever had. Outstanding accommodations, easy work, private beach, private pool, good food, people who treat me like family. I'll be a terrible grouch when I have to get back to the real world this fall."

Stripping down to the swimsuit she wore under her exercise clothes, Kate grinned. "Ready for the pool?"

"Thought you'd never ask," Meagan answered, paring down to her own swimsuit.

They both rinsed quickly in the poolside shower and dove in to swim a few lazy laps and cool off.

xxxxx

Nina and Alexis visited back and forth during the first week the Castles were at the beach, and Kate enjoyed the girl's visits. Nina and Alexis were well matched…bright, pleasant, enthusiastic, and well-rounded in their interests.

After their fourth morning of yoga, Alexis mentioned that her friend was interested, too, and asked if Nina could join them.

"If she wants to get up this early, sure," Kate agreed. And, as of the following morning, Nina was a regular addition to the workout. Nina went home with a promise that Alexis would be at her house in the afternoon; and as they went inside to change clothes to go on a short grocery shopping trip, Kate asked, "Do you have other friends who are here for the summer?"

"We used to," Alexis answered. "Tasha will be here next week. You'll like her, too. There were three other girls we used to play with when we were little. All of them were fun to be around back then. But a couple of years ago, they started turning into their mothers…mean-spirited, shallow, snobby, back stabbing witches."

"Alexis," Kate exclaimed, looking surprised. "I don't think I've ever heard you talk about another teenager that way."

"You haven't met them…or their mothers. Their mothers were always awful, but it was like our friends turned into different people when they started high school. Nina and Tasha and I avoid them like the plague. You'd like Tasha's parents. Her dad hangs out with Dad and Stan from next door sometimes. Total goofs when they get together. Oh, and her grandmother spends most of the summer with them, and she still speaks mostly Russian; so her parents help her communicate. You'd have somebody to practice on. Tasha doesn't speak as nearly as much Russian as her parents, though. Tasha is short for Natasha. Sorry. I'm babbling."

Kate chuckled. "It's okay. I'll look forward to meeting them. Go clean up. Your Dad's waiting in the study . Get a move on. I'm ready to start getting away from the house now and then."

"Yes, ma'am," Alexis answered and scurried up the steps in front of Kate.

They went out for an early breakfast before taking care of the grocery shopping.

"I can't believe deciding on groceries feels like fun," Kate said about halfway down the third aisle in the supermarket. Do you know how long it's been since I've done this? I'm doing something normal away from home, other than eating a meal."

Castle and Alexis laughed at her, and she stuck her tongue out at them, completely undeterred from her good mood. They finished their shopping, and Kate even happily helped put things away when they got home.

Ryan, Esposito, and Lanie came to visit for the weekend; and Kate had another taste of normal, just hanging out and enjoying friends. The afternoon they had to leave, Castle cooked steaks on the grill, and they had their lunch next to the pool.

The workouts continued for Kate, the demands increasing in increments as she got stronger. And she welcomed the challenge. By August, the family walks were almost as long as those from the summer before, her breathing was nearing normal, the teenagers were joining Kate and Meagan for yoga every day, and she and Castle were experimentally and enthusiastically branching out from limo technique.

One morning Nina's mother came to pick her up for an appointment, and Castle took her out to where the yoga club, as they had begun to call it, was finishing up. He introduced her to Kate and Meagan, then went back in the house.

"You need to clean up fast, Honey, Mrs. Kerns told her daughter. We don't have much extra time."

"Be right back," Nina promised, grabbing the bag she brought with her. "Alexis said I could take a shower in her bathroom." She and Alexis went back to the house together, leaving the three adults to talk as her mother waited.

"I hope you'll forgive the intrusion, Mrs. Castle. I wanted to meet the inspiration behind my child's excitement about getting up to work out every morning."

"It's Kate, and we all enjoy having Nina here."

"Please call me Marnie. Nina certainly enjoys it. And she's so impressed with you. You know, this brings back memories. I used to take classes, even after I had Nina; but after her brother was born, time for this seemed to run out."

"Well, if you can find the time, you're welcome to join "the yoga club". The last words were accompanied by air quotes. "The girls called it that one morning, and it stuck."

"Really?"

"Why not? It's a big backyard. Plenty of room."

"Thank you." Marnie hesitated for a moment. "I heard what happened. It looks like you're making a good recovery."

"She's working herself hard to get there," Meagan chimed in. "We're trying to get her in shape so she can get back to work."

"It must take a lot of courage to go back after something like that. Sorry. I shouldn't have brought up bad memories."

"It's there to be dealt with. Don't worry about it."

"Well, if it helps your confidence at all, I'm pretty sure my daughter thinks you could walk on water."

They talked a few minutes about random things until the girls appeared at the back door to say Nina was ready.

"Thanks, Kate. Don't be surprised if I turn up one morning before long with my yoga mat."

"Any time," Kate answered. "See you tomorrow, Nina." Turning to Meagan, she said, "Alexis was right. I like her. Pool?" and they headed that way.

"That isn't an everyday thing for you, is it? Instantly liking somebody enough to invite them in?"

"I instantly invited you in."

"Well, of course you did, but we're not talking about me and my awesome charisma," Meagan countered with a playful grin. "We're talking about everyday, average people."

"Full of yourself today, aren't you?" Kate shot back with a smirk. "Yeah. I do tend to hold back at first. Maybe Castle is getting to me. He always wants to see the good in people; and it helps that I've been around Nina, and that he's known the family since Alexis was little." Pausing for a moment, Kate asked, "You're not going to disappear as soon as I'm better, are you? I mean, you did say we'd do some sparring. And I still intend to beat your butt."

"I won't disappear if you don't want me to. Your family is addictive. I might need a fix now and then. And we'll see who beats whose butt, Lady."

They had crossed the yard by then and took their morning dip in the pool before going back to the house.

Kate, and by extension the rest of her family, found their boundaries were gradually progressing in the direction of their pre- Kate-was-shot-by-a-sniper existence. It might never be one hundred per cent the same, but a very close facsimile seemed clearly visible off on the horizon.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

By the end of July, Marnie had joined the yoga club. Tasha had made a couple of appearances at the house and had promised to bring her grandmother the next time, and Kate was looking forward to dusting off her Russian now and then.

For Kate and Rick, the previous summer had originally been about establishing their relationship. The rest of that summer had been about building a family. Rick had longtime friends and acquaintances in the Hamptons; but until recently, Kate had only met a few people who might actually appear at their door for a visit. Through Alexis and her friends, she was now beginning to find little niches where she felt she belonged in her own right.

Jim's court schedule had changed, so he was there to visit on the same weekend as Ashley. Lucky Ashley would be spending time in close proximity to both of Alexis's protective male relatives. Castle was sure he could count on Stan to help with the intimidation, too, if he felt it necessary…or fun. But he had promised Kate he would be on his best behavior. And as difficult as that would be, he would try. He could always sic Jim on the boy. He remembered from personal experience that Jim had some serious intimidation skills.

Ashley's parents gave him three full days to visit the Castles. They insisted that, in order to have everything ready to move him to California for the following school year at Stanford, they needed him home by then. Ashley arrived on the first Sunday in August, and his parents planned to pick him up first thing on Thursday morning. Jim was already there and would return to the city on Monday night. Castle treated Ashley's family, Meagan, and his own family to dinner at a restaurant in town before Mr. and Mrs. Linden left their son in his care and went home. Once his parents had left, it was time to get the young man settled in his own space for the next few days.

"Come on, Ashley. I'll show you to your room," Castle offered.

"I can do that," Alexis responded quickly, and Castle knew it was partially in fear that he might embarrass her.

"I'm the host. A proper host shows his guest to his room."

"Then I'm coming with you," his daughter insisted.

"Of course," Castle answered innocently.

Ashley picked up his bag and followed Castle, Alexis trailing behind them on the staircase. Castle took him to the farthest room at the end of the hallway and opened the door. "This is your room," he said calmly, staring the boy down. The one at the top of the stairs down there? That's Alexis's room. Then he pointed again each time he repeated, "Your room. Alexis's room. Your room. Alexis's room. And if one of you happens to be in the other's room, the door will be open. Is that abundantly clear?"

"Daaaaaad! You're embarrassing me…and Ashley."

"I just want you both to understand…"

"You've made your point," his daughter answered, and she fixed a heated glare in his direction.

"And when I've been assured you both understand, I'll leave you alone."

"Understood, Sir," Ashley answered, pink dusting his cheeks.

"Then I'll leave you to get settled in." At that, Castle walked back downstairs, smirking and feeling rather proud of himself. He thought Jim would approve…might even be proud.

When the teenagers came back downstairs, Alexis was still miffed, and Ashley looked suitably cautious.

"Alexis, why don't you give Ashley the guided tour? And maybe make some plans as to what you'd like to do in the next few days," Castle suggested, trying to seem more cooperative now that his biggest point had been made.

Kate had been talking to her father in the kitchen while she made lemonade, but as soon as the young couple was out of earshot, she narrowed her eyes at Castle. "Alexis didn't look happy with you. What did you do?" she asked.

"I only established the boundaries between her room and his room. Made the point that any time they might both be in one or the other that the door should be open."

"And that's a perfectly reasonable thing for a father to do, Katie," her father interjected in Castle's defense.

"Hmmph. Depends on how he went about it," Kate answered. You do know that the first time she had a real date, he was planning to greet the boy at the door holding a severed head and wearing a blood spattered lab coat, right? Fortunately Martha intervened." When Jim grinned with a look of appreciation, it was obvious she was on the losing end of the conversation.

"Come on, Katie. Being hassled by your girlfriend's father is one of the rites of passage for a young man. Rick and I have both lived through it. Ashley will, too. He'll be a dad some day and get his chance for payback."

Looking at Jim, she said firmly, "I don't even want to guess what you did, but I have a pretty good idea of what Mr. Castle here was probably up to when he was Ashley's age."

"But, Katie, it's so much easier to be nice to your daughter's boyfriend later when you've already made your point with a heathy dose of intimidation," her father answered. Then, with a big grin, he added, "It worked on your husband."

Rolling her eyes, she answered, "I give up. I'll be out by the pool with Martha and Meagan. Lemonade's on the counter." She took a bottle of water from the fridge and took it with her as she went in search of sanity.

The pool was at the end of Ashley's guided tour, and Alexis seemed much more relaxed about bringing him to sit with the women in the family than about going back into the house.

"Dad's being an idiot," she reported to Kate as she sat down.

"Sorry about that, Ashley. And I'm afraid you can't count on my dad to be any better. I had boyfriends at the receiving end of that attorney face of his. The latest one being your father," she said to Alexis. "It worked on him, and he's forty."

Ashley chuckled.

"Why didn't I know that?" Alexis asked with a grin. "I thought they were getting along really well."

"Dad promised me he wouldn't embarrass your dad in front of you, so he saved up a few words and 'the look' and used it on him as you were walking out the door of the diner. He accepted Rick's business card and then tapped him on the chest with it while he said his 'few words'. Subtle, but deadly. Your father wasn't about to let you know, but Dad rattled him."

"So I may not be out of the woods yet?" Ashley asked, looking a bit nervous.

"They both like you, Ashley. Try to keep that in mind," Martha assured him, and Kate backed her up.

Later that night as they were getting ready for bed, Kate asked, "You know, what you did to Ashley this afternoon may not matter. You do realize they've already had ample opportunity to do exactly what you're afraid of. I'm sure a lot of the girls at her school already have."

"Don't mess with my mind like that. I know. I just don't want to think about it."

"Have you talked to her about…"

"It was awkward, but I did. Birth control…anything that seemed necessary…anything she wanted to know."

"Yet you're still proud of yourself for hassling Ashley?

"A little bit. Yeah. It's a father's prerogative…to protect his daughter. At least, if it's happening, it might not happen here.

"What happens if we have a boy? Do you just high five him for what he got away with when it's somebody else's daughter?"

"Kate…" He looked down for a moment. "I wasn't as bad as you think. I'm disappointed that you might believe that. I set some rules for myself, and I've never broken them. I haven't been a saint, but I've never… Did you ever think I tried to take advantage of you? I know there was a lot of innuendo, but…"

"No. I never thought that. But I don't have a context for anything else. You know what, though? I really can't see you ever doing that."

"And I haven't. I made my decisions on how I'd seen men treat my mother. They talked about that briefly, leaving Kate looking at her husband with even more respect than she had for him in the moments before. And then they were back to discussing Ashley.

"I'm just saying that, instead of trying to worry the poor kid to death, you might want to consider talking to him about what you want for your daughter and why you feel the way you do about it," she argued. "He seems to honestly care about her. If he sees your perspective…"

"I'll think about it."

"Good. If you just feel the need to act like a caveman, you can take it out on me," she said flirtatiously, and thoughts of Ashley and Alexis moved far to the back of his brain.

"Let's see what else we can come up with that doesn't overtax those ribs," he answered in kind.

xxxxx

The following morning, Alexis skipped yoga in favor of a walk on the beach with Ashley, and Jim and Rick were in the kitchen having coffee as the women worked out. Rick related to Jim part of his conversation with Kate the night before and asked his opinion. "I mean the kid has a father. He doesn't need 'the talk'."

"I don't know. She may have a point, Rick," Jim answered. "If a moment presents itself, maybe it isn't a bad idea. He wouldn't have heard your thoughts about Alexis from his father. And yours is a whole different family perspective than what he's grown up with. You had two unsuccessful marriages before you had a good one, and you might have something to say that he'd find worth hearing. They're still kids, and they may not make this long distant thing work, but if they do…" He shrugged.

"Guess I'll just play it by ear," he answered.

He left Ashley and Alexis alone most of the day, seeing them at meals and leaving them to enjoy the beach. That evening Kate convinced him to leave the teenagers to watch a couple of movies without a chaperone, she and Martha talking him into sitting on the back porch with them after Jim left to go back to Manhattan.

"You know they're probably in there making out," he grumbled.

They both tried to soothe his fatherly feathers. And after Martha went to bed, Kate distracted him with a little making out of their own.

The following morning Castle was looking out a back window when Ashley came downstairs, and the teenager met him there.

"That's quite a view, Mr. Castle," Ashley said with a smile, his eyes never leaving the view of the yoga club in the downward facing dog pose.

Castle chuckled. "You caught me." Trying to be objective, as Kate had asked, he looked over at Ashley; and this time saw the reasonable, responsible young man he had been glad his daughter had chosen. Not that he was happy she had chosen anybody at all; but if it had to happen, this kid really wasn't so bad. "You know what? I'm not sure I'm all that comfortable standing here with you while I'm staring at my wife's derriere. And I'm damned sure I'm not comfortable standing here with you while you're watching my daughter's. We usually have breakfast after they finish all this. What do you say we take a walk on the beach?" Seeing a wary look in Ashley's eyes, he smiled and assured him, "No intimidation tactics this time. Just a walk."

"Okay, if you're sure." With self-deprecating humor, Ashley added, "Cause you're a lot bigger than I am; and when you want to be intimidating, you're kind of scary."

"Good to know," Castle answered with a friendly grin. "Let's go."

As they passed by on their way to the beach, Castle saw Alexis watching them.

"Did you see that?" he asked the younger man playfully. "Alexis is afraid I'm going to do something to embarrass her again. She's probably fighting to keep herself from following us to be sure you're safe."

"Probably," Ashley admitted. He was beginning to look more relaxed and returned the smile.

They walked quietly until the house was almost out of sight, then Castle asked, "Can we talk man to man? With the understanding that anything I say about my family stays between us? And anything you want to keep between us, too, of course."

"Yes, Sir."

"I'd like to start from about forty years ago…because it might explain some of the rest. I assume you know that I never knew my father." Ashley nodded. "I don't even know who he is. If my mother knew, she never told me. Forty years ago that was completely unacceptable in most circles. He told Ashley about his absent father, the difficulties his mother endured because she had a child without the benefit of a marriage, about Kyra, her mother's disapproval of him, and of her leaving him.

"It all seemed to come back to the idea that my mother and I were an embarrassment…to her own family…to Kyra's wealthy, socially acceptable family. I thought I'd marry Kyra after we graduated, in spite of her mother; but then one day she said she needed space, and she left. By then I had money from my first book. After I moped around for a while, I started spending it…on parties… entertaining women…whatever I wanted. During that time, I met Alexis's mother. We had fun together, but it wasn't a serious relationship. Then she was pregnant."

"Does Alexis know?"

"Not because I told her. Her mother did, though…a few years ago." He paused thoughtfully for a moment before he continued. "I married her mother because I wasn't going to allow a child of mine to grow up without a father, and because I wasn't going to leave a woman in the position my mother had been in. Long story short, she was never much interested in family life, and, among other problems, she walked out on us. So my child had a father, but not a mother. I had no financial worries, but being a single parent is tough. I loved Alexis from the minute I saw her, and I wouldn't trade a minute of my time with my little girl, but it wasn't easy."

"She knows that, Mr. Castle, and she's really proud of you."

"I want Alexis to have a different kind of life. I'd like to see her break her family's cycle of life-altering choices made at the whim of fate. That's one of the reasons I'm so protective of her." Castle glanced at the young man beside him and saw that he had his full attention. "You're one of the wild cards in her life, Ashley. One that could make that difference. I'm not going to ask what you and my daughter have or haven't done. As much as I hate to admit it…and I can't even remotely begin to tell you how much I hate to admit it…it isn't my place to make that decision for her. If you have, I don't want to know. Most fathers want to think their daughters will be innocent until at least their thirties, and I'd rather be left in my little bubble of denial."

Ashley seemed to be checking Castle's facial expression before giving in and chuckling along with him.

"If you haven't, I'm asking that you wait at least until you know if this long-distance relationship will work out. I'm not asking if you've been with anybody else, either. It's none of my business as long as it doesn't affect my daughter."

"For what it's worth, we haven't."

"Thank you for that," Castle answered, looking relieved.

Ashley just nodded. Then he asked hesitantly, "What was it like…all the women?"

Castle looked over at him and tried to decide what to say. Deciding truth was best, he told him, "A lot of fun until I realized how empty it was. It's what I did when Kyra left…because empty was how I felt. It's what I did after each divorce…same reason…same result. So part of my reputation is earned, but most of it is publicity, used because it sold books and kept the attention on me and away from Alexis. A lot of the pictures on page six were women who needed publicity, too. I dropped them off after the party and went home to my child."

"But there are that many women out there who are willing to just…"

"There are."

"And you took advantage of that?"

"There's a fine line in this answer. I took advantage of the offer, but never of the woman." Seeing Ashley look confused, he explained. "Watching the way men treated my mother, I could see which ones she appreciated and which ones upset her. I didn't have a man around to tell me how I should behave, so I assessed why she seemed to have those reactions and set myself some rules. The biggest one being that you have to respect the woman. If she seems at all hesitant, there should be no pressure…you back off and let her continue to feel good about herself. If you don't, that's taking advantage of the woman. If the woman is fully aware of what she's doing and has no qualms about it…"

"That's taking advantage of the offer. I get it."

"That's what I want for my daughter. Your respect for all of her choices...the ones now and the others that will affect her future."

"I get that, too. And she has it."

"Then I'll trust you with her," Castle answered. "We should probably head back…and stay away from the windows so they don't catch us."

Ashley laughed along with him as they turned back toward home.

"Got any secrets you want to tell me on the way back?" Castle teased.

"I'm not old enough to have that many secrets yet," he answered, smiling. Then he looked serious. "The times my dad talked to me, he never said anything about respect or pressuring somebody. It was mostly variations of the birds and bees talk. What you said…it's something I'll remember."

"His life was different from mine. Different life, different perspective."

"It's not my business. You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but you and Mrs. Castle…you seem happy together. Do you think it's going to work out this time? Alexis really wants it to. She was so afraid for her when she was shot."

"I think Kate and I are going to get old and gray together. I don't think I ever believed that in my other marriages."

"What makes the difference?"

"You have to be as invested in what's good for your partner as you are in what's good for you. And you have to take turns being the strong one when things are tough." He stopped and pointed. "Did you see that?" There were two dolphins leaping out of the water not too far from the shore, and they were shortly joined by a few others."

They enjoyed watching them play for a few minutes before resuming their walk, and from there the conversation was much lighter in nature. By the time they got back, the yoga club was breaking up, and Alexis came to meet them.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"It's fine," Ashley assured her. Then he held out his hand, and Castle shook it. "Thanks for the talk, Mr. Castle."

"Any time, Ashley," he answered with a smile. He then walked over to Kate, planted a firm kiss on her lips, and said quietly, "You're going to be so proud of me." Then he walked her back to the house.

"Do you want some help with your stuff," Ashley asked a confused Alexis.

"Sure," she answered. "What happened with Dad?"

"We talked…man to man. He spoke to me like he would to an adult…made me think about some things a man should consider. And he said he'll trust me with you."

"Wow."

"I know, right? He made me feel good about myself."

"He's good at that most of the time."

That afternoon Castle, Kate, and the younger couple went to the lighthouse; and Alexis gave her boyfriend the full tour, leaving the older couple to entertain themselves now and then. Castle finally had time to tell Kate about his conversation with Ashley; and she was indeed proud of him, praising him for handling it like a grown-up.

Alexis and Ashley spent most of the next day in town, shopping, having lunch there, and going to a movie. Later on, Castle talked to his mother and daughter. Alexis had wanted to go back to the loft for the week before Ashley left for college, and Martha agreed to go with her. She was ready to be back in Manhattan anyway. So Castle called Mr. linden and said he would see that Ashley got home on Thursday morning.

Before everyone went to bed that night, Meagan took Kate aside and told her she planned to work with her through Friday and take the next week off.

"You and Castle haven't had time alone since you've been well enough to enjoy it. You'll work out whether I'm here to push you or not, so I'm giving you time to enjoy each other the way you did last summer. You both deserve that. When Alexis comes back the week after next, I will, too."

"Meagan, you…"

"No argument. You two don't need a chaperone this week. It wouldn't hurt to check on my place anyway. I haven't been in it much lately. So, as of Friday afternoon, the fifth wheel is bowing out for the week. Just take advantage and enjoy it."

Castle walked into the room, and Meagan said, "I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow."

Kate relayed Meagan's intent to him, and he growled softly against the curve of her neck, "I have you all to myself for an entire week?"

"Yep. Whatever will we do?" she asked, batting her eyelashes pseudo-innocently.

"I'm sure we'll think of something," he answered with a suggestive smile. Then he kissed her, swept her up in his arms, and started toward the stairs. She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him under his jaw.

xxxxx

Having the house to themselves and more freedom of activity than when they first arrived was a blessing. They hadn't realized how long it had been since they weren't surrounded by others. As much as they loved the others, there was freedom in having breakfast in the kitchen scantily clad, making love whenever, wherever, and as noisily as they pleased, walking on the beach alone again and talking about whatever came to mind.

On one of their walks near the end of the week, Kate was unusually quiet.

"What's going on in there?" Castle asked, kissing her head.

"A lot of things," she answered.

"Anything in particular standing out?"

"Going back to work."

"Is it bothering you? Are you having doubts about going back?"

"I don't think so, although I know I'm going to hate desk duty. The Wicked Witch of the West will be able to keep an eye on me all day every day. You know how well I'm likely to handle that."

"Good thing I'm rich so we can afford it if you get yourself fired."

She bumped his shoulder with hers and said, "Not funny."

"A little bit funny." He smirked at her and could see her fighting a smile of her own. "So what's really bothering you?"

"I have to see a shrink before I can even go back to desk duty. What if he finds out what a mess my head is in and won't let me go back?"

"Is there something going on in your head that I'm not aware of?"

She hesitated and started to speak a couple of times before she actually did. "Crowds and the thought of guns make me nervous. Not here so much. The job doesn't follow me here. It feels different here…safer."

"Is it enough to think it might affect the job when you're back in Manhattan?"

"I don't know. And that makes me nervous, too. Other people depend on me to be a hundred per cent in the field. I can't be what they need if I jump every time a stranger bumps my arm passing me on the sidewalk or panic every time I see a gun."

"Is it that bad?"

"I don't know yet. I haven't been out of the loft enough to be sure."

"We're going back to the city on Sunday so you're there for your next doctor's appointment on Monday. That one is in the morning. Why don't you make some phone calls tomorrow and see if you can make an appointment with somebody for the psych eval on Monday afternoon? If the doctor thinks your head needs a little more work, you'll know beforehand and have some time to address it."

"That's what I was thinking, too."

"Great minds and all that?"

"Yeah." She stretched up to kiss his cheek and they walked the rest of the way home in comfortable, loving silence.

xxxxx

After thoroughly enjoying their isolation for the rest of the week, they went back to the city on Sunday morning. They intended to get Kate back into the bustle of the city, planning to take Martha and Alexis to brunch within walking distance of the loft and go out somewhere else for dinner.

The first doctor's visit on Monday was favorable and reassuring. Her doctor was pleased with her progress; and based on the new evaluation, he didn't foresee physical problems keeping her from returning to work in mid to late September or to full duty by mid to late October.

They'd had the car service drop them off a couple of blocks from the first doctor's office before the appointment, had a celebratory lunch at a popular restaurant a couple of blocks away afterward, did some window shopping in a busy part of town, and met the car service where the driver had originally dropped them off. Their plan was to expose Kate to enough city stimuli to gauge her reactions before keeping her appointment with a Doctor Carter Burke, who would be responsible for her psychological evaluation.

Arriving at home in time to freshen up before Kate's next appointment, Castle asked, "How did you feel? I could see that you looked antsy now and then…uncomfortable. Did anything else bother you…other than the waiter at lunch dropping the tray?"

"Loud noises. It's odd…because I don't remember hearing anything when I was shot. All I remember is turning toward you and then something that felt like the weight of a cannonball slammed into my chest. But now I hear a loud noise like the serving tray falling, and it reminds me of gunfire. Guns usually make noise."

"You have to tell Dr. Burke that. I know you want to get back to work, but you said it yourself. Everybody depends on you to be a hundred per cent."

"I know, Rick, but it's so hard for me to admit to anybody but you that I may not be okay yet,"

He took her in his arms and held her close. "I'll go with you and hold your hand if you need me to."

"I think maybe I should see him alone first, but I might want to take a few minutes before I leave and have you come in and meet him. And I want him to know you can have access to my records if you think you need them."

"I love that you trust me that much."

"Always. Come on. I don't want to be late for my first session."

As Kate expected, Dr. Burke suggested that a few more sessions might be advisable before she returned to work. She asked that he meet her husband before they ended their session and Castle came in for the last few minutes.

"I'm proud of you," Castle told her as they left. "You faced that like the kick-ass detective that you are."

"But I didn't like it at all."

"And that makes it even more impressive."

Kate made an appointment for the following week. Alexis went back to the beach house with them for the rest of that week, and they moved back to the city the following weekend. It was time to get Alexis ready for school, Kate ready for work, and life back to normal.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Katherine Beckett Castle returned to Manhattan feeling that she was well on her way to reclaiming her life and had every intention of completing that goal. Physically, she had no doubt that at least desk duty in a few weeks shouldn't be a problem, but her concern for her partners if she wasn't up to her normal mental response weighed heavily on her. She had several appointments with Dr. Burke, and as much as she hated baring her fears to a stranger, she would do what it took to feel that her partners could depend on her.

Ashley was by then in California, at Stanford; and Alexis spent a lot of time on the phone, making Castle grateful for his unlimited everything phone plan. She and Ashley were working out a communication schedule of sorts built around the three hour time difference between the two coasts.

Kate and Meagan upped their workouts, added short runs after Alexis left for school in the mornings, and alternated weights and workouts at the gym around the corner in the afternoons.

Just before leaving for her third appointment with Dr. Burke, Kate told her husband, "I like Dr. Burke better than the first therapist I saw. He makes me work at finding solutions. He points me in the right direction and asks enough questions to make me find the answers."

"Then I think I like him, too."

"Will you sit in with me today?"

"Are you sure you want me to?"

"No secrets, remember? And I need to talk to him about the threat still hanging over us. It affects you, too, so maybe he should hear from both of us. Maybe you should let him help you decide if you should see someone, too. "

"Do _you_ think I should?"

"You still have nightmares, too, and sometimes I can see you worrying, whether you say anything or not. You've been right beside me through a lot of the things that cause my nightmares."

"Alexis hasn't come to us with a nightmare in a couple of weeks."

"That may have something to do with being distracted by Ashley and school and her friends. We'll see how it goes now that things are settling back into a routine. I heard her playing her violin last night. I hadn't heard that in a while. Was that part of not disturbing me when I came home from the hospital? I hadn't realized how long it had been."

"It might have been. I think there were a lot of factors, but I'm glad she's getting back to it, too."

"She plays well. I'm proud of her every time I hear her."

"Me, too. You've been so good for her, Kate."

"Yeah, right. All my baggage has given her nightmares and insecurity. She was watching when her dad tried to shove me out of the way of a bullet that could have just as easily hit him. It left a threat over the entire family. Some good I've done."

"Talk to Dr. Burke about that, too, will you? In general, I see her feeling better about herself than ever. She used to ask often why she wasn't enough to make her mother want to be with her. Knowing that you love her the way you do, she can see that she isn't the problem….her mother is. I don't think she cares any less about her mother, but it doesn't bother her nearly as much when her Meredith breaks her promises again. I think she'd rather have you go to the museum or a bookstore or take a walk in the park with her anyway. She's well aware that Meredith doesn't consider what Alexis enjoys when she plans their activities. You always chose things for her benefit."

"No comment. If I start on Meredith, I could still be at it when we get to Dr. Burke's office; and then he'll have something else he wants me to talk about."

"Can't have that," Castle chuckled, picking up his keys. "You were hoping to be back at work in mid-September. That's only another week and a half. Do you think Dr. Burke will approve it?" he asked as they left.

"I think he'd probably approve me for desk duty. Then I have another month before the last physical exam should release me to full duty again. Maybe by then. I never thought I'd be willing to voluntarily remove myself from the field, but I can't let you or the boys get hurt because I'm not what you need me to be."

Dr. Burke seemed surprised that Kate wanted her husband there for the full session.

He agreed, saying,"I might want a few minutes with you one-to-one before you leave. Kate, I've read the files of your therapy sessions from several years ago, and I've seen little to nothing to indicate that you would have even tolerated such a thing then, let alone requested it. Can you tell me what brought about such a change?"

"Richard Castle."

"And you're certain you want him present? We cover some sensitive subjects in these sessions."

"We have no secrets."

"None?"

"None," Kate stated firmly.

Dr. Burke looked to Castle questioningly.

"None," Castle agreed. "When we finally decided to give our relationship a try, we both had trust issues; and we decided the only way around that was the truth. Anything we don't know about one another is either something that simply hasn't come up yet or something that we've agreed doesn't matter. Sometimes it isn't easy, but we've managed so far." He glanced over to find Kate watching him with a soft smile, and he returned it.

"And what is it about Mr. Castle that brought you from where you were several years ago to where you are now?"

"Even before we were together, we were good friends. He knew me better than anybody ever had. It was hard to do, but I could talk to him about things I couldn't bring myself to tell anyone else, depend on him when I needed support. I still can…and know he won't judge me or love me any less…that he won't leave me because I'm too much trouble…" She paused briefly. "He loves me unconditionally…and he's always there when I need him. It gives me a new kind of strength."

"And does Mr. Castle get this same kind of support from you?"

"I do," Castle answered quietly. "And so does my family…my daughter and my mother. We're a good, strong family."

"I must say, Mr. Castle, you're not what I expected."

"You thought you'd be dealing with the cocky playboy?"

"Possibly, but my expectations changed rapidly after our first meeting."

"You of all people should know not to judge a book by its cover," Castle answered good-naturedly.

The doctor said nothing, but he nodded slightly and smiled in agreement. "Is there a specific reason that you wanted your husband here today, Kate?"

"There's an issue we haven't discussed yet, one that affects our entire family. We can't give you details, and I don't want it in your notes; but it's a factor in our lives that concerns me – concerns all of us."

"Why don't you want it in my notes?"

"Because if anyone had access to them, it could put us in danger. Can you do that for us? Leave that detail of my treatment unwritten? I know it makes us sound paranoid, but we have good reason to worry."

He put down his pen and said, "Tell me what I need to know to understand."

"You know that someone hired a professional sniper to kill me. What you don't know is that someone has made a deal with the sniper's employer to leave me alone…as long as I don't make any effort to find him. He's responsible for seven murders for hire that we know of, as well as the attempt on my life. Someone I can't name had files he was using as blackmail against this man in order to protect both his family and me. A third party, someone we don't know, now has the files and is in control of the agreement. We may know some of what's in the files but that doesn't include the name of the man in charge. We don't know who hired the hitmen, only that he's powerful and willing to kill to stay in power. I knew nothing of the files or the blackmail deal until after my shooting. If he can identify the location of the files and get his hands on them, my life is probably over.

"My first problem with that is that I'm still living with a threat hanging over my head, even if there's a truce at the moment; and therefore my entire family is, too. It's frightening to know they could be used to coerce me. They don't deserve that any more than I do. The second problem is that I feel I'm failing in my duty to the public...to my job. I know someone else could die while I'm being protected; but to protect myself and my family, I have to protect this monster from being discovered."

"But to have any chance of stopping him in the future, you have to remain alive? Am I correct in thinking that figures into this equation?"

Kate nodded. "I don't know how to work with all of that." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, strangely enough, we're going about our lives pretty normally in general. We go out and enjoy what we do. Nobody is wallowing in despair. But the awareness is always there in the back of our minds…and the anger.

"That's quite a dilemma. Do you feel safe at the moment?"

"I feel safe enough for now, but I also feel compromised.

"We haven't talked about some of those things," Castle said, looking disappointed.

"When I couldn't sleep early this morning, I did a lot of thinking and worked out how to put it into words," she answered. "It's part of the reason you're here today. I didn't want to have to say it too often. It scares me to talk about it."

He reached over and took her hand where she had placed it on the chair arm. "Understood," he assured her.

"How do you see the situation?" Dr. Burke asked Castle.

"The same way Kate sees most of it. I also see that this man paid someone to shoot my wife. I've seen the agony she went through to fight her way back to where she is now." His voice reflected more anger as he spoke. "I want to see him rot in jail for the rest of his worthless life, but there's nothing I can do. Whoever this man is, he seems to have access to people, files, records…to information he shouldn't have. He seems to know what's going on by the time we do…seems to have inside knowledge about who to approach to get his dirty work done. I'm afraid for my family, and I'm mad as hell that there's nothing I can do about it without putting Kate in the crosshairs again."

Dr. Burke nodded. "And you're concerned that my records could be compromised as well?"

"Yes," Castle confirmed.

"I'll need time to consider what you've told me. But I understand your concern about my files. There will be nothing in writing on that subject."

"Thank you." Kate breathed out in relief.

"Let's move on to the issues we discussed at the last session…the ones that concern your job. We'll return to the rest during the next one."

When they left, Castle took his wife's hand as they walked out to hail a cab. "Your answers were well thought out. No wonder you couldn't sleep this morning. I know how you feel about doing your job well."

"The whole picture is bad enough, but that was the icing on the cake. I think it hit me when I realized how close I am to having to go back to work and face the lie I'll have to be living…as well as the desk duty and the new captain…and having to square my lack of effort on my case and my mom's with the boys."

He moved his hand from hers and wrapped a comforting arm around her waist, promising her, "We'll figure it out."

She slid her arm around his waist, too, as they walked to the corner where a cab driver was letting someone out; and Castle raised his other arm to hail the driver.

In the next week and a half, there were three more sessions with Dr. Burke, and Kate was still working with Meagan every day. They alternated the limited runs and light work with the heavy bag at the gym, gradually getting Kate's body back to full work capacity.

xxxxx

The night before Kate was scheduled to return to work, the loft was filled with family members taking care of their own interests. Dinner and its clean-up had been finished. Martha was sitting with information about buildings available for an acting school, pouring over the pros and cons and costs involved. Rick was writing, Alexis was on the phone with Ashley…again, and Kate was alternately at loose ends and trying to prepare for her first day back at work. Lanie had called earlier just to talk, knowing Kate well enough to know that her state of mind might benefit from a friendly distraction.

Rick occasionally caught sight of Kate out of the corner of his eye. He knew she had already made lists of answers to questions her new captain might ask, had thought through how she could best lead her team effectively while being confined to the precinct. She had also thought through a variety of ways to explain her husband's contribution to her team; and she was now in their room, apparently trying to decide what to wear the next day. He finished the paragraph he was working on, jotted down a few notes on where the chapter was going, saved his work, and went to her. She was standing in front of the mirror with two blouses, holding first one and then the other in front of her.

"This one," he told her, pulling the one in her right hand in front of her. "It says 'I'm here for a damned good reason, even if I'm stuck in the building', but the color still makes you approachable. And it looks really sharp on you. This and your black dress pants."

"You worry me sometimes," she teased. "You're a little too good at this."

"Yeah, I know. I've lived most of my life in a houseful of women…and was privy to discussions of endless fine points of the merits of this or that in costuming when I was a kid. But, in observing for books and characters, I've found that the costuming points I heard then are often pretty accurate; so sometimes I dress my characters that way. I admit that all my past experience adds up to an odd overall package. Good thing you've already decided you can't live without me." He leaned around her when she smiled over her shoulder and kissed the tip of her nose.

"This one and black slacks it is," she answered, walking back to the closet to put them away. "I'm costumed for tomorrow."

"If you're ever stuck without my expert advice, ask Mother. She would be honored."

"I'll keep that in mind," she answered, returning to the bedroom and setting the alarm on her phone. "How's the writing going? I didn't mean to take you away from it."

"It's good. I'm actually happy with all of tonight's work…even know exactly where it's going. I left a few notes. I needed a break anyway."

"Want some coffee? I made some after dinner."

"Sure. Sounds good."

He followed Kate into the kitchen and saw Alexis wave and smile as she picked up a bottle of water to take to her room, never slowing her phone conversation with Ashley on her way up the stairs.

Rick smiled and waved back as she moved away. After he and Kate filled their coffee mugs, and went to sit in his study, he said, "I thought I might see more of her now that Ashley is across the country, but she's always either on the phone or skyping."

"She can't call him before school. That would be about four-thirty in the morning for him. I think this is the niche of time they've worked out together to accommodate the time difference. It just happens to be normal Dad time, too."

"Guess I know where Dad stands," he grumbled as they sat down close together on the couch. "At least I don't have to worry about what they might be doing together anymore."

"About that. When Ashley was visiting this summer… You did understand that I wasn't questioning your setting boundaries, right? You and Dad were having so much fun with the idea of intimidating Ashley, but he's such a good kid and seems to have a lot of respect for Alexis. Alexis was upset, and Ashley looked mildly traumatized. I was just questioning how you'd handled it."

"Yeah, I completely understood that, and you were right about talking to him. I left that conversation feeling a lot better…and I think he felt good about it, too. The question about what I'd tell a son stung a little bit initially, though."

"When we have kids, we're going to be in this together, Rick. I just wanted to make the point that our boys should be expected to be responsible, too. And that was a good answer, by the way. I…"

He gave her a quick, coffee flavored kiss and said, "I understood that, too. It took away some of the sting when you said you couldn't see me ever taking advantage…and even more when I realized you mentioned a son as if it were already an understanding between us. So, with everything else going on right now, what brought all that up in your head tonight?"

"I was thinking about us…and the rest of the family…and how it might be nice to have more family one day...little Castle babies. I've seen marriages suffer when people have to decide how to bring up their children, and I want us to agree on things. I want to make it work."

"Have we failed to make anything work yet when we put our minds to it?" he asked. "We might have moments of mutual bull-headedness, but I have complete faith that we can come out on the other side of that with a solution we can both live with," he stated confidently.

She looked over at her husband. "I'm excited about getting back to work, but I'm going to miss having this time together any time we want it. We'll be back to long hours, take-out dinners, inconveniently timed schedules…and the workplace rules of not always kissing or cuddling when the spirit moves us."

"Are you having second thoughts about going back? It's entirely up to you, you know. You never have to work again if you don't want to."

"No second thoughts. Not now, anyway. The job is demanding, though. I've seen marriages fail under the pressure. Little Castle babies would add to that."

"I think, after working together for a couple of years, we know what to expect and how to make it work. Are you worried about how to fit little Castle babies into all that?" She smiled self-conscientiously and nodded, and he gave her one of his little smirky smiles. "Just now you said 'babies' and 'our sons'. Does that mean I get more than one?"

She bumped him with her shoulder and said, "I can't believe you have one going to college next year and sound this excited about starting all over again, let alone more than once. And I think your little swimmers are in charge of whether you get sons. But I think you're probably the reason I'm sounding crazy enough to use plurals. I think about you, and I want us to have everything we can. I do want us to be parents…again, kind of? I'm doing pretty well with a teenager, but let's see if I can be a fit parent to one baby first, okay?" She paused, looking discouraged. "And I'd like to wait until we're not bringing a tiny, helpless new family member into the situation we're all in right now." She put her coffee down on the table, tucked her legs up on the couch, and snuggled into him.

"Hey," he answered, putting his coffee down, too, and pulling her close. "One day we're going to find 'the dragon', for want of another name, and make him pay for everybody he's hurt."

She sighed. "But meanwhile he gets too much control of our lives. He has no right to any influence over when we have our babies."

"That was another plural," he whispered, sounding way too pleased before getting serious again. "I guess that means we need a plan for how to take him down. Not right away, but maybe we need a place to gather everything we have. That way if all your notes and documents disappear…or mine…we still have copies of our work. I don't think we should start now, but shall I get another computer sometime soon to store them on?"

"Yeah. For whenever we decide the time is right. But I can't go back there right now. I'm not ready."

"And I don't want you to. Not for a while yet."

xxxxx

Appropriately costumed for her first day back at work, Detective Beckett, not Kate, walked into the kitchen looking the part. Martha and Alexis applauded, and Castle, close behind her, joined in.

"Darling, you look just like your old self. Everybody will know that take charge Detective Beckett is back."

"Do you think so, Martha?" she asked in her detective persona, then turned into Kate again. "'Cause inside, I'm a wreck."

Martha took her into a hug and laughed. "You walk in there like you walked in here, and you and my son will be the only ones who know that."

"She's right." Alexis agreed. "Your outfit is perfect, your entrance was perfect, and you're still the best detective in the city."

"A little biased there, Kid?" Beckett asked.

" I don't think so," Alexis answered. "You just have to prove that from the precinct instead of the field for the next month. So, here. Eat your eggs so you have the energy to go and impress the new captain.

"I don't know if…"

"Eat," Alexis demanded. "You'll be keeping long hours and skipping meals again soon enough."

"Yes, ma'am," Kate answered, and then she sat down. "Thank you."

"You, too, Dad."

"You won't get any argument from me," he responded, taking his plate and sitting next to his wife.

"Never expected one," his daughter shot back with a grin.

Breakfast eaten and pep talk repeated, Beckett hugged the other women in her family, thanked them, and left with her husband.

Arriving outside the precinct, Beckett repeated their plan. "So I go in alone, then you show up with coffee in an hour or two, whenever you finish your meeting with the mayor, right?"

"Captain Gates isn't going to be happy when I come back in under the mayor's orders anyway. We might as well get all the initial nastiness out of the way today and then get on to the simple, day to day witchiness. And maybe the coffee will have you caffeinated enough to let it pass and not get fired on your first day back."

Beckett got out of the cab, looked up toward the fourth floor of the precinct, took a deep breath and strode into the building looking way more together than she felt.

The desk sergeant's voice boomed across the lobby. "Well look who's finally decided to come back to work!"

Others looked up to see what was going on and shouted their welcomes and their own teasing.

"Thanks, guys. It's good to be back," she said as she got into the elevator and waved as the doors closed. When she reached the homicide floor, people were gathering near the door to applaud her to her desk. She smiled and thanked them and asked, "How did you know?"

"Sarge called up to let us know you were on your way," Karpowski answered. "Welcome back, Beckett."

"Yeah," LT agreed. "You look good. Glad you're okay."

Others left their good wishes, too, along with comments like, "Better get back to work. Gates runs a tight ship."

Ryan and Esposito were waiting their turn with big smiles. They each gave her quick hugs while the captain surreptitiously watched from her office.

With her back to the captain's window, Beckett said, "I guess I'd better go face her."

"I wouldn't expect hugs and sunshine if I were you," Esposito warned.

"So I've been told," she answered with a sigh. "Maybe she'll be civil…at least until Castle gets here."

"He's coming in today? When? Where is he?" Ryan asked, looking concerned.

"Meeting with the mayor."

"I'm praying for a body drop before then, Bro'," Esposito told Ryan. "'Cause I don't want to be anywhere near that moment."

By then Beckett was moving toward her desk and stopped to run her hand fondly across its surface before storing her purse in the bottom drawer. She then took a deep breath, straightened to her full height, and strode confidently to the captain's door, to announce herself.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

AN: This chapter is another where there is generous use of dialogue and situations from an episode – "Rise". Those things belong entirely to the writers and those who created and produced the show and who graciously allow us to play with their work.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Ma'am?" Beckett called from the door of the captain's office.

"If my mother stops by, you can call her 'Ma'am'. Call me 'Sir' or 'Captain'," Gates replied, barely glancing up from the papers in her hand.

"Detective Beckett. I'm back on duty as of today."

"Detective Beckett. Your reputation precedes you." After a rather one-sided exchange about their relative positions in the history of female detectives in the NYPD, the captain got down to business. Picking up Beckett's file, Gates double checked her information. Your psych eval has you cleared for desk duty, which coincides with your medical clearance. It's speculated that you could be back on full duty in another month. That will happen only if your psych eval falls in line with other medical clearance." She took Beckett's badge from her desk drawer and reached across her desk to hand it to her, watching Beckett accept it as if one of her limbs were being returned after a long absence. "From what I've learned about you, I would imagine that desk duty will rankle you; but I assume you will make every effort to handle it without incident."

"Yes, sir." Beckett hesitated a moment before stating, "I understand you've closed my case."

"I did. A couple of days ago."

"What about the shooter? He's still out there."

"Three months and no leads, and every day more homicides coming through that door. How long did you expect me to let those folks tread water?"

Beckett simply nodded and returned to her desk.

Not knowing the Smith circumstances, the boys met Beckett in the break room and quietly mentioned trying to find a money trail that might tie the three dirty cops to whoever hired her mother's murderer. To avoid their implicating Montgomery, the new captain had been left out of that information loop, and that part of their investigating had been done under the radar.

"What we have is on the stick drive we promised Castle," Ryan told her. Esposito back-handed his arm, and Ryan winced and asked, "Castle did tell you about that, right?"

After Beckett assured him that she knew, Ryan breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Good. 'Cause I wouldn't want to accidentally spill the beans and end up in the middle of _that_. It isn't here, though. If any of us get caught working on it, we could all lose our badges." His phone rang then, and he walked away to answer it.

"He's paranoid, but right," Esposito agreed. "It isn't like it was before. We can't do this here."

"That might be for the best…" Beckett started, but was cut off.

"Got a fresh one at Lex and Eighteenth," Ryan reported. "You coming, Beckett?"

"Desk duty this month, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Bummer," he answered.

"We'll let you take your frustrations out on the unfortunates in the box," Esposito answered with a grin as they left. "They won't stand a chance."

Beckett gave them a smile as the elevator door closed. Then she returned to the captain's office.

"Excuse me, Sir. Are the files for the last few cases Ryan and Esposito worked on still here? I thought it would be a good idea to bring myself up to speed on them. If questions come up, I should be able to help."

"The last two are right here. Bring them back to me when you're finished," Gates answered, all business when she handed Beckett two files from the corner of her desk. She then watched speculatively from behind her paperwork as Beckett returned to her desk, opened them, and took occasional notes as she read.

Castle came in about eleven and handed Beckett her coffee. "Ready for the explosion?" he asked.

"Will it really be that bad?"

"Mr. Castle. Detective Beckett. My office, now!" Gate's voice ordered at a volume that caught the attention of every person on the homicide floor, and possibly one or two sharp-eared souls a couple of floors down in robbery.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Does it matter now?" Beckett muttered. "Captain?" Beckett asked as they entered the door.

"Mr. Castle, I thought I had made myself clear last time you were here. My detectives are quite capable of doing their jobs without…." Her phone rang, and she answered with an impatient edge, "Captain Gates." Both her voice and her expression changed immediately. "Yes sir." She listened briefly. "Yes, Mr. Mayor." Another miniscule pause. "Yes Sir. I understand." When she hung up the phone, her facial expression strongly reflected the rumblings of a volcano on the verge of erupting. With a laser-like glare, she said, "You think you're clever, Mr. Castle? Going around my back like that. Well, let me tell you the score. I don't care how powerful your friends are. You screw up at all on my watch, and I'll prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. You understand me?"

"Yes, ma'am," he answered.

"Sir," she corrected.

"Sir."

"Now get out of my office." Once Castle had left, she turned her wrath to Beckett. "Detective."

Beckett hid her dangerously close smile by clearing her throat. "Yes?"

"You or that husband of yours embarrass me like that again, I will bury you."

"Yes, Sir." Beckett left quickly and closed the door.

Joining Castle at her desk with their backs to Gates, she said, "Ooooo. Showing her up with the mayor. You might as well have beaten a beehive with a bat."

"It worked, didn't it?" he answered. "Besides, it sure was great seeing her face twitch like that."

"Well after that, I think you can definitely count on the day to day witchiness you mentioned…at least for a while." She gave him a little smirk and added, "But I think you may have misspelled it."

They both chuckled quietly. "Where are the boys?" he asked, sitting down in his ratty but beloved chair."

"Crime scene," Beckett answered. "They've been gone a while." She sent a text to check in with them and put her phone down again.

"What are you working on?" Castle asked, looking at the files.

"Just going through the last couple of cases Ryan and Espo worked on without me. Catching up. I'm supposed to take them back to the captain when I finish with them, but I don't want to go back in there until she calms down."

"That could be sometime next week," he answered with a grin, and he was rewarded with a shoulder bump.

"Want to see what's here?" she asked.

"Sure. Let's buy you a little time."

One of the cases was actually interesting, and Castle made a few notes of his own. He already had an idea of how to alter it to suit his own purposes.

By the time the boys were back with the initial case information, Beckett had run out of any legitimate, or illegitimate for that matter, reason not to brave the lion's den to return the case files. That was done as quickly as possible in favor of setting up the murder board. Ryan and Esposito relayed the basic information, and Beckett made herself look more useful by adding it to the board. They discussed the probabilities of what happened and zeroed in on the woman's boyfriend. He and the victim were both high profile; so the press was interested, and the pressure on the detectives was immediate. An APB helped track the boyfriend down, a confrontation involving a gun happening before it was over; and Ryan and Esposito brought him in for questioning.

Even with Beckett involved in questioning him, the man didn't admit guilt. And when a drug was found in both glasses at the crime scene, they began to believe him…even though it appeared he was the only one there during the window of opportunity. Beckett suggested someone else may have been there the entire time, and things were solved in short order from there.

When reporting to the captain, the boys made sure to mention that Castle had found the killer's hiding place and his prints on the bed frame. She thanked her detectives for their good work and glared at Castle as she went back into her office.

"I told you you misspelled it," Beckett grumbled quietly.

"But when you really look at it, I'm winning this game."

"And how, pray tell, did you come to that conclusion?"

"Well, Gates has to get all worked up and do something to annoy me. All I have to do is walk calmly into the room and my job is done," he answered with a grin the captain couldn't see from her office.

Beckett disguised the bark of laughter that burst from her with a cough that would have been pretty convincing to those who, like the captain, couldn't see her face. "You do realize this isn't a game, right? She's in charge…for good or…"

"Evil?" Castle finished for her.

"Not what I was going to say."

"But appropriate, you have to admit."

"Maybe," she admitted as she sat down in front of her computer. "I'm sorry she completely ignored your part in solving the case."

"Hurry up and finish your reports, then you can take me home and make me feel better."

"Who's going to be home tonight?"

"Everybody, plus Alexis's study group, but not until about seven-thirty. She sent me a text right before I got here. Paige's parents are picking the girls up from their after school thing and taking them to dinner, then Paige is coming home with Alexis to meet the others. Mother won't be back until about nine. Finish on time, and we should have about an hour and a half to ourselves."

"Switch with me," she ordered with a smile. "You can type faster. I'll dictate."

xxxxx

When Alexis and Paige arrived at the loft after dinner, a mellow and very satisfied Mr. and Mrs. Castle were freshly showered, wearing clean clothes, and in the kitchen innocently putting together some snacks for the study group. "Hey, Ladies," Castle called toward the door as they entered. We're just going to leave some snacks on the end of the counter over here and let you set up for the study group the way you want. We put some drinks in the fridge to cool.

"Thanks, Mr. Castle," Paige answered. "It looks good."

"It is," Kate assured her mischievously. "We ran tests to be sure."

"How was your first day back, Kate?" Alexis asked.

"Explosive?" she answered, looking up at Castle, who was grinning way too much at her description..

"Dad, what did you do?"

"Nothing. I walked into the room. The captain just hates me. That's all."

"Yeah. That's all…except that while she was telling him how he had no business there, the phone rang, and we got to watch her listen to the mayor order her to let him stay. She was a seriously unhappy woman after that," Kate added. "But your dad may be right otherwise. She seems to take offense at nothing more than his presence. The mayor was just a bonus."

The two girls giggled, and Kate turned and pointed a finger in their direction. "And none of that should be heard by anybody but the four of us, understand?"

They both nodded, and Alexis asked, "Was she really that bad?"

Kate nodded. "She was today, but we should keep an open mind for a little while. I haven't been around her long enough to know what her normal is. I could tell nobody wanted to cross her, though."

"Well, I'm two for two." Castle chimed in. "I went in to see Ryan and Esposito before we left for the Hamptons, and she hated me both times. I definitely don't like her yet. The rest of the day was good, though. This was almost an open and shut case. We already have the guy behind bars."

"I told you you're the best detective in the city," Alexis answered.

"But I'm on desk duty. Your dad went out with Ryan and Esposito and he was the one who found what we needed. The boys probably would have found it, but they said Castle just zeroed right in on it."

"But what we were looking for was her idea," Castle told them, pointing at Kate.

"And the boys had already done the research," Kate reminded them. That's why we call it a team."

"Yeah, so Kate leads the best team in the city," Castle confirmed.

"You're the boss, Mrs. Castle?" Paige asked.

"I lead the team. That's all. Not in charge of anything else."

"You should see her in action, Paige. She's awesome," Castle told her proudly.

There was a knock on the door then, and Castle opened the door to welcome them, saying, "Come on in. Set things up however it works best. Just please put it all back when you're finished. Snacks are on the counter when you want them, and Mrs. Castle and I will be in my study thinking up things to do to embarrass our daughter."

The girl smiled, and the two boys grinned and bumped fists with him as they came in, all having been around him long enough to feel comfortable at the loft. Their varying forms of "Hi, Mrs. Castle," drifted behind them as they crossed to where Paige and Alexis were setting their components of the night's project out on the dining table. Paige sent the others for the snacks and drinks before she turned back to her work.

"That's new," Paige said quietly to Alexis.

"What?" Alexis asked.

"I've known you since kindergarten, and I don't think I've ever heard him call you anything but _his_ daughter. He just left with your stepmother and called you _our_ daughter."

"Yeah. Funny thing is that I didn't even think about it."

"So you're okay with that?"

"Yeah. I'm really good with that. I have somebody else I know I can count on, and Dad and Kate have that much confidence in each other. It's all good."

The teenagers gathered around the table and organized themselves for a couple of hours of project wrangling.

In the study, Castle finally got around to asking, "How did Gates treat you before I came in and set her teeth on edge?"

"I may have done that before she ever saw me," his wife answered. When Castle looked at her questioningly, she explained, "Guess who was the youngest female to reach detective status before me?"

"No way!" He chortled happily. "You broke her record?"

"By only six weeks, she said. If it shows you how much I paid attention to it, I've never even looked to see whose record I broke. All I wanted was to be a detective…and have full access to records. I have to hand it to her, though. She must have been good. She accomplished that probably in the late eighties…maybe early nineties. It's never been easy for women to rise fast through the ranks, and she did it at a time when it was more difficult. I have to respect that."

"Did she take it out on you?"

"Not really. She was definitely all business; but I have to admit, she was more civil before you came in."

"If I'm affecting your job, don't hesitate to tell me. I don't want to do that. But maybe she'll succumb to my charms eventually. You did."

Kate grabbed him by each side of his shirt collar and pulled him down for a thorough kiss. "Yeah, I did," she said, leaving both of them smiling.

Kate settled down on the sofa with a book, and Castle opened his laptop to do some writing.

"Hey, Castle?"

"Yeah?" he asked absent-mindedly as he opened the chapter he was working on.

"If Gates doesn't warm up to you sometime soon, are you still going to stay at the precinct? I mean, if I had to put up with too much of that, I'd think about leaving…transferring maybe."

He stopped what he was doing to look directly at her, daring her to misunderstand him. "She isn't the reason I want to be there. The reasons are: 1. You; 2. The boys and the case to be solved…the challenge; and 3. I'm doing some good for somebody who's likely to be hurting like you did when your mother was killed. It's worth putting up with Gates."

"I didn't hear book research in that list."

"That falls in as a convenient side effect of the rest. But don't tell Gates that."

"Not a chance. No matter how much she ignores your contributions, I'm really proud of you. You know that, right?"

"Yeah. And it makes my day. Every day."

From there, they smiled at one another again and eased smoothly into the comfortable silence of their own activities while their daughter and her friends worked in the other room.

xxxxx

After dinner a few days later, Kate came back into the kitchen and found Alexis glaring at her phone and growling at it.

"Did the call get cut off?" she asked.

"Yes. By Ashley." Alexis answered, obviously annoyed.

"That doesn't sound like Ashley. Did you have an argument?" she asked as she got down a mug and a box of teabags. "Would you like some, too? Chamomile?"

"Couldn't hurt," Alexis answered. "We weren't arguing. I even understand why he had to go. Why couldn't he have gone to Columbia, or at least somewhere in the same time zone?"

"Because that was the dream school…for both of you. By this time next year, you might be in another time zone, too."

"I know. At least down deep I know. But up here on top, I need to be mad for another minute or two."

Kate put the teapot on the stove to heat the water, and sat down at the breakfast bar. "Sit down and talk to me. Was he impatient with you?"

"Not really. It was more like he was in a hurry. He had to meet a study group. He's been there long enough to meet some other people who are serious about good grades and they decided to study together when they have a test coming up. They have the first big one tomorrow," she answered as she slid onto the bar stool next to Kate's. Propping her elbows on the counter and drooping with her chin resting on her hands., she added, "He and I both took some classes that can transfer as college credit, and he tested into two sophomore economics classes, so I guess it's important to prove himself."

"Then he was probably just feeling a little pressure about the test. He's as conscientious as you are about grades. You've been talking and skyping a lot, so you know he still wants to stay in touch."

"I know. And he probably wants to prove he can handle those sophomore level classes. I just miss being able to talk to him every day. It worked when he first got there, but he seems busier this week."

"The workload should be picking up by now , like it is for you. You look a little busier this week, too. And he's made some friends, and probably wants to go out and do something with them, even if it's just having dinner, before they all go back to the dorm for the night. Then he needs to study. It's hard for both of you."

"Am I crazy to think this long distant thing could work?"

"Not necessarily," Kate answered as she got up to retrieve the mugs and the teapot. "It could. The time difference is tough, though. I guess it depends on how much each of you wants it to." She poured water over the teabags in the mugs and sat back down. "You may eventually have to settle for working out time two or three nights a week on the days when neither of you have anything scheduled. But right now I know you still miss him and want to talk to him as much as possible. I'd probably feel the same way if your dad were away on a book tour."

"I'm glad Dad has you. He needed you. He deserves to be loved the way you love him."

"I need him the same way."

"I want somebody who loves me the way he loves you."

"Do you think that might be Ashley?"

"Maybe. Is it normal to have doubts now and then?"

Kate huffed a little laugh. "You're not exactly asking the guru of relationships, Honey. My track record isn't good. I was attracted to your dad from the moment I met him. And I still almost missed having this family of ours because I didn't believe in either of us enough to think it would work. I was the queen of doubts for a long time, even before your dad. But based on listening to my more normal acquaintances, I think a doubt now and then is normal."

"Do you still have doubts about Dad sometimes?"

"Not a one." The answer was solid and confident.

"Is there anything you learned while you were getting over all the doubts…anything that might help me out?" Alexis asked with a sad little smile.

"Talk about things that worry you. Your dad and I caused ourselves problems by being afraid to ask questions or to say what we needed to say. When we started talking to each other, good things happened." She bumped Alexis's shoulder and smiled sympathetically. "Of course, that means you have to get Ashley on the phone long enough to talk."

Alexis nodded and leaned her head on Kate's shoulder. "I'm glad _I_ have you, too."

"Me, too, kid," Kate answered and planted a little kiss on her step-daughter's head. "I don't know what I'd do without you anymore."

Castle stood in the doorway of his study watching the two women whose backs were toward him. He held his breath when Alexis asked about doubts, and was surprised to find he had done that when he released it in relief at Kate's confident answer. Her honest appraisal of some of her lesser relationship skills made him smile. He knew it wasn't easy for her to admit that to someone other than him…or Lanie…but he loved that Alexis was important enough to Kate that she would be honest about it. Moving quietly, he slipped back into his office with a sense of peace and left them to enjoy their tea and conversation.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

During the first week Beckett was back at work, Castle went with Ryan and Esposito to the crime scenes. After the second one, where they ended up with the case by accident, they all came back shaking their heads as they told her about it.

"We stopped for lunch at that little cop bar a couple of blocks from here," Esposito started

"And brought you one of those subs you like," Castle added, handing her the bag they picked up on the way back.

"Thanks," she answered, taking the bag and opening it to unwrap the sub. "And…"

"We were there when somebody came running in yelling that he needed help. One of the uniforms met him at the door and tried to calm him down. When we heard the words 'blood' and 'killed', we went to see if we could help figure out what he was talking about," Esposito continued. "We sent the uniform with the guy to find the crime scene, and we followed them while we called dispatch and told them we were practically there already and would take this one."

Ryan picked the story up from there. "Close time on this should be fast. The woman confessed about four times before we could calm her down enough to ask her any questions. I actually felt sorry for her. Looks like an argument and an accident. The victim was the boyfriend."

"CSU is there now," Castle told her, "and she should be here any minute. We passed Perlmutter as we were leaving, so you should have all that information soon."

"Apparently she and the boyfriend had some kind of falling out, and she pushed him. She's a sculptor, and he fell on the metal sculpture she gave him for their first anniversary," Ryan said.

"The one fatal edge on the sculpture met the one fatal spot on his neck, and he had bled out by the time we got there," Castle reported. "The guy looking for a cop heard the woman screaming for help and went in and found her with blood all over her trying to help her boyfriend. The neighbor called 911 then ran to the cop bar looking for help, but by then it was too late."

"The whole thing was a freak accident…except that he was pushed," Esposito concluded.

They realized Gates had been at her office door listening in.

"Did you hear all that, Sir?" Beckett asked.

"I did. Talk to her and judge for yourself. If it looks as much like an accident as it sounds, get the paperwork done and talk me about how it should be handled."

"Yes, Sir."

About that time an officer arrived with a woman with big smears of blood on her clothes. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties, slender with light brown hair and probably a very pretty young woman under normal circumstances; but, at that moment, she looked far too miserable for it to make an impression.

"I'll take it," Beckett told them. "You've done the rest. Get some coffee or something."

After talking to Patty Marellus, it was clear that there had been no intent to harm. She went to confront her boyfriend about seeing him kiss her best friend. He tried to hug her before he told her that her friend kissed him, not the other way around. She pushed him away just as he said that, he lost his balance and tripped over a pair of shoes he had left at the end of a nearby table, and then he fell into the sculpture. What she heard him say didn't even register until he was falling. Then there was a lot of blood. The situation was the true meaning of a series of unfortunate events.

Patty Marellus was taken to holding, and Beckett reported to Gates that it didn't even seem to be a case of willfully pushing someone to make him fall. The young woman just didn't want to be held right then. She intended to push him away, not even to knock him down.

"Did you know Gates was in observation?" Castle asked when his wife returned to her desk. "What did she say?"

"She said she'd talk to the people she needs to talk to, but she didn't sound like she was inclined to charge Ms. Marellus. Almost like seeing a heart in there."

"Well, I haven't seen it yet, but she seems to be accepting you pretty well."

"NYPD pays me to be here. She has to put up with me," Beckett answered as she pulled up the report forms on her computer.

"Just saying it's good one of us seems acceptable."

"Hey, everybody else is being extra nice to you to make up for her. Try to enjoy that."

"Yeah, that part has been good. Anything new on the Thompson case?"

"Her sister is supposed to be back in the country tomorrow afternoon. Maybe she'll know something that will help. Meanwhile, I should have the paperwork for this one done before I go home."

"Alexis was a little down yesterday. I think I might go home and spend some time with her. I might take her for ice cream when she gets home…or maybe break out the laser tag gear."

"Laser tag is healthier," she answered.

"What fun is that when you need cheering up?" In a deep, dramatic voice, he intoned, "Come on, Honey. Let's do something healthy. You'll feel so much better."

Beckett laughed. "Go home and take care of our kid. Maybe go ice cream shopping, then play laser tag first. Best of both worlds."

He grinned. "Good plan." Leaning over close to her ear, he whispered, "I love you."

"Love you, too. See you at home," she said, looking up at him with a smile. "I'll be there in a couple of hours…maybe a little less."

Just before Beckett left the precinct, a text from Castle pinged on her phone.

 _Laser tag in progress. Enter at your own risk._

She smiled, picked up her things, said goodbye to the boys, and headed home. Traffic was awful; so when she was close to home, she took a few moments while sitting in the idling car with nothing to do and called in a delivery order for dinner. Since laser tag was in progress, it was a good bet that dinner wasn't. When she finally reached the front door of their building, she stopped to talk to the doorman until the food arrived; and then she let herself into the apartment carefully. When laser tag was in progress, rapidly moving adult sized bodies could appear in one's path from any level with no warning, and it was good to be cautious; but this time the loft was strangely quiet, so Beckett announced herself good-naturedly.

"Nobody has to answer me and give away your location, but just so you know…I'm here. Putting dinner in the warming drawer now, and then going to the bedroom. Don't hurt me."

The eerie quiet continued until she got to the bedroom where she heard a quiet , "Shhhh!" right before she was grabbed by strong, male arms and pulled into a satisfying welcome home kiss.

After giving her husband a quick peck on the lips in return, she whispered, "I'm gonna go take a shower. It's probably safe in there."

He put one finger to his lips in a request to keep his hiding place a secret, and she nodded and smiled before getting clean clothes from her drawer and going into the bathroom. By the time she emerged from the bathroom in yoga pants and a T-shirt, the laser tag game was breaking up at the sound of a skype call ringing on Alexis's laptop.

"Upstaged by the boyfriend again," Castle grumbled.

"Want to take food with you?" Kate asked Alexis.

"What did you get?"

"Thai."

"Noodles while I Skype? Don't think so. I'll heat it later. Hey Ash," she said, answering the call and picking up her laptop. As she moved up the stairs with it, they heard, "We didn't get to talk yesterday. How did your test go?" There was a short pause before she answered, "That's great!" And then her bedroom door closed.

"Don't look so sad, Rick. She was still willingly playing laser tag. She still loves doing things with her dad. At least she might not need the ice cream so much now."

"Yeah, but I might."

Kate helped him out of his laser tag vest and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a thorough kiss.

"Mmmmm. Ice cream and more of that, and I might come through this injustice unscathed." By then his arms had a firm hold on her as well.

"Did you pick up ice cream on your way home?"

"I did…all our favorites, including Mother's."

"So there are four cartons of ice cream in the freezer?"

"Six, actually. I couldn't make up my mind, so I got both; and Ben and Jerry's was on sale so I got the one we both like. We can share that one another time."

"You're going to make me fat."

"More to love."

"You say that now while it hasn't happened."

"You don't have nearly enough faith in me."

"Whatever. Let's eat the healthy stuff first." She turned toward the stove, and Rick couldn't resist the draw to swat her swaying backside. She looked over her shoulder flirtatiously and said, "Do something more useful. Get the plates and silverware."

"You know you liked it," he answered as he followed instructions and put things on the table. Then they sat close together at the corner of the dining table and talked about going to the Hamptons on Kate's next weekend off.

xxxxx

Three weeks after Beckett's return to the precinct, Gates was leaning against the doorframe of her office observing again.

While the three men on her team were at the crime scene, Beckett was working with another team; and when Gates saw Beckett smile and say, "Well, this doesn't seem to be aliens or a CIA plot after all," Gates turned away, preventing anyone from seeing her smile.

"So I'd say take a deeper look at finances…and see if anything odd shows up around his wife or son, too," Beckett continued. "There's definitely something odd there, but I'm not seeing what it is right now. Let me know how it works out. Curiosity."

"We will. Thanks for the extra set of eyes on it," Murden said as Beckett headed back to her desk.

"Detective Beckett, a moment?" Gates called from her doorway.

"Yes, Sir." Kate corrected course for Gates's office and was ushered in.

Gates closed the door, indicating that she should sit. "Detective, have you considered advancement?"

"Not seriously yet. I like what I'm doing. And the past year has been a little distracting."

"Something of an understatement, I suspect. I've noticed that you've been working with some of the other teams in the past couple of weeks, and…"

"Is there a problem with that? Sometimes a fresh set of eyes when you're stuck on something can…"

"Of course not. I like to see cooperation instead of rivalry. We're all supposed to be on the same side." She paused and seemed to be weighing her words before presenting them. "I probably should have had you working on cold cases during your desk time, but I've been impressed with the way you're working with your team…and the other teams. You don't just drop your ideas on them like bricks or ask if they've done the obvious things you would normally do. You ask what they have on identifications, connections, financials…and let them give you the rundown that shows their work…leaves ownership with them. Then you add suggestions, generally good ones. I haven't seen you leave a group yet where anyone looked miffed that you were there. That shows good management skills."

"Thank you." Beckett smiled, looking amused.

"What's funny, Detective?"

"You won't like it, Sir."

"Try me."

"It's a Castle approach. Make them comfortable, give them credit for what's been done, treat them the way you'd want to be treated, and throw in a little humor."

"Ah. That would account for the aliens and the CIA plot I heard mention of just now…which I assume could also be attributed to Mr. Castle?"

"Um, yes sir…along with the occasional zombie. It helps lighten the load of the grizzly stuff we deal with all the time."

"Zombies?" Gates eyes closed briefly, then rolled upward momentarily as she released a resigned sigh.

"Sir, may I ask what it is about Castle that makes you hate him so much? Other than…um… the thing with the mayor? He had the impression that's how you felt long before I returned to work."

"Hate may be too strong a word. At this point, though, dislike probably isn't. It may not be him personally so much as what he represents; but he, personally, is part of the problem. He and 'the thing with the mayor' are an affront to my authority in my precinct." Her mention of the 'thing with the mayor' had been fortified _very_ obviously with air quotes, so there was no doubt at all that it was intended to make an impression, and Beckett looked down in what appeared to be a silent acknowledgement of that affront. "He isn't a member of the NYPD, and he doesn't belong here. He's a page-six, former playboy media darling who can bring us unwanted attention if the press gets wind of something they want to follow. Our detectives are quite capable of solving cases without him, and it opens the door to lawsuits if he's hurt. It also opens the door to other writers, or civilians with other projects, to come in expecting the same long-term privileges. You operate as if he's your partner, but the two of you are married. That's against long-standing department rules; but he's a civilian, so the rules don't apply, to either of you. That places you as an affront to my authority as well. Mr. Castle doesn't have a weapon or training, so he can't back you up when you need it; and that means I'll soon have a detective out there in the field unprotected. It feels like having a loose cannon on my homicide floor. He takes full advantage of his contacts to grant himself access he shouldn't have, to gain privileges cops don't even have, like being married to a detective who considers him her partner. And I have no control of it…which I suppose is the very definition of a loose cannon. I don't like a lack of control in my command."

"I can understand that."

"I might ask the same sort of question. What makes a strong, independent woman, a fine detective leading a fine team, feel that she needs to keep a writer around and treat him as a team member? What makes you want to fight so hard to keep him here? Other than being head over heels in love with the man, which is obvious to anybody near the two of you. I'd think being together all day every day would be difficult. And what do so many of you see in Mr. Castle that makes a room full of jaded, skeptical police detectives glad to accept him almost as one of their own?"

"First, the man is brilliant. I recognized that even at first…when I thought he was a jackass."

Gates's eyebrows raised. "Oh, there was a time when you felt that way?"

"I appreciate that you didn't say, 'Felt that way, too'."

"Simply trying to respect that you married him."

Beckett smiled and nodded. "There's also the fact that he missed his calling as a detective. And that his various and sundry book research, along with an amazing memory for details, sometimes gives us insight about evidence that we might never have considered otherwise. It doesn't mean we wouldn't understand the evidence, just that nothing in our knowledge base ever placed it in that context. Not having spent his entire adult life as a cop, he sees things from a different perspective, which also helps us. As for behaving like a partner, he's saved my life a couple of times, weapon or not. I've never worked with anyone I could count on more…except when it comes to paperwork. That just doesn't hold his interest most of the time. He's gone from being someone who pushed his way in after we asked for his help once…murders based on crimes in his books…to someone whose opinion we all respect. Our close rate actually rose a little after he had been here a while."

"That doesn't change the liability or the publicity problem. I don't understand why I haven't seen more publicity about his working here. I would think he would want that…that it would help sell books. Isn't that his purpose in life?"

"He's instructed his publicist to play it down. If it's ever mentioned in public, he says he consults sometimes. He doesn't think of this as a publicity opportunity and he doesn't want it to interfere with police work. He gives up a lot of his time, comes out with us at all the odd hours and in all the bad weather and ugly conditions we have to work in because it means something to him to be able to help; and it costs the city nothing. And as for the liability, he's signed every document known to man to assure the NYPD that neither he nor his family would ever hold the Department accountable if anything happened to him. As part of his family, I can assure you that he's made it clear that none of us should even try. He's a good man, Sir. He cares about the people around him. And he's accepted here because the others know that, and they respect his contributions. I hope one day you'll be able to see more of that."

"Perhaps I need to look harder, but I make no promises to change my mind." She cleared her throat. "That, however, isn't the reason I wanted to talk to you. What you've been doing the last week or so…it's very much like the duties of a lieutenant, minus the paperwork and field work, of course; and you're good at it. The lieutenant's exam is being given at the end of next month, and I'd like to see you sit for it. I have little doubt that you could be prepared in time."

"Sir, I…"

"It offers you options, Detective. You don't have to accept any of them that you don't want, but it's good to have options available. Look at the requirements of the job, and consider it. If you don't want to leave the twelfth, Lt. Farraday is retiring in May of next year. If you're interested in replacing him, I would support that…unless you and your husband get into something that causes problems in the meantime." Pulling two manila envelopes from her desk drawer and pushing them across to Beckett, she said, "We may not see eye to eye about Mr. Castle or 'the thing with the mayor', with which I have no doubt you were complicit; but I know a good detective and a good manager when I see one." Her mention of the 'thing with the mayor' had been once again been accompanied by air quotes, another obvious reinforcement of how much she disliked affronts to her authority. "Everything you need to sit for the exam is here, job description included. Let me know what you decide."

"I appreciate your confidence in me, Sir."

"Looks like your team is back. You should see what they found."

Beckett held up the envelopes and said "Thank you," before leaving, looking a bit dazed.

"Everything okay?" Castle asked quietly as he took off his jacket and hung it on the back of his chair.

"Everything's fine." She put the envelopes on her desk, tapped them, and said, "We'll talk later."

Then the boys joined them with their initial findings, all three men looking a bit green around the gills as they started telling her about the vivisection by sword of a man found in an alley. As the story unfolded for Beckett, the reason for the men's queasiness about the circumstances of the murder became clear. Castle mentioned Lanie's nonchalance about the totality of the slicing and something about the sacred bond between a man and his unit. Beckett shuddered once at the thought, then had to turn to busy herself with the murder board to keep from smiling at the other two men's pained sounds of agreement.

The case was convoluted and took several days to unravel. The men had returned with pictures of the crowd and pointed out a man in one of the pictures who ran when he saw them.

Ryan and Esposito found that the cleaved victim had a lengthy criminal record and had recently fought over money with another man who was linked to drug dealing and distribution of stolen property. When the drug dealer was questioned, much to Beckett's chagrin, he dropped his pants and showed them where someone had slashed an "L", Zorro style, on his right butt cheek. And he had caught the perpetrator on the security camera at his meat packing plant. It turned out to be someone dressed in a superhero costume, and Castle was thrilled.

After a thorough explanation of the costume's components and Gates's sarcastic questioning of his efforts, Castle concluded for them that their superhero collected comic books. He and Ryan went to speak to people at Comicadia and discovered that their superhero was an online only comic book character. From there they discovered the existence of a costume clad superhero vigilante called Lone Vengance, an inept Lone Vengance wannabe, and eventually the actual murderer…all with identical and convincing costumes. By the time it was over there had also been a false confession and another moment of authority tension between Beckett and Gates. The murderer turned out to be Tony, the Butcher. But the Lone Vengance vigilante he intended to frame turned out to be Officer Hastings, a young female officer with a backstory similar to Beckett's…one of their own.

Beckett took time to counsel Officer Ann Hastings not to "be so driven by the past that you throw away your future". And she let her go without charges or formal reprimand.

To no one's surprise, Gates questioned Beckett's decision not to discipline the younger woman; and then, to everyone's surprise, she proceeded to provide her detective with possible reasons for her decisions. Beckett readily agreed with Gates's conclusions. Gates followed by calling attention to the fact that Hastings was a promising young officer, but that it should never happen again. Beckett then found herself on the receiving end of a pointed stare. Suddenly seeming to understand the pointed look, Beckett raised her eyebrows and made air quotes questioningly. Gates acknowledged with a slight nod and her first finger pointed deliberately in Beckett's direction before she returned to her office, leaving behind both a warning and an explanation for her reluctant tolerance of an unwelcome situation.

"What was that?" Castle whispered when the captain was closed in her office again.

"Later," Beckett promised. "Not here. Apparently I'm pushing my luck already."

"Mysterious envelopes, mysterious sign language. You got a lot of 'splainin' to do, Lucy."

"I've already explained the envelopes," she answered. "You know, I think Gates might be warming up to you a little bit, Castle."

"What in the world gave you that idea?"

"Well, when she totally ignored your contributions this time, she wasn't using the death glare."

Castle laughed. "Well, a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. If the death glare isn't there next time, we'll call it progress."

Beckett smiled back, and said "Let me make a few notes, and then we can leave. I'll do the paperwork tomorrow. And I'll tell you anything you want to know when we get home."


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Kate got home during the conversation Alexis was having with Ashley and slipped in the kitchen to help Castle with dinner.

After the rather mushy end to her phone conversation with Ashley, a starry-eyed Alexis turned to her father, who was chopping veggies for dinner, and sighed. "Stanford sounds so amazing. I can't wait for January."

"January?" Castle asked.

"When I leave…for Stanford."

"What?"

"Alexis applied for spring admission. You remember," Martha prodded, still wearing one of the costumes she was making in preparation for her acting school.

Stopping what he was doing and feeling Kate do the same thing, he answered his daughter. "Yeah. I just thought… Well, you haven't talked about it for a long time, so I thought…"

"Because every time I did, I saw the look on your face. That look, right there," she said, almost accusingly.

"No, Honey, it's just that Stanford is a big decision. You should think it over."

"I did, and there's no downside. It's a great university. Ashley's there. I mean, I'll have enough credits to graduate from high school early."

After Castle's rambling attempt to make her want to finish her senior year with her friends at school, and Alexis receiving a text with Ashley's Stanford password, she left, looking relieved, and went to check online for the classes he was taking.

"Nice outfit, Martha," Kate whispered with a little smile..

"Thank you Lady Beckett," she answered with a little curtsy, in keeping with her medieval costume. "Richard, are you crying?" she asked suddenly.

"No, it's the onions," he answered, wiping his eyes.

His mother looked at him skeptically, then she left to change clothes.

Kate rinsed her hands and slipped her arms around his waist. "It's just us now. It isn't just the onions, is it?"

"Maybe not entirely, he admitted. "She wants to go all the way across the country, Kate."

"Of course, early graduation didn't figure into the picture for me, but my father and I had a very similar conversation my senior year. He had the same look on his face…and the same arguments about friends and being so far from home." She held him a little closer and snuggled into his embrace, leaning her head against his shoulder when he pulled her against him.

"Really?"

"Really."

"She's too young to be that far from home."

"You're too young for her to be that far from home. She's supposed to still be ten years old? Isn't that it?"

"Maybe," he conceded with a pout.

"She'll be eighteen in March…and she's probably better prepared than either of us were at that age to be that far from home and on her own. Look, I don't like the idea, either, but Rick, she's learned to be responsible. She has a good head on her shoulders, and a good sense of reason…things we all know you helped her learn, no matter how the family jokes about it. And she doesn't mind letting you in. My having a conversation with a boyfriend in front of _my_ dad at all, let alone like the one she just had with Ashley in front of you…the chance of that that was non-existent for me. I always kept my grades up, but I had a wild streak she doesn't seem to have." She paused a moment and sighed. "I need to apologize to him for that someday. I'm pretty sure it was easier on Dad that I _was_ on the other side of the country. But Alexis has a good sense of herself and is willing to stand up for what she thinks is best."

"Yeah, I think I just got a taste of that."

"And you have to know you're never going to lose her, no matter how far away she is. She's going to love you forever. That said, though, I think those sentimental onions are getting to me, too. Maybe we'll luck out and she'll decide it's too far away…and maybe she'll go to Columbia, or Princeton, or somewhere else closer to home. Does she have her acceptance letter yet?"

"I don't think so, but for spring admission, it should be here soon. That's going to feel like the final nail in the coffin."

"Well, let's get back to making dinner and feed her well and enjoy her while we still have her close."

Pulling back to look her in the eye, Castle told his wife, "My vocabulary will never be big enough to tell you how much I love you."

"The feeling is mutual," she answered, giving him a loving kiss before getting back to meal preparation.

Their dinner conversation wasn't as easy as usual, Alexis being in a little bit of a pout. No one pushed her, and she retreated to her room after taking her dishes to the kitchen. But, as Castle sat in his office working on an outline for the next Nikki Heat chapter, she returned and launched determinedly into her intended conversation.

"I've been thinking about this, and I think you should be happy for me."

"I am. I am. I'm just gonna miss you. That's all"

"Me, too," she conceded, "But this is what I want."

"Come and tell me about your classes. What will you be taking in January?"

When Castle noted that all she mentioned were Ashley's classes, she was angry again. He pointed out that not a lot of people get a chance to go to a school like Stanford and she should follow her own dreams.

After another brief altercation, she asked, "Why does everything I do have to make sense? Why can't I do what I want every once in a while?" Then she threw at him, "That's all _you_ ever do." And she stormed away and went back to her room.

Coming out of the bedroom after her shower, Kate caught the tail end of the raised voice and the slamming door upstairs.

"I take it whatever that was about, it didn't go well."

Castle recounted the conversation, ending with, "I didn't even ask her not to go. She had decided to take the same classes as Ashley, and I only told her she should choose her own. Is that how she really sees me, Kate? Just doing what I want all the time? If I did that, she wouldn't get a check to pay for tuition any farther away than New York City."

"Of course it isn't how she sees you. Right now she's angry and feeling like you're challenging her plans. She doesn't even have the acceptance letter yet, so she can't actually sign up for those classes. There's still time. Let her get over her snit. You've told her the right things, and she'll see reason once she calms down. You're an amazing father…exactly the kind of dad I want for our…" Her voice trailed away when she noticed the joy in her husband's eyes.

"I love it when something about our babies just falls naturally into our conversation."

"Totally out of character, isn't it?" she answered self-consciously.

"Not so much anymore."

"Well, right now let's just take care of the kid we already have. From firsthand girl-leaving-home-to-move-across-the-country experience, I can guarantee you she's feeling just as pulled in two directions by this as you are. But she can't give in and back down from her arguments quite yet. Give it a day or two and try again. The two of you are really good at this. I didn't talk to my dad the way she talks to you. I went to my mom with things like this."

"Because you had one who cared."

Kate nodded and sat down in his lap, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and planting a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Yeah, I did. And Alexis knows she can talk to me if she wants to. Sometimes I just listen because all she needs is to figure things out where somebody else can hear it. Then all I have to do is agree when she's actually done all the work herself. She's awesome, Rick. You did good."

"Running his fingers through Kate's hair and cupping the back of her head to pull it to his shoulder, he answered, "And I'm so glad she has you, too."

xxxxx

It was Thursday, and Beckett was both nervous and excited. She had been getting up early for runs or workouts with Meagan since she had been back at work, and she felt good about her progress. Her appointment with the first doctor was scheduled for early in the afternoon, and an appointment with Dr. Burke was scheduled later on. Desk duty officially ended on Friday, pending her doctors' approvals, and she had the weekend off. She was much stronger physically, maybe not a hundred per cent but pretty close. Dr. Burke's evaluation was her biggest concern. She felt she had made enough progress to return to the field, but it was the doctor's opinion that would count. If all went as she hoped, she would go to qualify at the firing range on Friday and be back on full duty, weapon and all, on Monday.

A case the rest of the team briefed her on near closing time the day before was a blessing for Beckett since it kept her busy until her appointments in the afternoon. Until it was time to leave for her first appointment, she ran down information on the phone and the computer, trying to find anything that might look like a lead.

Castle went with her, and the first appointment went as they expected. She was granted permission for full duty. They stopped for celebratory coffee on the way to Dr. Burke's office and lingered over it talking about a little of everything, including the degree of probability that Burke's evaluation would also go well. They both felt it would, but Castle knew Beckett would be on edge until she had it in writing.

"Hello, Kate...Rick," Dr. Burke greeted as he welcomed them into his office, and they sat down in their usual places. "You know that this appointment is to be a brief one. I'm sure you feel that this is the day of reckoning, so I won't keep you in suspense. Kate, I would like to continue to see you once every two weeks for at least a couple of months to keep tabs on your progress once you're back in the field. That's a very different experience than working from the precinct. I've put that in the form of a recommendation rather than an order, and I've approved your return to full duty as of Monday.

Kate released a big breath in relief. "Thank you." She reached for Rick's hand and smiled.

"You've worked hard for this, Kate. You've earned it," Rick told her proudly.

"That, you have," Dr. Burke agreed. "I want you to remember, though, that you've been subjected to a tremendous amount of both physical and emotional trauma, and there's no shame in coming back to me later on if you need to. If you do, don't wait until it becomes overwhelming. Rick, the two of you have a good understanding. If you see it before she does, the two of you should talk. And Kate, if he thinks he sees a problem building, listen to him. The two of you work well together."

"Thank you, Dr. Burke," Castle said appreciatively. "You've helped both of us."

Handing Kate a folder, Dr. Burke said, "This is the paperwork Captain Gates will need. Good luck. Take care of yourself."

"I'll make an appointment for two weeks from now. See you then."

"I'll look forward to it."

Kate stopped at the front desk on the way out and made her next appointment, then she and Castle left smiling.

"I feel free," she told him.

"You look it, too. What do you say we go to the Hamptons since you have the weekend off? It always feels a little freer there."

"I say that sounds great."

"So, how did the appointments go?" Martha asked when they got back to the loft.

"Approval from both doctors," Kate answered, holding up the folder Dr. Burke gave her, which now contained both doctors' paperwork for Gates. "As of Monday, I'm back in the field."

"I reserve the right to worry, but I'm happy for you. I know this is what you wanted." Kate was wrapped in a big, motherly hug.

"Congratulations, Kate," Alexis said as she came down the stairs. "I'll worry, too, but I know you must be going stir crazy by now."

"I am definitely stir crazy. I have this weekend off, and we talked about going to the Hamptons this weekend. How does that sound to the two of you?"

"I'm not sure," Martha answered. "One of my acting friends thinks she's about to get tickets to a new show we're dying to see, and she's supposed to call if it works out. It's been sold out most nights since it opened, and someone in the show may have a couple of available tickets…a friend of a friend…you know how that goes." Her answer was accompanied by dramatic arm motion. She concluded with, "If the tickets are available we simply can't pass them up."

"What about you, Alexis?"

"Two big tests on Monday. I should probably stay here and study. I'm sure you and Dad wouldn't mind a little time to yourselves."

"We wouldn't mind some time with you, either. We'd leave you alone enough to study at the beach, but we could still take our walks."

"No. I should stay here. You two go and enjoy it. It's nice this time of year. It isn't too cold yet, and most of the tourists have gone home for the winter; so it's quiet and peaceful. Some of that peace and quiet wouldn't hurt before you're back in the field."

"We brought Italian for dinner," Castle said, holding up a bag and changing the subject until he and Kate could talk about the trip later. "Thermal bag this time. It should still be warm and ready to eat. Get the dishes while we put it on the table."

A few minutes later, everyone was helping themselves to excellent Italian food.

xxxxx

On Friday morning, Beckett walked into the precinct armed with everything necessary to be fully back in her element on Monday…except requalification with her weapon. She marched directly to the captain's office and said, "Sir, my paperwork for full duty."

Gates looked it over. "I see there's a recommendation attached to the psych eval along with the clearance for duty in the field."

"Dr. Burke doesn't seem to be someone who would allow me back if he expected problems, but he said he wanted to follow up for a couple of months to keep tabs. I've already made the first appointment."

"No. He wouldn't allow you in the field if he didn't think you were ready. I've crossed paths with Dr. Burke in other cases. I trust his opinion, and I'm glad you're going to follow his recommendation. I'd feel better if you were partnered with a trained officer, though."

"Noted. Permission to go to the range to requalify this morning? I can't go back in the field without my gun."

"Not a problem, Detective."

"Thank you, Sir."

"Looks like your morning coffee has arrived," Gates said dryly. "Why don't you go as soon as you've logged in?"

Beckett nodded and made a beeline to her husband and her coffee.

"I can go and requalify this morning. You coming with me?"

"Of course." Then he smiled and said, "I'll never forget the first time we were at the firing range."

"Yeah. You tricked me into touching you…made it look like you could use some pointers."

"And then I tricked you into promising copies of case photos when you thought I couldn't meet your challenge."

"I have to admit to being impressed…and annoyed."

She logged in to her computer and checked to see if she had received anything new on the case they were working on. Then she left the boys a note telling them where she was and that the lab sent information, picked up her coffee, and said, "Let's go."

She and Castle returned later looking satisfied. She again went straight to the captain's office and placed her target on Gate's desk. "I'd like my gun back," she announced. The captain looked at the evidence of very accurate shooting and raised her eyebrows, looking impressed.

"If it makes you feel any better, should Castle need to use a weapon for any reason, he'll know what to do with it. This is his target."

Gates opened a target showing equally impressive accuracy. "And where did a writer learn to shoot like this?" she asked.

"Book research. He said he needed to know how it felt to shoot a gun if he was going to write about it accurately, and he enjoyed it. He even took a class that took him through something similar to the military's street fighting training but less intense. It was a long time ago, but he said it helped with writing Derrick Storm. He's taken classes in profiling and criminal psychology, too. He likes his writing to be accurate. And he and his daughter have done some fencing…which also started with book research and developed into something they both enjoyed. There's more to him than meets the eye."

"It seems there might be." Gates reached into her desk drawer and pulled out Beckett's gun. "I expected you'd qualify, so I had it waiting for you."

"Thank you, Captain."

"Now get back to work," the captain said brusquely; but if someone were watching very closely, there was a barely there hint of a smile accompanying it.

"You have a gun again," Castle said with a grin. "Sexy." That garnered him a full Beckett eye roll followed by a smile.

"I threw a few more impressive Castle facts at the captain this morning…and gave her your target as well as mine. She was impressed, even if she only asked where a writer learned to shoot like that. Then I hit her with the rest. We're going to get through to her eventually."

"I'm glad I have you on my side." He reached across the desk to take her hand briefly. "We don't seem to be all that needed at home. Mother sent a text saying she has her tickets for tonight and she can be at the loft on Saturday night. And Alexis would ignore us to study anyway. Have you decided if you think we should take them up on their offer and go to the Hamptons alone tomorrow morning?"

"It does sound nice, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does." He gave her a little growl and said, "Right now I want to nuzzle your neck and nibble your earlobe, and…"

"Stop right there. It's still morning, and if we're going to be stuck here all day, you're going to have to control that. Otherwise I won't be able to work. And no, we can't leave early. I already have the entire weekend off."

"Spoilsport. Wet blanket…" It appeared that he intended to go on, but Beckett interrupted.

"You do want to keep working at the precinct, right?"

"Well, when you put it that way…" He sighed and asked, "So where are we on this one?"

xxxxx

They did go to the Hamptons for the weekend, just the two of them. The days were sunny and warm enough to enjoy being outside near the ocean, but the nights were cool enough to enjoy a roaring fire in the big bedroom fireplace. They took their walks during the day, enjoyed each other's company, wandered through a few shops finding small gifts for Martha and Alexis, spent their nights ensconced in each other's arms, and went back on Sunday night rejuvenated and ready to face whatever grizzly or heartless things the job of a homicide detective might bring.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

After a morning working on the case they had left behind on Friday, the team was hoping for some sort of lead from lab results. When the report came in, though, their hopes were dashed. Another dead end. About the time they realized that, the next call came in…a Beckett flavored one.

They were called when a body was found, but when they arrived, there was no body. Blood, but no body. Before it was over, they had tracked a van to a cryogenics lab, fought a few legal objections from the lab when they tried to obtain the head…the only part the lab needed…worked through several possible suspects, and finally charged the wife with the murder. She committed suicide in holding before they could process her because she wanted to be with her husband, the two of them having faith that they could be revived later and have more time together. The team breathed a collective sigh of relief when the case was solved.

As the three detectives dug into the paperwork for the cryogenics days later, Castle took another look at the board with the previous case, the one that had left them with only dead ends. Talking more to himself than to anyone else, he mumbled, "I've seen that somewhere before."

"What have you seen before?" Ryan asked.

"Sorry. Talking to myself. That cufflink. I've seen it somewhere before, and I think it was here."

"Does that mean someone here was wearing it, Mr. Castle?" Gates asked, stopping to look as she walked back to her office with her coffee.

"No. I think it was a picture on a murder board. I'm not even sure it was one of ours…this team's."

"Well, take your picture and check with the other teams. See if anybody else remembers seeing it."

"We already checked on the cufflink itself, and it's not fine jewelry. High end costume kind of stuff. There were too many places that sell it to find any viable leads," Ryan told Gates.

"It isn't high end or hard to find, but the design isn't quite plain enough to blend into the woodwork, either," Castle commented. "Wasn't there a partial print on it?"

"Yeah, and probably enough to match, but it wasn't in the system," Beckett answered.

"Can you try matching it in the database?" Esposito asked. "If the picture was on a murder board, maybe it would show up in a search. Does it work that way?" he asked Ryan.

"I guess it's possible," Ryan answered. "Can't hurt to try."

"Give it a shot, Ryan. It sure can't be any less helpful than what we've got already." Beckett said from her desk.

After a few minutes of images flashing by, another image of what appeared to be an identical cufflink appeared on a crime scene photo of a man's body. Ryan pulled up the information on that body and discovered it was closed for lack of evidence. And it was one Karpowski's team had set aside six months before.

Gates was still hovering. "Pull up all the particulars and talk to Detective Karpowski when she gets back," she ordered. "And let me know if there's any progress."

When Karpowski's team came back from their crime scene that afternoon, Beckett gave them a little time to set up their murder board and organize their information, and then she took the picture from their own crime scene and told Karpowski what they had found that morning. "I thought we both seem to be at dead ends. Maybe if both teams look at both murders we could see if anything overlaps."

"Yeah, sure. This one today looks like jealousy winning out over good sense. Bar fight that got out of hand and somebody pulled a gun. If you don't have anything pressing right now, get somebody to get the files from records and we'll look at it with you. Our guy's going nowhere. A roomful of witnesses saw him pull the gun and shoot the victim, who was unarmed. Victim was just waiting for the shooter to get up and get back to the fistfight, but he pulled the gun instead. I should have it written up by the time you get the old records."

"Thanks, Karpowski. I'll be back soon." Turning to her husband, she said, "Come on, Castle. Let's go get those records."

"I can go," Esposito offered.

"No. I've already spent too much time chained to a desk. We'll be back as fast as we can."

"Suit yourself," Esposito answered.

When they returned, Castle took the evidence box and the file to the conference room, and Ryan and Esposito brought their file and rolled in the murder board. Karpowski's team looked over their case to refresh their memories, then they traded cases to look for anything that might coincide with the case they worked on. There was one name that turned up in both cases, and they all agreed they would look into it first thing the next morning.

After returning the records to their proper files, they all went home feeling ready to get to work on those cases first thing the next morning, and with the hope that they might be able to solve them.

xxxxx

When the couple arrived at home, Alexis was sitting at a table in the living room closing her laptop.

"Hi Alexis." Kate turned to Castle and said, "I'm gonna go change clothes. Be right back." Then she headed for their room.

"Hey. What's up?" Castle asked.

"Um, Skyping with Ashley, but we just finished."

Castle sat down across the table from his daughter and hoped he'd say the right things this time. "You know, even when you were a little girl, you were a serious person. I think I've just gotten used to you being sensible and mature. Sometimes more than me."

"Sometimes?" she asked with a teasing smile.

"Point taken," he answered playing their longstanding game. "The thing is, Alexis, I know there are other sides of you. Impulsive sides. Romantic sides. And I don't want you to deny them."

"You were right," Alexis interrupted. "I've decided to pick my own classes. I don't know which ones, but not economics."

Castle looked relieved. "Even if you don't take the same classes as Ashley, you'll see plenty of each other."

"Especially if we move in together," she answered sweetly.

Aaand Castle looked anything but relieved.

"Kidding dad," she said laughing. "You should have seen your face."

"Not funny, Child. Soooooooo not funny. Are you trying to give me a heart attack so you can inherit my money and go off and do who knows what with no financial worries?"

That was when Kate walked in. "Looks like I missed something. Alexis, what is it you're planning to do with your father's money after you give him a heart attack?"

"Our child is being evil," Castle said as he stood, looking unpleased. "I'm going to start dinner."

"No need," Alexis answered. "I made Cobb salads while I waited for Ashley's call. All you need to do is heat the oven for the garlic bread."

"Thanks for that," Kate answered, dropping a kiss on the girl's head as she went to the kitchen. "I'll set the table," she told her husband, rubbing her hand soothingly along his back. Although she had missed most of their conversation, it was obvious that Alexis had said something that left him in a state of distress. "You can tell me later," she whispered as Castle turned on the oven.

Martha arrived as they were getting the salads from the fridge. "I met with the last contractor today…got the last estimate on the renovations for the building I decided on. Will one of you help me do a little more research on them online before I decide who to hire?" she asked as she took off her gloves and deposited her purse on the coffee table.

All of them, in varying terms, simultaneously agreed to help.

"Well, that should do it," Martha answered with a smile and a little bow. "And I thank all of you." Noticing what her son and his wife were doing, she commented. "Dinner is already going on the table? Somebody's been efficient."

"That would be your grandchild. We just got here," Kate answered. "We're only waiting for the garlic bread to be ready."

"Shall I pour some wine?" Martha asked.

"I could use some," Castle answered. When Martha raised a questioning eyebrow in his direction, he basically repeated what he had said to Kate. "Your grandchild is evil." Alexis just giggled in the background and went upstairs to put away her laptop.

Castle pouted his way through an explanation of his daughter's evilness, and the two women sympathized but couldn't help smiling at his reaction.

They had a pleasant dinner together, all listening to Martha's excitement about plans and talks with the various contractors.

Alexis apologized to her father before she went up to study before bed.

"An apology isn't nearly as effective when you're still giggling while it's delivered," he called after her as she went up the stairs.

She came back to the foot of the stairs and stopped on the bottom step. Looking serious, she said, "What I should really apologize for is saying that you only do what you want. I know how many times you put aside what you want in favor of what I needed. That wasn't fair."

"Apology accepted."

She flung her arms around his neck, and he hugged her tight before kissing the top of her head and sending her off to study.

Kate watched unobtrusively from the kitchen as she put the last of the dishes in the dishwasher and smiled as he came toward her.

"You were right. She came to her senses on her own. She was still evil, but she even apologized for how she ended the last college conversation."

"I heard."

"Could I interest you in an early bedtime?" he asked, bestowing Kate with a less than chaste kiss. "I'm feeling a little celebratory at the moment."

"Come on, writer man," she answered, taking his hand and leading him toward their bedroom.

xxxxx

The following morning they went into the precinct with travel mugs of coffee from home, anxious to see what connections they might be able to make on the two murders. After going over interview notes with Karpowski's team, they realized that both victims had recently been contacted by their birth father, the Gerald Thompson who was the connecting factor between the two victims. Mr. Thompson had been so devastated by the first death that he hadn't thought to mention his other sons. He had mentioned to Ryan that he had lost another son earlier in the year, but not that he had been murdered; so no connection had been made. Again, the man had seemed devastated at the news.

They called Mr. Thompson in and took him to the conference room to try to gain enough more information to move the cases forward.

"You said both these men were your sons, but their last names are both different from yours," Beckett began.

"My wife and I had three boys. We divorced, and she was granted full custody… didn't want me to have anything to do with them. I retaliated by not doing what I should have to help with child support. Not proud of that. I didn't have any other family, so I didn't have anybody to report in with, and my work had me travelling a lot. I didn't know she had died, and nobody knew where to find me by then; so the boys were adopted by different families. Couldn't find anybody who would take all of them."

"You said you had three sons. Who is the third one?"

"You don't think he could be in danger, too? I haven't been a lot of help to you up to now, have I?"

"What can you tell us about him, Sir? Castle asked respectfully.

"His name now is Gerald Gregor. He was my first…Gerald Jr. then. He's the only one of them old enough to remember that we were a family once. I found out he also remembers how hard it was for his mother to make ends meet after I left and didn't send child support. He should hate me, but so far he's been forgiving."

"Do you have his contact information? We'd like to check in with him."

"Sure. I've got his business card here. He's an electronics salesman at a little place in Queens."

Castle accepted the card, Beckett pushed her notepad over to him, and he jotted down the information, returned the card, and pushed the notepad back to Beckett while she took over the questioning again.

"Have you ever seen this cufflink before?"

"Yeah. When I found out I had cancer, I wanted to see my boys again while there was still time. I hired somebody to help me find them, and met each of them separately. We all got together for dinner just before Christmas last year, and I gave each of them a set of those cufflinks. With nobody but me, I just kept putting my money in the bank. I told them it would all go to them. They said I should spend it enjoying what time I had, but I got no energy left to travel or anything anymore. I'd rather they…" He broke down at that point.

If we have more questions, we'll call you, Mr. Thompson. Thank you for coming in," Beckett told him. "Take a few minutes if you need to. We understand this is a difficult time for you."

As they left, they saw Karpowski, her partner, the captain, and the boys exiting observation.

"Must have been crowded in there," Beckett commented with a smile. "Esposito, you and Ryan see if you can find our victim's cufflinks in his personal belongings. Track down Gerald Gregor and have Hastings and Campbell bring him in. When he's here, let's find a way to get him to leave some prints and DNA. Lanie's report on the first victim's body showed a few drops of blood that didn't belong to Karpowski's victim but probably belonged to a relative. You want to sit in on this one?" she asked Karpowski.

"Sure," she answered. "It's getting interesting, isn't it?"

By the end of the day, they had found the second set of cufflinks intact in the new victim's drawer and matched the print to Gerald Gregor, a sullen man about the age of the younger detectives. His DNA from the Sprite can he drank from matched the unidentified blood drops on the first victim, which allowed them to get a search warrant for his apartment; and he later confessed. His younger brothers had gone to loving families who were able to give them college educations and careers he envied. Aside from losing the family he remembered, the family who adopted Gerald gradually deteriorated into an abusive situation, and provided little opportunity for him to get ahead. He said he wanted to destroy what his father loved the way his father had destroyed his life…and having the estate all to himself was an attractive bonus."

"I sure wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of an interrogation from the two of you," Castle told the two female detectives. "You can both be kind of scary by yourselves, but together…"

Beckett and Karpowski high fived and smiled.

"Good call on that cufflink, Castle," Esposito said where the captain could hear him.

"Excellent work, ladies and gentlemen. All of you." The captain turned and went into her office, closing the door behind her.

Ryan subtly pointed in the direction opposite Gates's office, turned facing that direction himself, leaning against the corner of Beckett's desk, and waited for the others to turn with him. "Did anybody notice she didn't intentionally leave Castle out this time?" he asked.

"You think she meant for me to be included, or did she just forget to be sure I knew I wasn't?" Castle asked.

"I dunno, Castle," Karpowski teased. "Maybe you're getting through to her. You grew on the rest of us…eventually.

"Yeah. If you ever need a new muse, you can join us, said Jennings, Karpowski's partner."

"I married that muse, Jennings. I don't think I'm ready to give her up yet. I like the benefits."

"Castle!" Beckett smacked him in the chest with the file she was holding.

"You sure you want to keep her?" Jennings laughed.

Castle held his chest in mock pain and then grinned. "Drinks at The Old Haunt before we go home?" he asked. "My treat."

"Best offer I've had all day," Karpowski answered. "Ten minutes?"

"Sounds good to me," Ryan answered, and everyone else just nodded.

The two teams sat at The Old Haunt for a little over half an hour just talking, sipping their drinks and getting to know each other a little better.

"Who knew Jennings was that much fun?" Castle asked on the way home. "He's usually kind of quiet."

"Maybe victory brings out his extrovert genes," Beckett answered.

"Like it brings out my…"

"Yeah, I know exactly what it brings out for you. And I'm more than happy to help with that."

xxxxx

Smith called again that night. Just as a reminder. He was aware of Ryan and Esposito's work on the money trail that could eventually lead to the man Beckett wanted more than anything to find and expose.

"I'm impressed that you've left it alone, Detective Beckett. From what I've learned, that hasn't always been the case."

"I have more to consider now," she answered. "Castle is here to help keep me grounded in that. And it helped that the new captain closed my case for lack of evidence before I got back."

"Keep in mind that I can't protect you if you don't cooperate."

"We're holding up our end of the bargain," Castle assured him. If there's any investigating being done, it has nothing to do with us."

"That's what I needed to hear. It feels like something new is in the wind, but I don't know what. Just be careful what you're involved in." The line disconnected then, and Castle put his phone on his desk, looking annoyed.

"I hate this," he snarled.

"Me, too," Beckett agreed, "But we're still alive, which means we have a chance to get to the bottom of all of it one day."

"I'm sorry keeping us alive to fight another day causes you so much conflict."

"Not your fault."

"Not yours, either."

"Did you ever buy that extra computer?"

"Not yet."

"I think it's time. I think I'm ready. So the computer… You got a guy for that?"

"Yeah…that and some burner phones. If we start asking questions, we may not want anybody to know where they're coming from."

"Good idea. Enough to give one to everybody in the family…and Lanie and the boys?"

"Yeah. Can't hurt to be prepared."

"And we're only documenting all of it on the computer...organizing what we have...not actually following anything up yet?"

"Right. Let's get you back to a solid hundred per cent before we even begin to think about that."

"Wonder why Smith thinks something new is in the wind?"

"I don't know, but I think we need to be extra careful."

"I might be a little scared again.

"Me, too."


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

With the last case closed and no new calls, Castle decided it was a good day to stay home to write. He was already dressed, though, in case Beckett called with a new case he could use as a procrastination tool. After retrieving the morning's mail, he joined his mother at the breakfast bar where she was having coffee and sorted through the mail as they talked.

Stopping abruptly at one envelope, he said, "I think it's Alexis's decision letter from Stanford University."

"Oh, Kiddo. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. It just makes it so real. She grew up so fast."

As they talked, Alexis came downstairs. "Is that the mail?" she asked hopefully.

"Holding the letter up, Castle answered, "You have one here from a Mr. Stan Ford. Is that anyone you know?"

Alexis excitedly opened the letter and started reading.

When there was no squealing or jumping up and down, Martha prodded, "Well, Darling?'

"I didn't get in."

"What?" Castle asked, sure he had misunderstood.

She mentioned things she had already done. "I had it planned."

"Honey," Castle began.

"I don't want to talk about it right now, Dad," she interrupted brusquely, all the signs of impending tears showing. "Not… Just… Not now. Please." She ran up the stairs and into her room closing the door behind her.

Castle took a breath to call after her as she was about halfway up the stairs, but Martha put a hand on his arm and said, "Let her go, Richard. She needs some time to herself to process it."

"How much time, Mother? This is my little girl. Right now I want to go pick her up and sit her in my lap like I did when she was little and rub her back while she cries, and tell her, 'Daddy's here. It's gonna be okay.'" He sighed deeply and admitted, "But, clearly, that isn't going to work now." He looked absolutely defeated.

"Give her whatever time it takes," Martha answered, rubbing a comforting hand over his back. These things can't be predicted."

Castle's phone rang, and it was Beckett, calling with the address of a crime scene, checking to see if he wanted to come.

"Go," Martha encouraged him. "Seeing Katherine will help you, and I want my little boy to feel better, too. I'll call you when there are signs of life returning from up there." She waved an arm vaguely toward the stairs.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Text me that address, Kate."

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"More college trouble. I'll tell you when I get there," Stopping at the door before leaving, he impulsively turned and went back to give Martha a hug. "Thank you, Mother."

"Always, Dear."

He arrived at the crime scene about the same time Beckett did. He met her with coffee, and she met him with questions.

"So what's going on with Alexis?"

"She wasn't accepted at Stanford. How could they think she's not worthy? She's perfect."

"Last week you didn't want her to go."

"Yeah, but I didn't not want her to get in. I was so sure she would. You got in."

"Well, I wouldn't now."

"I guess I wanted it to be her decision if she didn't go, not theirs. I wanted her to _choose_ to stay closer to home.

"Well, all that aside, she must be crushed."

"She was."

"Don't you want to go back and spend the morning with her?"

"She didn't want to talk about it. I left her holed up in her room. Mother promised to call at the first sighting. I'll go home then."

"I'll do my best to get away right on time today, too."

"Hey, you two," Lanie called from the edge of the alley.

"'Morning, Lanie. What have we got?" Castle asked.

"John Doe. Looks like time of death could be between eleven last night and two in the morning. No wallet, no jewelry, no ID, nothing of value in his pockets. Looks like somebody picked up the closest blunt object and hit him on the head. As usual, I get more time, you get more accuracy. CSU is just closing up shop."

Ryan appeared and told them Esposito was talking to the young woman who found the body. "She's willing to talk to us, but she doesn't want to have to see it again. Pretty traumatized."

"Understandable. We'll go to her," Beckett answered. "Be right back, Lanie."

Esposito introduced them to a jittery looking young woman. She was on her way to work at a little diner around the corner when she saw the body at the edge of the alley.

"The guy I found…he's one of our regulars. He's…he was…a nice guy," she said.

"Did you know him well?" Beckett asked.

"If you mean outside work, no. Not at all. He was just one of those customers we all enjoyed."

"Do you know his name? Where he works or lives?"

"His first name is Mark. I think he worked shifts, too. We saw him at both ends of the day. He paid with a card sometimes, but never when I had his table. Maybe he did last night, though. I can give you the owner's number. She'd know who was working."

"I'd appreciate that. Is there anything you can remember about what he usually wore? Any kind of jewelry…a watch, a necklace, a ring…anything specific to him that you can remember? Did he seem to carry a lot of cash? Anything at all that could help us identify the things that seem to be missing? There was nothing of value with him…no phone, no ID. Was there anybody who came in with him?"

"He always came in alone…on his way to or from work, I think. Wait. I have a picture we took this fall," she said as she scrolled through the pictures on her phone. "It was a slow day, just some of the regulars; and we were all talking back and forth across the diner. Somebody got us all together at one table and took a selfie. There it is. We were all being goofy and posing like models. Looks like there's a good picture of his watch and a gold necklace." She looked at it sadly and added. "And it would be easier for anybody to identify him looking like this than like what I saw this morning."

"I'm sure it would. May I borrow your phone long enough to send that picture to my email?" Beckett asked.

"Sure. I hope it helps."

"And that name and phone number for the owner?" Castle reminded her. He pulled out his pocket notebook and jotted down the number.

"Thank you, Ms. Lennick. You've been very helpful." Beckett told her.

"It doesn't seem that you knew him well, but I'm sorry for your loss of someone who was a bright spot in your day. We all need some of those," Castle added. "Are you okay? Would you like me to walk you to the diner?"

"Thanks, but no. You stay and find out who did it. I'll be fine."

Beckett gave her a business card. "If you think of anything else, give me a call."

The young woman nodded and waved sadly as she left.

"I'm sending you this picture," she said to Ryan and Esposito. "Feel free to share it with some of the uniforms and see if anybody knows anything about him…or remembers seeing him with anyone."

"Looks like there's a camera on the corner…maybe one on the building across the street. I'll see what I can get," Ryan offered. "I'll get this to the uniforms and start canvassing," Esposito volunteered.

Castle and I will take another look here and then check at the diner…find out who was working last night and see if the regulars can help. We'll meet you back at the precinct, Beckett answered."

"Actually, if you don't really need me, I might run an errand while I'm this close. There's a little electronics/media equipment store a couple of blocks from here…" Castle started as they walked back to the crime scene.

"It can't wait a few… Oh. Is this your guy?"

"Yeah."

"Go ahead."

"It shouldn't take long. I'll meet you back at the car."

"Okay."

When Castle entered the store there was one other customer, but the man behind the counter called out, "Ricky. How ya doing? It's been too long. Be with you in a few minutes."

"No rush, Ben. I'll just see what kind of new toys you have."

Ben finished the transaction at the counter and crossed the small store to talk to Castle. "So what brings you in? Writing a new book again? I like Nikki Heat, by the way."

"Thanks."

"Is your detective wife as hot as you make Nikki in the books?"

"My wife is better than Nikki no matter how I compare them." He pulled his phone from his pocket and showed him a picture of the two of them together, one that Alexis took during intermission when they saw a show on Broadway. "I'm a happy man, Ben. I think this marriage is forever."

"That's great, man. I'm happy for you. So what brings you to my humble establishment this morning?"

"I need some things," he said quietly as he scrolled on his phone and pretended to still be talking about the pictures. "Is anybody else here?"

"Just me this morning. We can talk." Ben answered, speaking as quietly as Castle.

Taking a small piece of paper out of his shirt pocket, Castle said, "This is what I need," and handed it to Ben.

Ben looked at the list: A computer that can't be traced to me; A case of burner phones; A bug detector; Whatever you've got that allows me to have a conversation without anyone listening in.

"Geez, Ricky. You in trouble or something?" Ben asked quietly.

"The man who had my wife shot is still out there, and I want to be able to get my family out of town safely if it becomes necessary. Can you help me?"

"Yeah, sure. What kind of phones you want?"

"The kind that fell off the delivery truck somewhere in transit and can't be traced any farther than that."

"And you want a whole case?"

"Better too many than not enough."

"Got it."

"I might need a day or two to get this together. I'm guessing you're gonna want this well under the radar."

"The farther under, the better. I have cash. Give me an estimate on the high side of what you think it should cost, and I'll leave you enough to cover it. Can you package it and mail it for me?"

"No problem. Give me a minute to check a couple of things. Does it matter what kind of computer?"

"Apple, new, laptop, and loaded with anything I might need."

"Okay," he said a few minutes later. He wrote down a number, turned the page toward Castle, and said, "You told me to figure it on the high side."

"Not a problem. I'm adding something extra for your time and inconvenience…and your discretion. And I'm buying a game so it looks like I was here to buy something. You can ring up the game. The tax free part will be in an envelope in the corner next to the games, otherwise it'll be caught on your cameras. That corner is camera fuzzy, right?"

"Oh, you're getting good at this."

"Follow me over while we talk. You can mail the package to the address in the envelope and use that return address on it. Send it when you're able to get all of it together." He stopped in the corner and "looked at the merchandise" as he surreptitiously slipped the envelope between the boxes.

As Castle chose a game, Ben did a quick count of what was in the envelope. "You're a generous man, Ricky." Tucking the envelope under a box that he moved to the counter, he said, "I'll take care of this for you. Getting it to you this way, though, it may take about a week."

"That's fine. It isn't a pressing need at this point. Just trying to be prepared."

"I hope it all works out. Terrible thing what they did to her," Ben said as he rang up the game and bagged it.

"Thanks for the help, Ben. I really appreciate it."

"Anytime. Anything else you need, you let me know."

"Will do," Castle said and held a hand up in parting as he left to meet Beckett.

Beckett was leaning against the car checking her phone when he returned. "Is it all arranged?" she asked.

He nodded. "We'll talk later." His phone pinged with a text from Martha right then, letting him know she could hear sounds of Alexis moving around in her room. "That was Mother. Can you drop me off at home before you go back?"

"No problem." When Castle was about to get out of the car at their building she said, "Remind Alexis I love her?"

He leaned in to kiss her and promised, "I will."

xxxxx

When he walked in, Castle asked his mother, "Any sign of Alexis yet?" And, right on cue, Alexis was coming down the stairs.

"Hey, Honey. What's in the box?"

"My life of lies. I'm throwing it all out."

" All your awards. You worked hard for those."

"Did I? Half of them are participation trophies."

Castle took some of them out and held up some of the ones that were for actual achievements, but Alexis snatched them back put them back in the box roughly, and snapped, "The one I wanted was Stanford."

"I know Ashley is going to Stanford…"

"This has nothing to do with Ashley. It's me, Dad. I'm a failure."

"Hey. Just because you didn't get into one school does not make you a failure. But you _are_ going to have to accept that you didn't get in and move on."

"How?"

They talked a few more minutes about the meaning of success and failure, Alexis not ready to see his point and Castle feeling a little failure in the fathering department. He did, however, convince her to leave the box downstairs and give it some more thought before she tossed everything. Then she went back to her room to sulk some more, saying she hadn't told Ashley yet and that he'd probably want to break up with his loser of a girlfriend. The drama was proof of her grandmother's contribution to her genetic makeup.

He ran both hands over his face as he breathed out a frustrated sigh. "What do I do now?" he asked his mother.

"We all wait for the teenage angst to blow over and our sensible girl to find her way back. You've been way too fortunate that you haven't had too much of this to deal with over the past few years. For some parents it's a regular occurrence."

"How do they cope?"

"They probably drink a lot," Martha said sagely.

"I can believe that. Will you be home this afternoon?" he asked. "I'm not asking you to change your plans if…"

"No plans, Dear. Go back to whatever you and Katherine were working on. I'll call if we need you."

Martha was bestowed with a second big hug in the same day, something of a record for the two of them, even as devoted to one another as they were under all the joking around to the contrary.

"Shoo. We'll be fine."

Not long before Beckett was scheduled to go home, Alexis appeared at the precinct, hardly looking like herself. Beckett saw her standing in the doorway behind Castle, and immediately became stepmother Kate. She walked over and took the teenager in her arms, and Alexis readily hugged her back.

"Honey, I'm so sorry. I know how much you were counting on this."

"I feel like such a failure."

"Well things have changed since I was accepted there. If I tried to get in now, I'd probably be feeling that way with you. But you're not a failure, and it's their loss that they didn't see that."

Alexis squeezed Kate a little tighter and held on for another moment before saying, "I know you're busy, but…"

"I'm never too busy for you. You know that."

"Could I borrow Dad for a few minutes?

"Sure."

"Hey, Pumpkin," Castle said quietly enough that the pet name was only between the three of them. He pointed to the break room and closed the door when they went in.

As Beckett stood watching the door close behind two of the most important people in her life, Gates came from her office and asked, "Is everything okay?" as if she actually cared.

Beckett turned in surprise and answered, "Alexis has had nearly perfect grades as long as she can remember. She and everybody else expected she would be accepted at any school she applied to; but Stanford just turned her down, and she's having a major crisis of confidence. I think she just needed her dad. It was just the two of them for most of her life. Don't worry. He'll talk to her and take her home so it won't be a distraction here for more than a few minutes. She's never done this before. She's usually such an adult and so self-confident. It won't be a habit."

"Detective, I'm not so heartless that I don't want my people to take care of their children. This is your stepdaughter, isn't it?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Then stop apologizing. It's close to closing time, and your team has put in some overtime this week. You've already told me the lab reports won't be in before tomorrow. Get Mr. Castle, and go home and talk to your child. And tell the rest of your team to go home, too."

"Thank you, Sir. I appreciate that."

She cleared her desk, spoke to the boys, made a few notes to herself for the next morning, and put the things she intended to take home on her desk while Castle talked to Alexis.

"Alexis, What's wrong?" Castle asked.

"Everything. How do you do it, Dad?"

"Do what?"

"Well, that letter you have framed in your office."

"My first manuscript rejection?" he asked with a little smile.

"Yeah. How can you stand having it there?"

"Because it drives me. And I got twenty more of those before Black Pawn agreed to publish _In a Hail of Bullets_. That letter? That letter reminds me of what I've overcome. Rejection isn't failure."

"It sure feels like failure."

"Failure is giving up. Everybody gets rejected. It's how you handle rejection that determines where you end up.

"My whole life has been about getting into any college I wanted. What is it now?"

"Whatever you make it, Alexis. Make it an adventure."

Alexis nodded and accepted a hug from her father, then she said she was going to stop in the ladies' room and would be right back.

"Is she okay?" Beckett asked when he returned to the bullpen and released a long exhale.

"Were any of us at that age?" Beckett nodded in agreement, and Castle said he would take Alexis home. Then he noticed the things on Beckett's desk. "What's this?"

"Gates told me to go on home and take care of my child. Who knew?"

As Alexis walked toward her father, he put his arm around her shoulders to guide her to the elevator. When Beckett joined them, his other arm instinctively went around her waist. It was obviously a strong, solid family in Gates's view as they left, including a man devoted to both women.

"Feel better, Little Castle," Esposito called as they got in the elevator. Ryan just waved. Alexis turned and waved back with an affectionate little smile for them before the door closed, and the extended family of friends was also in view.

xxxxx

"We need a distraction," Castle said as he hailed a cab. "That little theater with the recliners…the one that shows classic films… I passed it yesterday, and they've added _The Princess Bride_ to their collection. It's showing now. We can have salads for dinner and go to a movie…and make up for the salads with a big tub of popcorn, or any of the other stuff they have."

"Alexis, what do you think?" Kate asked.

"Why not? If Dad can use his first rejection letter as an incentive, I need to start pulling myself out of this pit of despair and figure out what to do next."

"That's the spirit," Castle agreed, taking out his phone and looking up the theater. "Next show starts at seven-thirty. I'll see if Mother wants to go, too."

Alexis and Kate talked while Castle spoke to his mother, who opted to go out for drinks with a friend since Alexis was in good hands.

"Just us," Castle reported, and told the driver he could drop them off at the next corner.

"The theater is a block away…"

"And great salads two doors down," Alexis added.

"I've never been here," Kate told them.

"Then you're in for a treat," Alexis assured her.

During dinner Kate asked, "Do you want to talk about other possibilities or not think about college at all tonight?"

"Dad's right. I do have to face that I need to find another one. I had considered others, but everything seemed to fall in place around Stanford, and I…"

Kate put her hand over her stepdaughter's and said, "We don't have to talk about it now if you don't want to."

"I got a tour of Stanford when I visited Mom last year, and I set my sights on it. I guess I should visit the campuses I didn't see."

"You and your dad could go and see some of them, and maybe I could come along when I have a weekend off."

"I'd like that."

"How many did you actually consider?"

"Ten. Nine without Stanford."

"Yeah, you'll probably want to narrow that down," Castle suggested.

"Will you go with me?"

"Wouldn't miss it," he assured her.

They finished their meal, enjoyed their movie, and returned home with everyone feeling at least a little better about things.

"Thanks, Dad," Alexis said, wrapping her arms around his waist. "You always know what to do."

"Not always, but I'll always give it my best shot."

Then she moved on to Kate with another hug. "Thanks Kate. Dad's stuck with me, but you could have escaped tonight. Thanks for putting up with a sorrowful, sniveling stepdaughter."

"Where was _she_? I was seeing a disappointed but struggling to salvage her self-respect stepdaughter. And I was pretty impressed with her."

Alexis held Kate a little tighter for a moment and then stepped back and smiled. "Thanks for tonight, both of you. Sorry about all the drama today, Dad."

"Hey, we're all human. It's in there and has to come out sometimes. We all need a day like that now and then." Kate just nodded in agreement.

"I think I'll go to bed. I guess I've worn myself down letting it out," she admitted, looking a little self-conscious.

"Night, Honey," she heard simultaneously from both of them.

"Does wine sound as good to you as it does to me?" Castle asked when Alexis was upstairs.

"Probably not quite," Kate teased. "You were here for the whole process."

"Mother, too for a lot of it. That's probably why she opted for drinks with a friend."

"Just a small glass for me…and you can tell me about your guy. We haven't had a chance to talk since then."

"I gave him my list, which, as I expected, surprised him. I told him I was trying to be prepared to protect my family if necessary, and he understood. He's a family man, too. Long story short, He's going to send it to Black Pawn in about a week with a misleading return address on it. Someone at the front desk will sign for it, so I'll go in and talk to the receptionist who's usually there and tell her to call me when it arrives. I'll think of some convincing reason that I needed to have it delivered there."

"Thanks, Rick," she answered, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. I'm going to have a shower and collapse into bed. Want to join me?"

"Sounds great."

Castle drained the rest of the wine from his glass, left it in the kitchen and took Kate's empty glass from her hand and put it on the counter with his. Then he lovingly put his arm around her shoulder and led her to the shower. They stripped out of their clothes, washed away the day's worries, and snuggled against one another in their bed, both falling asleep quickly.


	42. Chapter 42

**AN:**

I've drawn from a lot of Castle/Alexis dialogue from early season four in the last couple of chapters and probably will in the next couple as well. Credit for those belong to the show's writers.

Mars 2112 did exist. It probably closed early in the year this birthday would have happened, but I used it anyway because it seemed such a Castle and Alexis kind of place.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 42

As everyone was gathering what they needed to leave for school and work, Castle looked at Alexis's box near the foot of the stairs. "I can help you put them all back if you want," he told his daughter.

I don't think I want to put them all back," Alexis answered. "A lot of it was always a little extraneous. Somebody's going to have to purge some of it sooner or later anyway. What do you think, Kate?"

"I'm not going to tell you what to do with that. Those things are part of your childhood. Even if they're just participation trophies, they're from things you enjoyed."

"But there are so many of them, and the only thing special about them is the memory. What do you do with that when you're an adult?"

"Do you really want to get rid of them?" Kate asked, sounding doubtful.

"Most of the participation ones, I think."

"Well, I guess you could group them by year, or team, or whatever, and take pictures of the ones you don't want to keep. Pictures in an album take up a lot less space.

"Good idea. And I'm pretty sure Dad has at least one picture of me receiving every one of them. He was never shy about whipping out the camera."

"You could do the same with the ones you want to keep, but then put them back on the wall or the shelf. If you're ready to part with them later, the record is already there. The ones you aren't sure about can go in the storage room until you decide."

"I like that idea," Castle answered. Why don't we go through them tonight?"

" _I'll_ go through them tonight, Dad. I'm the one deciding, remember? If there's anything _you_ can't part with, there's always the storage room."

"Fine," he huffed, and Kate unobtrusively took his hand in sympathy.

xxxxx

When Beckett and Castle entered the precinct with their travel mugs of coffee, Esposito greeted them with, "Beckett, you are so gonna love me this morning."

"And why would that be?" she asked a preening Esposito.

"Lanie got off a little after 8:30 last night, and we had a working dinner."

"You ate where there was a dead body?" Castle asked with a little shudder.

"No," Esposito answered, looking disgusted. "We went to the diner where Ms. Lennick, the woman who found the body, works...talked to the staff and the nighttime regulars, checked on who was there the night of the murder. Good food, too, by the way. We added that place to our late night list. Anyway, right after you left yesterday afternoon, Ryan caught a guy on the camera footage from the store diagonally across from the alley. We got him leaning to pick something up and hitting the victim. Then he was down beside the body. That part's a little blurry; but when he turned around to leave, we got full face toward the camera, and he was stuffing things in his pocket. Then he walked off at a pretty good clip."

"This guy anybody we know?"

"In the picture Ms. Lennick gave us," he answered, pointing the picture out on the murder board. "Second from the left."

"According to the name Javi got last night, we're looking at a Gordon Black. Driver's license matches Mr. Second From the Left. Just sent uniforms to pick him up," Ryan reported.

"Wow. Looks like we can go home, Castle. Nothing left for us to do," Beckett said with a smile. "Thanks for taking the initiative, Espo. And good work on this, Ryan. Let me see the footage before Mr. Second From the Left gets here."

Appropriately up to speed on everything, Beckett asked, "So you want to interrogate this one, or you figure I'm due for a little actual work this morning?"

"We figured we'd rest on our laurels in observation and let you get the confession," Ryan answered.

"Okay, I'll take it, then," she agreed.

"I'll be back in about twenty," Castle told Beckett. "Coffee shop. We'll be running on empty before long. When he returned, he had a box of pastries as well as four coffees. "Some snacks for the show while you're in observation," he explained, putting them on Esposito's desk. "Better get your bear claw now," he told Beckett, grabbing something for himself. "I've seen what these guys can do to a box of pastries."

Just as Beckett was finishing her bear claw, LT came in with the suspect, who looked far less than alert.

"Interrogation two, LT. I'll be right there."

"You got it," the officer answered.

Picking up the pastry box and their coffees to take with them, the boys went to observation to watch Beckett work her magic, and Castle followed Beckett in.

"Mr. Black, I'm Detective Beckett. This is Mr. Castle." She dropped the file loudly on the table and asked as she sat down, "Where were you between eleven and two night before last?"

"What's this about?" he asked.

"It's about murder. She opened the file and pulled out the crime scene photo of the victim, Mark Sheffly, and pushed it over toward their suspect. "This man was murdered during that time. Do you know anything about that?"

Gordan Black looked at the photo and slumped in his chair. "Oh, god."

"Anything you want to tell us, Mr. Black?" Castle asked as he sat down next to Beckett.

"He was a good guy."

"Then why did you kill him?" Beckett snapped.

"What makes you think I killed him?" Black asked, clearly nervous, and now a lot more alert.

"There was a security camera in front of the store across from the alley." She pushed another photo across the table, showing him leaning down and picking up a piece of debris that became the murder weapon, and then another where his face could be seen as he left the alley. "Have you disposed of his property yet? Camera footage clearly shows you next to the body and then stuffing your pockets."

The suspect sat for a long moment before answering sullenly, "He always had nice stuff. He saved for it so he didn't have credit card bills. I'd been clean for a while, but somebody slipped me something at a weak moment not long ago, and I was sliding back under. I'd already spent everything I had. Never saved anything. When he showed us the ring he bought for his girlfriend, it pushed me over the edge. I was gonna take the stuff to the pawn shop this morning. That would take care of what I needed…" He stopped and looked at the crime scene photo again. "Oh, god. I really did that, didn't I? I didn't know it was in me to kill somebody." He pushed the photos back to Beckett and fell forward on the table, his head on his hands.

Beckett placed him under arrest and had him sent to holding.

"Hardly worth your skills, Beckett," Ryan commented around the last cronut. "He just kind of caved."

"Yeah, well, easy isn't necessarily a bad thing," she answered. "You did the rest of the work. I'll write up whatever you haven't."

"We saw the captain about a search warrant as soon as she got in this morning. We're heading over there now."

"Good work, guys. Thanks."

When she sat down at her computer and pulled up the form she needed to fill out, she mentioned to Castle, "Alexis seemed better this morning."

"Yeah, compared to some of what you missed yesterday, it was like a celebration."

"Speaking of celebrations, her birthday is the end of next week. Will Meredith be here for that?"

"I don't know if anyone has asked her. Last time I checked, Alexis hadn't even decided what she wants to do for her birthday."

"Why don't we make that tonight's dinner conversation? No talk about college unless Alexis brings it up."

"Sounds good. I could do with pleasant conversations with my child about now."

The rest of the day was paperwork, so Castle went home to see if he could get a little writing done. The suspect that morning had set off some ideas. Even if they were in the form of notes or snippets, they could come in handy later.

Kate was home on time that evening, and, as planned, Castle broached the subject of Alexis's birthday at dinner. "What would you like to do for your birthday next week? Your eighteenth. That's a big deal."

"Instead of trying to usher in adulthood, could I use it to close out childhood?"

"As long as you don't close the door completely," he answered.

"Is that even genetically possible in this family?" Alexis asked with a grin.

"Probably not," Castle answered, smiling back. "So what does that mean you'd like to do?"

"I want the entire Mars 2112 experience. The ride down to the restaurant in the space ship, wandering aliens, games, strangely named food, gift shop…the works. Have you ever been there, Kate?"

"I've heard people talk about it, but I haven't been. Sounds like fun. Do you know if your mom will be here to go, too?"

Alexis suddenly looked disappointed. "Oh, that's right. I talked to her a couple of weeks ago, and she said she'd definitely be here for my birthday. I'm sorry. With all the Ashley communications and the college stuff, I forgot to mention it. She'd hate Mars. She'd be like a fish out of water and complaining, and it wouldn't be nearly as much fun."

"Tell you what," Castle suggested, "Since she's going to be here, why don't we have a big birthday breakfast for you at the loft and make reservations at a nice restaurant for just you and your mom for the evening? Then we can take you to Mars on the weekend. We can introduce Kate to the place and savor every cheesy part of the experience…and bring home whatever souvenirs you want to buy to commemorate turning eighteen."

"Okay, let's plan on that." Alexis seemed satisfied and dinner conversation didn't touch colleges that evening.

After Alexis had gone to her room for the night, and they were headed for their own, Kate broached the subject she had avoided up to that point. "You know, it seemed to me that Alexis was feeling disappointed about Meredith and her birthday. It really bothers me that she completely changed her birthday plans to accommodate her mother. It should be the other way around. Doesn't Meredith make concessions for Alexis?"

"Meredith loves Alexis as much as she knows how to love anybody. If Alexis said she wanted to go to Mars 2112, Meredith would probably go; but it would be harder for the rest of us to enjoy it over the sighs and complaints about the food, etc. She wouldn't be able to hide the fact that she'd rather be somewhere else. She would actually think that she humored her daughter; but, without even realizing it, she'd end up sucking the fun out of it for everybody else. She just doesn't have the capacity to fully consider anybody but herself. It's sad, but it's just who she is. She can be very pleasant to be around sometimes, but at some point it comes to you that at least half of that is an act. She's an actress, and she uses that to manipulate things to her advantage. It makes me angry that I can't even wish I'd never met her…because I wouldn't give up having Alexis for anything. And Alexis deserves to know her mother…if for no other reason than to learn some of the fine points of how _not_ to be a parent. Sometimes I wish I hadn't made so much of an effort to keep Meredith involved." He took a deep breath and exhaled on a long, sad sigh. "Sometimes I think Alexis might, too."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"It's okay. The family goes through some form of this conversation every time Meredith is supposed to visit. Now we'll see about the fifty-fifty chance that she calls and cancels at the last minute...or doesn't call at all and doesn't show up."

"If she cancels on Alexis's eighteenth birthday, I'll help you kill her and get rid of the body. I know guys, too," she whispered.

Castle laughed and told her, "I love you soooo much."

xxxxx

At the precinct the next day, Castle took the boys aside and asked if they were ready for another game night. Then he asked if they wanted to bring the old one...the one they had on that stick drive.

Both the other men looked confused for a moment, then Ryan caught what he meant. "Oh, yeah. I'd forgotten about that stick drive one. Yeah. Sure. We can bring it."

"Good. Thursday night. We'll order pizza."

"Sounds good."

That evening they got a call about an art theft that involved a murder. A man impaled on the spikes of one of the art pieces. And the next day Serena Kaye, a sexy, confident, insurance investigator, entered the precinct wanting to be included in the case. Beckett obviously didn't like it at all, and the way the woman was looking at Castle provided the reason. However, the captain was convinced to take Ms. Kaye on as a consultant, so Beckett was stuck with her.

After comparing notes and looking at evidence, the insurance investigator said she could get some information for them, but nobody there would talk to police.

Castle got up to follow her out, and Beckett asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'm not police, either. And she's going to talk to jewel thieves, or fences…or maybe both. The writing possibilities…" Seeing the look on his wife's face, he backtracked. "Oh, you didn't think… You couldn't think... No. Not for even a second, Kate…not for one second. But she's going to be talking to _jewel thieves…or fences_. The characters…" He sounded like he could be squealing with excitement any minute.

Beckett huffed a little laugh and said, "Go. Check out the jewel thieves or whoever. Do your real job. Better hurry while you can still catch her."

He took her face in his hands and planted a quick kiss on her lips, saying "I love you." before he hurried out. The boys were standing there observing as Beckett watched him go, a besotted smile on her face. When she turned back and they were looking amused, she just glared at them and said, "Shut up," and went back to her desk, the smile not entirely gone.

"You trust him with somebody like her?" Esposito asked.

"If I didn't trust him, I wouldn't have married him. He'd trust me, too. Doesn't mean either one of us have to like it, though. Besides, he'll be there to hear everything that's said. Might come in handy if she decides to leave anything out. Her I don't trust."

Serena Kaye was a bit less than entirely honest, leading them to think she was the murderer at one point; but in the end, everybody except the murderer got what they had hoped for.

As they stood alone at Beckett's desk and got their things together to go home after the case was closed, Castle asked his wife cautiously, "When I followed Serena to where the police couldn't go...did you really think I was chasing after another woman?"

Beckett looked at him apologetically. "Maybe for a fraction of a second." Then she looked down. "Old insecurities, I guess. She was gorgeous, and intelligent, and capable, and knew how to take charge…and the way she dressed… She didn't have any scars to hide." Looking directly at him again, she said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you even for that fraction of a second. I know better. I think I was doubting me."

"She was all those things you mentioned, but you are, too…just better. She knows she's all those things, and she flaunts it, has to throw it right in your face so you can't miss it, feels the need to advertise. I have no doubt that you could do anything she does if you wanted to. But you'd handle it better. You don't spend time thinking about how beautiful you are, or how intelligent or take charge or capable. You just walk in and do your job, and everybody is impressed even without the hype. It's a natural part of who you are. No need to advertise. It's there for anybody to see. And you know I couldn't give a smaller damn about the scars."

They didn't notice the boys returning to their desks and trying not to be noticed. They got there as Castle reached "She was all those things you said…"

Castle lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it, saying, "Let's go home. The boys will be there in about an hour. We need to order pizza."

Beckett turned toward the bottom drawer of her desk to retrieve her purse, and Castle looked up to see Ryan and Esposito looking at him uncomfortably. He pointed toward the entrance and made a shooing motion, knowing Beckett would be embarrassed at that exchange being heard. They slipped out quietly then returned as they saw Beckett stand and look in their direction.

"Be right back," she told her husband. "I'm going to stop in the ladies' room before we leave." Castle nodded and leaned against the desk to wait for her.

"So, how much did you hear?" Castle asked.

"Just the part where you told her she was better. We wanted to leave, but it was one of those damned if you do, damned if you don't things. Good job, man," Ryan said softly, sounding respectful and appreciative.

"It wasn't meant for critique, only for my wife."

"But just so you know, it passed the big brother test," Esposito added.

"I should have talked to her at home, but we thought you had already left. I didn't mean to make anybody uncomfortable. Part of why office romances are discouraged, I guess. So did you hear any of what she said?"

"No, just that last little bit from you."

"Good. The rest needed to be between the two of us. I'll be sure to keep it out of the precinct from now on."

When Kate returned, the bullpen was quiet, nobody paying attention; so Castle threw caution to the wind, draped his arm around his wife's shoulders, kissed the side of her head, and walked to the elevator. "See you in a little bit," he called back to the boys as the elevator doors closed.

"I don't think I've ever seen him that serious," Esposito said.

"That's 'cause he seriously loves her," Ryan answered. "Let's go have a beer before we go to Castle's place.

xxxxx

When the couple walked into the loft, Alexis was closing her laptop and looking annoyed again.

"Everything okay?" Kate asked as she hung up her coat.

"For the last couple of weeks, I can't seem to talk to Ash for more than a few minutes before he has something else to do. Maybe he really is ready to move on since I won't be there for spring semester."

"Don't assume that yet. See how things play out. It's a lot earlier in the day out there, and he probably really is busy," Castle told her. "There's a package here for you…from the other side of the country."

Alexis practically snatched it from his hands when she saw Ashley's name on the return address. Then she tore into it and unwrapped the gift inside. There was a soft stuffed bear wearing a T-shirt that said, "Someone at Stanford loves you." And the bear was also wearing a nice bangle bracelet.

"That doesn't look like a gift from somebody who's giving up on you," Castle said.

"Alexis hugged the bear close and answered, "Maybe not. And I love the bracelet." She took the piece of jewelry from the bear and put it on her wrist to admire it.

"It's beautiful," Kate said, leaving a kiss on her child's head as she went to the kitchen.

"Do you think it's a sign things will get better?" Alexis asked.

"Maybe. Relationships take time to figure out. Your dad and I had a shaky start, but now we're solid as a rock."

"I'll send a text to tell Ash how much I liked my birthday present. He's too busy to talk right now." She followed that statement with a look of consternation but was still clutching the bear close.

"We're ordering pizza. Ryan and Esposito are coming over for game night. How much homework do you have?" Castle asked her.

"As much as I want, I guess. The assignments are already done, but there's always something to study or reading to do."

"If you want to, we could watch a movie while the men all act like they're your age," Kate suggested.

"Sure. Want to pick it out now? That way we won't be in the way of whatever it is that they're fighting tonight."

"Pick out a few to choose from, and I'll order lots of pizza. We already have plenty in the freezer to keep the ice cream monsters at bay, right?"

Alexis smiled and nodded.

The two women watched their movie, and the men played their video games for a couple of hours. A lot of pizza and ice cream disappeared, and some girl talk took place around the movie.

When Ryan and Esposito left and everyone had retreated to their rooms, Castle took a stick drive from his pocket.

"I'll put this in the safe until we have the other computer," he said. Kate nodded, and they stood holding each other for a minute, coming to terms with facing all the old information again.


	43. Chapter 43

**C** hapter 43

Martha was away for the weekend. Kate was getting dressed, and Castle and Alexis were playing a video game as they waited for her, when suddenly there was a knock at the door. Alexis answered it, and from where he sat, Castle heard a voice he did not want to hear saying, "Surprise!"

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Alexis asked angrily.

"I came to surprise you for your birthday, Silly. Why else would I be here?" she asked airily as she breezed in, rolling her luggage in behind her

"My birthday was three days ago. Dad sent you a text the night before to remind you. I saw it…along with the one that said you'd be here. Why weren't you here then?"

"Something came up. But I'm here now, so where are we going?"

"We," Alexis answered, motioning back and forth between mother and herself, "are not going anywhere. Dad and Kate and I are about to go to Mars 2112, which you would hate; so there's no reason to take you with us."

When she appeared in the doorway of the study to see what was going on, Kate was dressed casually in jeans, a deep purple sweater, and ballet flats, her hair falling in loose curls around her shoulders. It was a radical difference in appearance to Meredith's high fashion, perfectly coordinated look. Rather than make herself obvious, she just stood and observed from the study where she wasn't immediately obvious to Meredith.

"Tell me what you did on your eighteenth birthday, Mom? Do you remember?"

"Of course I do. I'll never forget that. My friends, who were already eighteen, and I went out and enjoyed that none of our parents could tell us what we could or couldn't do anymore. We got in my friend's car and went to Atlantic City, stayed out all night and partied on the beach. It was great."

"You want to hear how I spent my eighteenth birthday?"

"Yes. Did you have fun?"

"When I got up, Dad and Kate had cooked a huge breakfast buffet, and all four of us laughed about stuffing ourselves. Then I went to school, and Dad and Kate went to the precinct. Then I came home from school and wasted most of the rest of my birthday waiting for a mother who doesn't care enough about me to show up, or call to let me know she isn't going to, or even bother to answer her phone so I know whether I have the option of doing something else. When it was obvious that you weren't coming, Kate told Dad to call the restaurant where he made a reservation for the two of us…you and me…and see if they could make it for five. Then she called Granddad to meet us, told me to put on the dress we had bought for _my birthday with my mom_ , and Grams went with us to dinner; but we were all angry. Doesn't that sound like fun? I doubt I'll ever forget my eighteenth birthday, either," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You saw to that, didn't you?"

"Alexis…"

"We'll talk about it tomorrow. Right now, Dad and Kate and I are going to do what we'd intended to do before you walked in as if we couldn't possibly have plans that wouldn't include you. So you go to your hotel, and call me in the morning. We'll do something then."

"I don't have a hotel reservation, so I'll just take my bags up to…"

Castle stood from the sofa and walked around behind it to put a stop to that, but Alexis was ahead of him.

"I've got this, Dad," she said, turning to him briefly before turning back to her mother.

Kate slipped in beside her husband and put an arm around his waist while Alexis dealt with her mother. He moved his arm around her shoulders, looked at her, and shrugged. Then they allowed Alexis to vent. She had every right to.

"No. You won't be staying here," Alexis declared firmly. "You're here to visit your only child, and your married ex-husband shouldn't have to provide you a place to stay anymore. Call me in the morning."

"Then, where am I supposed to stay?" Meredith asked testily.

"If you wanted to go to Paris again, would you know how to find a hotel?"

"Of course I would."

"Well, it works the same way here in New York. You take out _your own_ credit card and call a hotel. If you need assistance, I'm sure Eduardo would help you out. And Dad would probably even spring for a town car. Just don't ask for his credit card. He'll be using it at Mars."

"Richard, are you going to let her order me around like this?"

"She's eighteen now. Old enough to vote, join the military, sign papers for herself, make her own decisions… Oh, but you missed that birthday, didn't you? So, yeah, I am. I'm not protecting you from her decisions. She's an adult now. You're on your own."

"Alexis I'm…"

"Tomorrow, Mom. We need to go."

Castle left his arm protectively around Kate's shoulders as he walked her to the closet to get their coats, and he helped her into hers. He then held Alexis's coat for her, and opened the door to escort all the women out. Meredith was shocked into silence, an unusual occurrence. When they were in the lobby, Castle stopped long enough to say, "Eduardo, Meredith will need a town car to take her to the hotel of her choice. If she needs help with hotel arrangements in her name, would you help her out? We're running a little late for our appointment." He slipped a generous tip into the doorman's hand before he left.

"Certainly, Mr. Castle. How can I help you, Ms. Harper?" he asked, while a flabbergasted Meredith tried to formulate an answer and the others walked out to their own waiting town car.

xxxxx

Mars 2112 started with the issuance of a Martian Federation visa and a space ship journey into the restaurant, which was underground. The ride shimmied and lurched, and after about five minutes it opened to let them out in the multilevel restaurant. The walls simulated red rock, and the darkish lighting gave it a shadowy look. And it was loud. It was late on a Saturday afternoon, and there were families with children everywhere, most of the children wildly excited. There was a large birthday party set up at a long table, with all the accompanying noise and hoopla. Odd, brightly colored "aliens" were wandering around for photo ops, and wait staff in Martian Federation uniforms were bustling back and forth.

"This is quite a place," Kate commented, looking as if she might not be sure whether to get into the spirit of things or head for the hills as fast as possible. Then she looked at Castle and Alexis, who were watching expectantly, obviously wanting her to enjoy it with them, and she grinned. "What next?" she asked, and the other two both relaxed and smiled.

"We can eat first, or go to the arcade…" Castle started.

Then Alexis took over. "Or find an alien and take pictures. Or we could find a place to sit and look at the menu and decide."

"And we need pictures with all the aliens." Castle insisted. "I think last time there might have been three." Then his phone buzzed in his pocket. He plugged one ear with a finger and pushed the phone tight against the other one so he could hear. "Hey, Javi. You're not calling us in are you? Kate has the day off."

"Where are you?" Esposito asked.

"Mars," Castle answered. The big smile could be heard through the phone.

"I know, but where on Mars?"

"Why?"

"We're crashing the party."

"You're here?"

"Yeah. Just crossed that walkway over the bubbling lava."

"Great, wasn't it? We're on the lower level close to the wall about four tables away from where we left the walkway. I'm gonna turn on the flashlight app and hold my phone up as high as I can for a minute and then check with you again." He held his phone up and waved it back and forth a few times, then put it back to his ear. "Did you find us?"

"Yeah, man. Don't move. We'll be there in a minute."

"We have company. Party crashers," he reported to the others. The original three waited where they were until they saw Ryan, Jenny, Lanie, and Esposito coming to meet them.

"We have a teenager to entertain. What's your excuse?" Kate asked loudly enough to be heard above the din.

"Castle was having way too much fun geeking out about this place, and none of us had ever been here…and Little Castle only turns eighteen once." Esposito explained.

"So we're crashing your party," Lanie told them. Looking around, she added, "Good lord, it's loud in here."

"Cool, though, isn't it?" Castle asked.

"Give me time to adjust, Writer-boy. This is seriously strange."

"Whoa. What is that?" Ryan asked with a little laugh.

"Oh, that's one of the space aliens," Alexis told them. "Wait here. We have to get a picture."

She hurried across the distance of several tables and pointed at her family and friends, and the alien followed her back. They took several pictures with different groupings of people, then Kate suggested they find a place to sit and decide what to do next.

"We could decide around appetizers," Castle suggested.

Everybody else nodded, and they found a table in a corner where the noise was only coming from two sides instead of providing full surround sound, though there was still plenty of it to be had.

"Oh, this is a little better," Jenny commented.

"Yeah. I heard what you said, and you weren't shouting," Lanie agreed. "Not entirely anyway."

One of the waiters came by with menus, and Castle asked him for some time to decide. "There are rookies among us," he explained, "unschooled in the ways of Mars." The young man nodded and smiled and promised to come back in a few minutes.

"Look at these names on the menu. Even the food got into the space theme," Jenny said.

"I think I'll order the Nebula Chili Nachos," Castle decided. Leaning toward his wife, and saying it only for her benefit, he added, "Or should we call them Nebula _Nine_ Chili Nachos?"

"You're never going to leave that alone, are you?" she asked, swatting him on the arm. "That's what I get for letting you help me unpack boxes when I moved in. Like your DVD collection doesn't have a few questionable titles. And there's nothing wrong with 'Nebula 9'".

He kissed her temple and laughed while the others were mulling over their choices. By the time the waiter returned, they had decided to keep their corner table where it was easier to talk and have an early dinner.

Dinner was ordered, Starfield Salmon, Terraforma Tuna Tostada, and Copernicus Chicken Parmesan, among other space themed treats. They enjoyed their appetizers while they waited, had their dinner, and then moved on to the arcade, where they all exercised their competitive natures. Esposito was floored when Alexis soundly beat his score at one of the games and did a little victory dance around him. He wouldn't be hearing the end of that any time soon.

There had been a lull in the number of children in the arcade about the time they finished dinner, and when the next big wave of children started moving in and looking for space to play, they moved out to make room for them. They all got into the "transporter" which took them to the gift shop and spent a while looking at the cheesy, tourist attraction souvenirs, Alexis deciding what to buy to commemorate the day.

"You want a T-shirt?" Castle asked his wife, holding up one in her size.

"Buy two in your size. I can sleep in it," she answered.

"Dad, can I get this, too?" Alexis asked.

"Anything you want," he promised, and she took him at his word. They left with a bag of assorted Martian treasures and a lot of laughter.

Once on the sidewalk, Ryan commented, "I never thought I'd see the day when the streets of New York seemed quiet."

"That was fun," Lanie admitted, "but I don't think I ever need to do it again."

"Maybe when we have a kid old enough to enjoy it?" Ryan asked Jenny.

"Maybe. Until then I'm done, though," she answered, but she was smiling.

The others said goodnight from there, wished Alexis a happy birthday, and went their separate ways.

"That was fun," Alexis said, clutching her bag of souvenirs. "I can't believe the rest of the team came, too."

"You have a bigger family than you thought," Kate told her.

"Too bad Granddad couldn't make it," Alexis giggled.

"Yeah, well I called and reminded him," Kate answered in a similar tone of mischief. "He was going to be a good sport and brave Mars, but since he was in on dinner, he opted out of this trip. He said he'll take you somewhere else later…just the two of you."

"Somehow, I don't see Granddad on Mars. Maybe I'll suggest the museum or something," Alexis said as they went to meet the town car.

"Much more his speed," Kate agreed. "He'd enjoy that."

"I suspect that was why Grams left this weekend, so she couldn't be wheedled into coming with us. Not her thing, either."

Castle just quietly enjoyed that his child now had more people who loved her, and he accompanied his family to the car.

xxxxx

Alexis looked across the breakfast bar at Kate and her father when she heard the knock on the door. This time she looked more sad and resigned than angry. Taking a deep breath, she stood and braced herself for another pivotal talk with her mother.

"Do you want us to stay with you, or would you rather we say 'good morning' and bow out," Castle asked.

"We'll do whatever you want," Kate agreed. "Or I could hang out in the study and leave it to you and your dad."

"I think I need to talk to her myself. It's time I give her some new rules. I'm tired of coming in a poor second to whatever else turns up."

"Your decision, Pumpkin," Castle agreed. "We'll be right here if you need us."

Alexis nodded and went and opened the door.

Meredith had obviously worked herself into a fine snit. "Am I allowed to come in and stay for a while this time?" she asked dramatically, making no move to enter the loft.

"Not if you're going to make this all about you. Making it about you is the reason we have a problem. I'm making it about me for a change, and about Dad and Kate."

As she entered the room, Meredith glared at Kate where she and Castle were refilling their coffee mugs. "That's what all this is really about, isn't it?"

"I haven't heard her say one word against you, Mom. This is all your own doing, so stop trying to take it out on anybody else. I'll get you some coffee and we can sit down and talk."

At that point, Castle felt no need at all to speak to Meredith. He simply put his hand at the small of Kate's back, they picked up their coffee, and he ushered her into the study.

Meredith put her purse on the sofa and sat down at the breakfast bar, still looking annoyed.

"Look, I'm sorry I wasn't here on your birthday. But was that really bad enough for you to kick me out of the loft for the night?"

"It's the pattern of disrespect you've shown over my entire life that got you kicked out of the loft, not just that one day," Alexis explained.

"Pattern of dis…" her mother started, sounding insulted.

"Yes. Disrespect. Let me ask you something, Mom. How many of your birthdays have I missed?"

"You never miss my birthday."

"How about Mother's Day? Christmas? Valentine's Day? Thanksgiving?"

"You always call…and send cards or gifts. I brag about it to all my friends. But that's what you're supposed to do. I'm your mother."

"And how many times have you missed _my_ birthday…or said you'd be here for some special event and not shown up? You're not supposed to forget either. It's not like you have three or four children. I'm the only one you have to remember. You never had to take me to school every day, or take care of me when I was sick, or watch a bunch of kids get mad at each other at play dates, or sit in the hot sun for a little kid's soccer game. Dad did all that. All I ever expected from you was to show up for things that were special to me when you said you would. But you didn't even do that."

"I didn't miss that many."

"Actually, you've missed more than you've shown up for. I started keeping track when I was about ten. But you even confirmed this one the night before and still didn't come. I know Dad paid the plane fare. He always did, didn't he? And he told you there would be a room waiting for you at The Four Seasons when you arrived. When you didn't call to cancel before your check-in time, he had to pay for the room that wasn't used."

"Well, he can afford it."

"You really don't get it, do you? It doesn't matter if he can afford it or not. It matters that you need to find some manners to use on our family. We're tired of our schedules being turned upside down because you can't be bothered to be here when you're supposed to…or because you appear out of the blue when we aren't expecting you. And if the tables were turned, Kate was the ex-wife and you were the new one, would you let her just waltz in here unannounced, complete with luggage, and assume she was going to move into the guest room?" Meredith looked surprised at that thought and took a breath as if she intended to say something, but Alexis plowed right on with what she was saying. "Suppose I told you I was coming to visit and then didn't bother to call and cancel, or even bother to answer my phone so you knew whether to cancel our dinner reservations? Suppose I left you to wait all afternoon just wondering? You'd be up in arms over any of those things, but if it doesn't involve your time or your feelings, you don't seem to think it's important enough to worry about."

"I really didn't mean to ruin your birthday, Honey. And you're right. I didn't think about any of that. I guess I haven't been a very good mother." Meredith was twisting her hair as she spoke, one of the tells that she was doing a bit of acting, playing for sympathy; but Alexis was too perceptive to miss it.

"No, you haven't. That's why I never said anything. When I was younger, I thought you already didn't love me enough to show up most of the time. I decided if I complained, you might not ever come to see me again."

Both the acting and the play for sympathy were gone. "Alexis? You really thought that?"

"Most of my life. What else was I supposed to think? I was always one of those 'actions speak louder than words' kind of kids. Dad and Grams acted like I was important enough to love. You didn't."

Meredith put her arms around Alexis, pulled her daughter's head to her shoulder, and held her for a long moment. "Baby, I'm so sorry I let you think I didn't care. I do love you, you know." She paused for a moment, pulled back to look at Alexis, and asked a question she looked like she didn't really want to ask.

"Does Kate make you feel like you're important enough to love?"

"All the time."

"You're not going to let me off easy this time, are you?"

"No. I deserve better, and so does Dad. You've taken advantage of both of us for a long time."

"I've…" Meredith started to protest."

"Dad always paid for you to come here…probably because he wanted me to think you cared about me. You visited me a little bit and took most of your time to visit your friends and party. You took me to nice places for lunch and bought my gifts 'from you' with his credit card, and you went home with as many new clothes for yourself as you bought for me. If you wanted to go for an audition in New York, you'd call and say you wanted to see me, and Dad would take care of the plane fare. I might not see you for more than one afternoon after school, but you used me to get Dad to foot the bill. _You_ told me you cheated on him, he didn't. Then you walked out on us and left him to take care of me alone. And you're the one who filed for divorce, but he pays you very generous alimony anyway. Most people would call that taking advantage. That's why I made you pay for your own hotel room. Doing that to my dad stops this weekend."

"Shouldn't that be up to Richard?"

"Not any more. I love you, Mom. You're my mother. Dad and Grams love with their whole hearts. Kate and her father do, too. It's a Rodgers thing and a Beckett thing, but after meeting your parents only a couple of times, even briefly, I know it isn't a Harper thing. I've accepted that. You'll always be part of my life because I'm your daughter. But Dad is your ex-husband. Emphasis on the 'ex'. He doesn't owe you any more than the alimony he promised you. He has no obligation to get you here to visit, or provide you accommodations or transportation around town. He and Kate have a great marriage, and he doesn't need any more drama because of an ex-wife. I'm going to be away at college after this school year, and between now and then there's no reason for you to be at the loft any longer than it takes for you to pick me up at the door. I refuse to help you take advantage of him anymore."

Meredith nodded. "He deserves that from you. I know you've been the center of his life. You were much better off with him than you would have been with me."

"So, here are the new rules, Mom: 1. If you plan to visit, call me, not Dad. 2. If you say you'll be here, either show up or call ahead of time to say you won't be. Otherwise, I'm not going to waste time or tears over it anymore. 3. When you visit, you'll take care of your own expenses. 4 When you buy me a gift, it will actually be from you. I don't need to be showered with gifts, anyway. I'd rather know that you just wanted to see me. I love you, and you'll still get the cards and gifts and visits and phone calls. But I deserve better than I've been getting."

Meredith held her hand out and Alexis took it.

"Deal. Alexis, I honestly didn't realize how I was affecting you. Your father tried to tell me often enough, but I thought he was just being over protective. I would never have hurt you like that intentionally." She propped on one elbow at the breakfast bar and took a long look at Alexis. "My daughter is an adult. It looks like time for me to grow up, too. Can I take you to lunch? Birthday apology? My treat…for real?"

"I'd like that."

"Go tell your father we'll be gone for the afternoon."

Alexis went to the door of the study and found Rick and Kate sitting on the sofa. "Mom said to tell you we'll be gone for the afternoon. She's taking me to lunch first. I guess we'll decide what else later."

"Okay. Call if you need anything."

Alexis went to her room to get her purse, and Meredith called, "Richard?"

He stood and took Kate's hand to take her with him. "What is it, Meredith?"

"Thank you. You've done a good job. She's grown into a much better person than I did. Alexis obviously loves you, Kate. I won't even try to convince you I'm not jealous, but don't stop making her feel loved."

"I won't. Loving her is easy."

Meredith turned as Alexis came down the stairs. "Ready?" she asked.

"Be right there," Alexis answered. Then she went to hug her dad and Kate and said, "See you later," before she left with her mother.

After the door closed, Kate leaned into Castle and said, "I think I'm jealous. Does it make me a bad person to see her happy with her own mother?"

"Not in my eyes," he answered, running his hand up and down her arm lovingly.

"Do you ever look back and wish you and Meredith could have worked things out?"

"You've met her. Judging from what we heard, I think she'll try to make some changes for Alexis; but after I caught her with her director, I had no desire to work things out. She did give me two things that I'll always be grateful for, though."

"Two? Alexis and what else?"

"A divorce. The freedom to have you…even if I had to be stupid enough to marry somebody else before I found you."

"Don't be looking for one of those divorce things from me."

"Don't even want to think about it," he promised, kissing her in a way that said he intended to take full advantage of their afternoon alone.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

When they got home from work on the Friday evening after Meredith's departure, Rick and Kate saw Alexis coming down the stairs, dressed up and on her way out.

"Whoa, whoa," her father said. "It's already eight-thirty. Where are you going?"

"Ashley was supposed to call me hours ago. I'm going to a party. I'll be back by eleven. Grams knows where I'll be."

"Thank you."

Martha passed a piece of paper from a notepad to Castle, saying, "If that boy could see her tonight, he'd be sorry he didn't call."

"She did look nice," Kate said with a smile. "Ashley isn't doing himself any favors." Looking up at her husband, she said openly, "Reminds me of my own sins. I'm really glad you gave me a chance to come to my senses. I don't know what I'd do without you." She left a kiss on his cheek, then a soft, loving one on his lips.

"Totally worth the wait," he answered, kissing her back.

"No argument there," Martha chimed in. "I've never seen him happier, and I've certainly never been happier with his choice. "I feel like I have a daughter…and I think Jim feels like he has a son." She went to the closet to get a wrap and told them, "I hate to break the news to you, but you have the entire place to yourselves until Alexis gets home. I have my own party to attend. Don't wait up." She stopped at the door and turned to them before she left. "Please take advantage. I wouldn't mind another grandchild while I'm still young enough to enjoy one."

"Mother," Rick warned.

"Well, you can at least practice," she said unapologetically. "See you tomorrow."

Kate shook her head, unable to hide a smile at Martha's ways.

"Sorry," Rick said. "What would you like for dinner?"

"Something we don't have to cook. I have enough energy to either fix dinner or take advantage of this unexpected time alone. What do you want to do?"

"Have food delivered," he answered without hesitation. "Thai? Chinese? Pizza? Italian? Seafood? Comfort food?"

"What's fastest?" she asked with a grin, gently squeezing a part of his anatomy that she knew would encourage him to order quickly. "I wouldn't want to start something and then have to stop to answer the door."

"Ordering now," he agreed readily. "Thai is right around the corner."

"I'm going to take a quick shower," she told him.

"Want some company?"

"You may need to answer the door."

"Bummer."

"We'll make up for it after the food is here. We may need sustenance for what I have in mind."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she called over her shoulder as she disappeared into their room.

Rick was smiling as he made the phone call. He loved it when she was already mischievously making plans for them. That always insured that he would end up a happy man. Kate's shower wasn't long, and she came back in a long gown he recognized as one of his favorite mischief starters, which was covered by a long silk robe that was very flattering but conservative enough to wear to quickly accept a delivery order.

"There's cash on the table near the door…enough there to include a good tip," he said. "My turn. Be right back."

Kate accepted the food delivery just before her husband came back dressed for her as well as she dressed for him. One weekend when they had gone to the Hamptons alone, she had bought him blue, silk pajama pants and a short, matching robe that showed off his chest. Knowing how much she enjoyed seeing his chest and arms, he had left the robe hanging open and got exactly the response he had hoped for. They left the food in the bag for a minute or two and indulged in some kissing and caressing before they got around to dinner.

After their meal, they sat on the sofa and made out like teen-agers for a while. Then they decided not to take the chance that Alexis would come home early and find them in the middle of what was about to happen. At that point, they retired to the bedroom and indulged Kate's intentions for the evening, which they both enjoyed immensely. And Castle, as he had anticipated, was indeed a very happy man.

xxxxx

On Monday morning, a not so happy Richard Castle called his wife at the precinct and said, "Tell me you need me."

"You know I do," she answered with a smile he could hear in her voice.

"No. Tell me you need me there. Please tell me there's a murder somewhere we can be solving."

"Sorry. No dead bodies, just a lot of paperwork. But you're welcome to come and do your share for once."

"The only thing worse than being _here_ is being _there_ doing paperwork."

"How come we're partners when I'm chasing down bad guys; but as soon as there's paperwork, I'm on a solo mission?"

"I need to wait for mother. She's determined to arrange this loan on her own, won't let me sign anything. I'm so frustrated with her but proud of her at the same time." There was a little pause and he said, "Huh. That's odd."

"Odd that you're proud of your mother?"

"I think this bank is about to be robbed," he said quietly.

Beckett was about to believe he was just bored until there was the loud sound of someone dropping a metal, makeshift lock on the door and shouting, "Everybody get down on the floor." She immediately began gathering information, and Castle was far enough out of sight to provide a play-by-play of what was happening until someone put a gun to his head and took his phone.

The man with the gun talked to Beckett long enough to know she was with the police, then destroyed the phone. She had Ryan call dispatch, then they all went to the scene, arriving right after the SWAT team. Much to the chagrin the captain in charge of negotiations, the bank robber in charge refused to speak to anybody but "the lady cop with the bedroom voice".

After Castle managed to get a message through later, she stepped outside the command van called to put Ryan and Esposito to work on the information resulting from what Castle provided. Then she saw Alexis standing at the perimeter and went to her.

"They're here, aren't they?" Alexis asked, and then the words started flooding out almost non-stop. She was quickly reaching panic mode. "My dad and grandma are in there. I know they were coming to this bank, and now no one is answering their phones. My dad always takes my calls. And you're here. You're supposed to be at work, and you don't work bank robberies…"

Beckett had to try a couple of times to get Alexis's attention, finally taking her in her arms, and Alexis held on tight. "Listen to me. Everything is going to be fine, okay? But they are inside that bank. We're doing everything we can."

"You don't understand, Kate. They're everything I've got."

She just nodded and answered, "I know, Honey." She held her stepdaughter close and tried to reassure her. "We're trying to get them out." She pulled away to hold Alexis at arm's length and promised, "I'll come back and give you updates as often as I can, but I need to get back. Stay close to where you are now so I can find you." With one more quick hug, she called back, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

After that, Alexis was alone except for the officer that Beckett ordered to keep an eye on her; and she was frantically trying to call Ashley for support. She finally left a message explaining the situation and begging him to call her back, then she found a place to sit at the perimeter point Kate gave her, coping the best she could on her own.

Throughout the ordeal, Castle found ways to do some intelligence gathering, and Beckett was pulled in numerous directions. She was alternately working with negotiations, coordinating with Ryan and Esposito, going in undercover to take a look at the situation while removing a hostage for medical reasons, and trying to help piece together a seemingly unrelated string of evidence. All of that was layered above the deep worry for her family. After the quick undercover assignment, she was able to leave with another piece of information from Castle and to assure Alexis that her father and grandmother were okay.

And not long after that, the explosion happened.

Everything went quiet for a moment, and then everyone moved into action. Beckett followed the SWAT team in and the hostages were found unharmed in the caged area with the safe deposit boxes. As the hostages left and Alexis was able to get to Castle and Martha, Esposito asked Beckett if they were okay.

"Yeah," Beckett answered. "They just need a minute." She took care of the business at hand, glancing longingly over to check on her family periodically.

Then she felt arms go around her and a teary voice with words flooding out again saying, "Kate, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I said they're all I've got, and you didn't stop me; but they aren't all I've got, and I know that. And you didn't act like it hurt your feelings, but I know it must have, and you still took care of me anyway, and…"

By that time, Kate was holding Alexis again, and Castle was holding both of them. "Hey, calm down," she said gently. "If my dad had been in there and I were standing out here with your dad, I might have said the same thing. It would probably rip your father's heart out, but he'd let it go…understand that I meant all I have left of the tiny family I was born to. I understood that."

"Did I rip your heart out?"

"A little bit, but I'm already over it."

Alexis was still holding on tight. "I'm really sorry anyway."

Kate just held her and kissed the top of her head, saying, "You can be extra nice to me tonight. We have some loose ends to tie up right now."

Martha had been listening, and it was obvious that Castle was anxious to help the detectives. "Go on, Richard. Alexis and I will be at home waiting for the two of you."

After putting together the remaining pieces of the puzzle and being certain that the Ithaca Police had arrested the man who perpetrated the entire scheme, they went home to find Martha putting the finishing touches to a feast on the table. She said that facing death called for celebrating life.

"Where is Alexis?" Castle asked, and Martha pointed sadly to the phone in the next room, where they heard Alexis breaking up with Ashley.

Neither of them offered opinions. They had a few words of conversation about whether she was okay and then walked her to the dining table for dinner. Once the remnants of the feast had been stored and the dishes were clean, Kate and Castle went to Alexis's room and tucked her in…for themselves at least as much as for her.

As they walked downstairs, Kate said, "Poor kid has had a tough few weeks. Stanford not accepting her, worrying about Ashley, then the whole thing with Meredith, the bank today, and a break-up tonight. I hated leaving her at the perimeter alone. Except for the bank, none of it was earth-shattering in the overall scheme of life, but…"

"But a rough few weeks for a barely eighteen year old. She's pretty resilient, but that's a lot in a short time. Good thing it was a teacher workday or she'd be stressing over missing school on top of everything else," Castle answered as they walked toward their own room. "Maybe we can think of something to do for her tomorrow night to make her feel better."

Martha was now dressed for bed, bright turquoise silk robe trailing over colorful pajamas. She went to the kitchen for one more glass of wine, and told them as she poured, "I'm finally unwinding…and realizing I'm too old for this kind of excitement."

Kate impulsively hugged her mother-in-law before Martha picked up her wine glass. "I'm so glad you're okay. I was so scared."

"I know you were, Darling," Martha answered, holding Kate close, "and I'm constantly astounded at how well you hide it. But I'm fine. We're both fine. And after a week or two, Alexis will be fine. Now get some rest. The two of you are probably exhausted, too."

Kate stepped back, picked up the glass, and handed it to Martha, saying, "I hope it helps you sleep." Martha gave her a little bow, accepted the glass and drifted toward the stairs in a splash of color.

Kate went back and wrapped her arms around her husband, saying, "I was so afraid I was going to have to live the rest of my life without you."

"Well, you aren't. I'm not going anywhere. I have to admit, though, when I felt that explosion, I thought…" He took a deep breath. "They went down the hall and we heard some drilling, then there was an explosion that rocked the building, and it looked like everything disappeared from the end of that hallway out toward the front. I'm not sure why we weren't hurt."

"Me either, but I'm not arguing with the universe. I'm just glad I still have you."

"I'm wiped out. Let's go to bed. We can just snuggle up and sleep or do some more celebrating life. How about we just play it by ear?" Kate nodded and leaned into him as they walked to their bed.

xxxxx

As they entered the precinct the next day, Gates said, "Mr. Castle, after yesterday, I would have thought you'd stay home. Detectives Ryan and Esposito are off today."

"Don't discourage him, Sir," Beckett suggested. "He's actually planning to help me with the paperwork this morning. With the man who planned this involved in what amounts to three separate crimes, including the pre-meditated murder of five people before he even got to the crime he originally intended, there's plenty of it to do."

"I haven't procrastinated sufficiently on the next chapter of Nikki Heat," Castle explained. "So I'll do some of the typing for Beckett, since I'm faster than she is. But it will be her words and her signature. No Richard Castle novella will be submitted for 1 PP, I promise."

"I'll count on that," Gates said sternly as she went to her office, smiling once she had turned away from them.

"I think she's weakening," Beckett whispered.

"You really think so?" he whispered back.

"Yeah. Trade places. You need the computer. I get to dictate again."

"You're good at that," he answered. That got him a swat on the arm, and he laughed, the low, rumbling chuckle his wife loved. Then they started their work on the reports and forms that Beckett needed to complete.

After they finished the reports and were in the process of taking down the murder board, Castle's phone rang. "Thank you," he said to whoever had called. "I'll be there in about an hour." Turning to Beckett, he reported, "The package that was going to be delivered to Black Pawn is there. I'm going to go and pick it up."

"Okay. I'll finish packing this away. With my entire team gone, I doubt I'll be assigned anything new today. Go home and try to write after you leave Black Pawn. I don't want Gina to start calling me again, and you know she will."

"I'll try," he agreed. "See you at home."

Later on, Gates walked past on the way back from the break room. "Where is your shadow?" she asked Beckett.

"Probably still procrastinating. It's pretty quiet here today, and he needed to run some errands. He's supposed to go home and write after that."

Gates actually parted with a small smile. "What are the chances that will happen?"

"Probably fifty-fifty," Beckett said with a returning smile. "But when he does finish his books, they usually fly off the store shelves."

"You're proud of him."

"I am."

The captain nodded and regarded her tired looking detective for a moment. "The rest of your team is out for the day, and yesterday you had as rough a day as they did. I can't very well assign a new case to a quarter of a team anyhow, so go home, Detective. Make your husband do his real job." Gates turned to go to her office, then she turned back and added, "And get some rest. I'll expect you at your best tomorrow."

"Yes, Sir," Beckett answered, sounding surprised. "Thank you."

"Good work yesterday." The captain turned again and went into her office.

Not needing to be told twice, Beckett gathered her things and left the precinct.

xxxxx

"Mr. Castle," the receptionist greeted him as he entered the lobby at Black Pawn. "I have your package here. Shall I get someone to help you with it?"

"No need, Dawn. I can handle it on my own. Thanks for running interference for me."

"All I had to do was sign my name and call you. Not a big deal. I hope Alexis likes whatever it is," she said, referencing the reason he gave for having it delivered there.

"Yeah. Me, too." He walked around the desk, picked up the box, and took it to the elevator with him, saying, "Thanks again," as he left.

Once he got home, he unpacked the box and checked the contents, stored the phones and the other two devices in the safe, and sat down at his desk to work with the computer. That's where Kate found him when she got home.

This is the new one?" she asked.

"Yep. Here's the administrator name and the password for you."

"Well, neither of those is likely to be anybody's first guess," she answered with a nervous smile.

"The entire reason behind administrator names and passwords. We don't want anybody else in this."

"Always amazed at your creativity, though." She leaned in and kissed his cheek.

"Good ones, huh?" he asked with a self-satisfied smile and pulled her into his lap to give her his full attention.

After a long moment of indulging in welcome home kisses, Kate asked, "Are we going to let the rest of the family know what we're doing?"

"I've thought about that. On the one hand, letting them know would insure that if anything happens to one of us, everything we know would be in the hands of someone who could take it to the proper authorities. On the other hand, if they don't know anything, they're less likely to let something slip. I don't think any of them would, but everybody has a forgetful moment. With only two of us, the moments…"

"So how about we get everything logged in and then tell them? We really don't have anything new yet, and a lot of the newer things came from Roy's confession at the hangar. It might be helpful, but it probably wouldn't be admissible in court."

"Okay."

"Where do we keep it?"

"Eduardo's nephew is a terrific trim carpenter, and just as discreet as his uncle. He's done some work here before…a couple of laser tag incident repairs as well as a few other research related mishaps over the years…and you couldn't tell there was ever a problem. He's going to be here tomorrow morning to build us sort of a safe behind the safe…storage space That gives us a place to keep everything related to your mother's case and yours, and anything related to Montgomery. If someone breaks into the safe, they won't find anything except what you'd normally expect, and a solid looking wall. If it comes to it, we can keep cash, go bags, documents, anything we'll need to get out of the country, in the new space, too."

"You've been thinking about this for a long time, haven't you?"

"It's my job to keep my family safe, and I'm trying to be prepared for that. Somebody carried out a hit on my wife, and I'm going to do everything I can to be sure that doesn't happen again."

"It scares me, too, but I don't want anything to happen to any of you, either **.** We have to do this, don't we? Keep digging?"

"I think so. You know whoever this guy is, he won't give up. All he has to do is identify Smith and find those files, and you're a target again. And you know he's bound to be looking. We've already established that he has access to things he shouldn't and that he knows when you're working on things he doesn't want you to find. It could happen. I know people who can help us look into things without either of us being visible; but again, I don't want to involve them unless we have to."

"Where did you find these people? Or would I rather not know?"

"Research. My books need bad guys, too. Some of my contacts have pretty wide networks, but I'd like to avoid owing any of them too many favors if I can. We have a lot of last resorts available that I'd rather not have to use."

"Dad?" they heard from the other room.

He closed the new computer and put it in the chair behind him as he called, "In the study."

"You're both home early," Alexis said with a questioning look.

"The captain sent me home. It was just me there today, and she said she couldn't assign anything new to a quarter of a team," Kate told her.

"The boys had the day off, and there was nothing to do but paperwork; so I came home to do some writing."

"Yeah. I don't see a lot of that going on," his daughter teased.

"She just got here. I was welcoming her home," Castle answered innocently.

"Well, if you don't get some actual writing done soon, Gina is going to start calling all of us again. We're gonna have to gang up on you in self-defense."

"Okay, okay. I'll see if I can get something done tonight."

"I'm going to get a snack and go do my homework. You can get back to welcoming Kate home."

"Hey, I'm glad to have you home, too," he called after her. Alexis just giggled on the way out.

"Wait," he said to Kate in surprise. The captain said she couldn't assign something new to a quarter of a team?"

"That's what she said," Kate affirmed.

"So she's saying you have a team of four…not three?"

"Told you she was weakening," she answered, smiling at his excitement.

"Yes!" He squeezed her a little tighter and allowed himself more welcome home activity as his daughter could be heard moving around in the kitchen. Then Kate retrieved the computer from behind him and said, "I'll put this in the closet for now. I do need to let you write. You're a week past your deadline."

"At least leave me with a little more inspiration."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, gave him a searing kiss, and asked, "Will that do?"

"It might not do much for the plot; but starting from there, I could write a scene that would put page 105 to shame."

"Well, Nikki and Rook do deserve a break now and then." Holding up the new laptop, she clarified, "So we'll start working on this after Eduardo's nephew…"

"Julian…nice guy," Castle interrupted.

"After Julian installs the extra space?"

"Right. We can do a little at a time."

"Help me not fall back into this. Help me stay sane."

"Remember what Dr. Burke said? If I tell you I see a problem, you listen? Will you do that?"

"I think I can do that now, but I don't want you to get pulled too far into it, either. I don't want to take you over the edge with me."

"I'm not falling, Kate. I'm not feeling paranoid…not yet anyway; but we can't stick our heads in the sand and pretend he isn't still out there, either. I just want to be prepared. I want to see him coming next time…get to him first if we can. That's all."

"That's a lot."

"But together we've always been able to accomplish big things. That's how we have to do this…carefully and together."

"Together," she agreed.


	45. Chapter 45

AN: The conversation about Alexis's new dress and the Farnesworth gentlemen belongs to the show's writers. Not my doing.

Chapter 45

"Hey, look," Castle said, bringing in the morning's mail. We have our invitation to Ryan and Jenny's wedding. They even included Alexis and Mother."

"Beautiful invitations," Kate said after walking over to look.

"Mother, we're all invited to a wedding. Would you like to go?"

"For Kevin and that darling Jenny? Of course."

"Then I'll put it on the calendar and send our RSVP."

"Did you hear that Ryan was roped into having one of Jenny's teenage relatives as best man before he had a chance to ask Esposito?" Kate asked.

"Yeah," her husband answered. "They were both disappointed…and Esposito didn't take it well."

Alexis was coming downstairs while they were talking. "Did I hear you say we were all invited? Even me?"

"You did, her father answered. Do you want to go with us?"

"Sure. I can't wait to see Jenny's dress. I feel bad for Ryan and Esposito, though."

"A year or two from now, they'll laugh about it," Castle answered as he walked to the kitchen with the mail. "What's all this?" he asked, looking with surprise at a stack of papers on the kitchen counter. "Are these college applications? It doesn't look like any of them have been filled out completely, some not at all."

"What's all this?" Castle asked, looking with surprise at a stack of papers on the kitchen counter. "Are these college applications?" he asked. "It doesn't look like any of them have been filled out completely, some not at all."

"At first I was running a little shy, thinking somewhere else besides Stanford might turn me down. Then I wasn't sure I wanted to send that many. Then I started thinking about internships."

"Internships? Any idea what you'd like to do?"

"Not yet. I thought I'd talk to my counselor at school and see what's out there. I've already talked to her about early graduation. She said the advanced English class I took outside school last summer should make it easy for me just take the exam for the last semester of high school English. She said she could arrange it and get me study materials."

"Are you sure you want to leave early? Even if you're not going to Stanford?" Kate asked.

"I think so. I had already planned on it, and graduating early and having a couple of successful internships on my resume should look good on a college application for fall admission, don't you think?"

"It probably would," Kate agreed."

"I think I like the idea of getting out into the world before I go to college. It should be a good experience, and I'd still be here at home. Dad's been pushing for that all along," she said, bumping him out of the way to get to the coffee maker.

"And Dad is happy with that idea," Castle assured her, bumping her back playfully.

"I'll talk to Mrs. Callan today."

xxxxx

Before long a case came up that took the men on the team to Atlantic City. They solved the case, and then they took advantage of being there to spend the night and give Ryan a bachelor party that Jenny's teenage relative wouldn't have been old enough to manage. They all came back with hangovers, but the sting of the best man plans had eased a bit.

While Castle was gone, Alexis was supposed to have a girl's night, but a couple of boys were invited, too. One of the boys put the address out on social media, and Kate got home from the precinct about the same time Alexis took it upon herself to stand on the stairs and announce that the party was over and everybody should leave. Alexis saw Kate come in the door at about the same time; so, when someone asked why it was over, she was able to say truthfully, "Because my mom just got home, and she's a cop."

Beckett, not Kate, held up her badge without saying a word, and the place cleared quickly.

"Do you want us to go, too?" one of the two girls who were supposed to spend the night asked.

"I think that might be best," Kate told her. "We have some major damage control to handle. I'll call the car service to get you both home, and you can help until they get here. Go up and get your bags and put them by the door."

The car service was called, and Alexis's friends helped pick up the cups, plates, and napkins that littered every flat surface in the open area of the loft. Kate swept the remaining debris from the floor so they could all walk without squashing things. Alexis had moved the carpet out of the living room when the crowd started growing, and they were both thankful for that.

When she got the call saying the town car had arrived, Kate announced, "The car is here. Goodnight, girls. I'll call down and ask the doorman to see you to the car and tell Darrell to see you to the door when you get home. We trust him with Alexis. He'll get you home safely."

"Sorry, Mrs. Castle," one of the girls said as she left.

"Thanks for not yelling at us like my mom would have," the other one added as she followed the first one out.

Kate just gave them a small, tight smile and waved and then turned to Alexis, who was looking worried.

"How much trouble am I in?" the adult/teenager asked.

"Knowing you, I think that by now you've probably already reprimanded yourself at least as well I could. I expect anything else would be redundant. And, except for this awful mess, your father might even have a brief moment of pride. Was it worth it?"

"I don't know yet. I'm kind of in shock.

Did you learn anything?"

"I learned that: 1. If I invite anybody else I don't know, I need to make it very clear that it isn't an open house…and I'm the only one who gets to do the inviting; 2. I may be old enough to take on adult responsibilities, but part of me still thinks like a teenager…which is actually kind of a scary combination, realizing that some of the people here tonight are eighteen, too." There was a pause, as if she were deciding whether to say something else, then she added, "And 3. Brian, the really cute football player all the girls are crazy about, is probably the most boring guy on the planet. Inviting him is what kind of started all this. Good looking is nice, but I'm a hundred per cent sure now that it needs to be accompanied by a mind."

"Well, they say most girls end up wanting to marry men like their fathers. Good looks, a nice body, and a fascinating mind sounds a lot like your dad."

"I don't know who 'they' are, but eeew."

Kate laughed and pulled her child in for a hug. "I don't know. I never needed all the wealth attached to him. I just think that somebody like your dad is a pretty good catch. And, more seriously...and more importantly, those first two lessons will serve you well. Nobody is quite an adult at eighteen, but I think you're closer than the vast majority. Otherwise, I wouldn't have found you telling everybody to go home." Looking around, she said, "Okay, Kid, let's assess the damage. Is anything broken?"

They looked around and found a vase with a couple of pieces missing, found the pieces, and put them in the vase for repair later, as well as a couple of other things that needed attention but not actual repair work. Kate pitched in, and they managed to get the place back to normal shortly before Castle got home in the early morning. Even hung over, he noticed a decorative piece missing from a table; but he didn't dwell on it, just accepted Alexis's quickly improvised explanation. He sat down on the couch, leaning his head back and trying to hide his hangover behind his sunglasses. Alexis plopped down beside him, leaned her head back, too, and breathed a sigh of relief that there didn't seem to be any more questions for the time being. Both of them appeared to be perfectly content to rest, and probably fall asleep, right there. Kate stood in the doorway of the study, and she quietly huffed a little laugh at the two of them before collapsing on the bed to get an hour or so of sleep before she had to get back to work. Alexis probably wouldn't be much better off at school that day than she would be at the precinct, and Castle would probably just stay home and sleep.

When her alarm went off, Kate laid out her clothes and went to the living room to wake up her family, finding them both exactly as she had left them. She sent Alexis to shower and get ready for school; then she presented Castle with a glass of water, a couple of aspirin, and a kiss on his forehead, and sent him to bed. He mumbled his appreciation and went willingly. She then showered and dressed for work. She and Alexis were leaving at the same time, and Alexis hugged her tight.

"Thank you," the girl said sincerely. "I had no intention of having a party like that. It just got away from me."

"You told me that last night, and I still believe you, but you sooo owe me. Dinner will be ready when we get home every night for the rest of the week, understand? And cleaning the kitchen is part of the deal." Kate moved back from the hug.

"Yes, ma'am," Alexis said in a teasing tone but readily agreeing to the terms.

"And sooner or later, preferably sooner, you're going to have to tell your dad." Kissing the top of her head, Kate told her, "I love you."

"Love you, too. And can it be at least a little later?"

"Not too much. Your dad and I don't keep things from one another. Don't put me in a place where I have to make a choice."

"Just a few days?"

"It may not take that long when he realizes how much of his massive snack supply is missing."

"Oh. I didn't think about that." Alexis looked worried again.

Kate swung an arm over Alexis's shoulders, took a deep breath, and released a long, resigned exhale. "Let's go, Kid. Responsibility is waiting for both of us. I'll drop you off on my way in."

Once at work, Beckett explained to Gates the wedding situation and the party the night before, citing the overtime and effort they had put into the case and the proximity of everything they needed for the impromptu party...and said she had given them the day off. She also pointed out that she didn't want them driving until they'd had enough sleep not to become road hazards on their way home. Gates was surprisingly cooperative **,** even seeming slightly affronted on Esposito's behalf.

xxxxx

Julian had come and gone several days before and had built the extra storage space behind the safe at the end of Castle's huge bedroom closet. He had even created false walls to make the depth of all the shelves at the end of the closet look correct. Almost all the shelf space they lost to the appearance of correct spacing was even left usable for things they didn't need often, and Castle all but wallowed in the fun of the hidden latches and their secret storage space. The new wore off quickly, though when the reality of the reason for needing it began to present itself. He bought a second printer to allow them to scan and make copies with no chance of any record of it on the one they regularly used, and they stored that on the full wall height shelving Julian had built behind the safe. Kate teasingly questioned Castle's denial of paranoia when he brought the printer home, but she never argued that it wasn't a good idea.

They began to take some time, usually when they were alone in the loft, to put all of their collection of information on the new computer, and they organized and stored their originals on the shelves. Castle took all the bits of information they had gathered over time and organized it in the form of a murder board. As the murder board incarnation of their bits and pieces began to emerge, Kate tried out the links Castle had set up for ease of access to the information they had entered so far.

"Once again, I'm amazed at the way your mind works. For a man whose mind can jump from subject to subject so quickly, you have an amazing ability to organize subject matter on the spot when it's necessary," she told him. "It's kind of hot."

"So you love me for my mind?" he teased back.

"Yeah, but there are some other parts of you I like a lot, too. Nice package overall."

From where he stood behind her, he chortled and kissed her head. "I won't go there."

She smiled up at him flirtatiously. "Yeah, I do like those parts a lot."

"Perhaps later we could examine how much?" he said mischievously.

"Works for me," she agreed, her smile still intact. Turning back to the computer, she suggested, "Let's get the rest of the things I brought from my apartment scanned in. There isn't much of it left to do. After that, you can organize them however you think is best."

"How are you holding out? Is being around all this giving you any trouble?"

"I get a little glimpse of the rabbit hole in my peripheral vision now and then, but nothing to worry about yet. I'm surprisingly okay about it. Then again, everything we've worked with so far is material I've seen over and over…things that haven't provided any new leads since I got them. I think the trouble might come if we find something new…especially if it looks promising."

"I'll remember that."

Once they had scanned the rest of what was in the box Kate had brought from her apartment, they put everything away and retired to their room where she and Castle thoroughly explored her appreciation of the overall package she admitted impressed her.

xxxxx

Before Ryan's wedding happened, the couple, and by extension, the family, went through a few more struggles. Their next case involved a sniper terrorizing the city, and it brought out the PTSD and panic attacks that Beckett had held at bay pretty well up to that point. She had panic responses a couple of times before entering the building where the last victims had been shot and encountered more inside. After a victim who had lived through the attack didn't want to have to go outside the building to get to the ambulance and kept saying, "He's still out there," Beckett ran from the room and deeper into the building as soon as the others had left, hiding in a hallway. Castle followed and held her as she cried, then talked her softly and gave her time to pull herself together before they left. She seemed to be holding on reasonably well; but at the precinct later, she picked up her coat and left suddenly.

Castle followed, put a hand on her arm to stop her, and asked quietly, "Dr. Burke?" When she nodded, he said, "Let me get my jacket."

"Castle, people are being killed, and we need to find this guy. Right now you can do my job better than I can. I'll get a cab. You stay and help the boys figure this out. Burke's office isn't that far away, and I'll call if I need you." Seeing his skeptical look, she touched his face lovingly and said, "I will. I promise."

"I don't want to send you out there alone."

"I know, but this time you need to bite the bullet and let me go on my own. We need to find this guy before somebody else dies. Please, Castle. I need you here working on this. It would make me feel better about leaving. Right now I can't… Please?"

"And you'll call or text if…" When she nodded, he agreed, dropped a quick kiss to her temple and went back to the bullpen.

"Is she okay?"

"No. This one hits too close to home. But she'll get there." He sounded certain, but he still looked concerned.

The next few days were strewn with a few more rough moments for Beckett, including a full blown, lengthy panic attack at home the night she had been to see Dr. Burke. She and Castle were there alone when it started with her request to darken the room because she felt as if they were being watched, then there were sirens outside and the accompanying flashes of light at the darkened windows to heighten the fear. By the time Martha and Alexis were back, the couple was in their room. Castle had talked her down and held her as they lay in bed, in effect, hiding under the covers. Speaking soothingly to her while she clung to him as if he were breathing for her, he realized that might as well have been the case for a while…that as she began to calm down, her breathing perfectly matched his. Afterward, as exhausted as they both were, they were drawn to one another, making love as they had after the explosion at the bank, aggressively reassuring themselves that life was there and the world would soon set itself right for them again.

In that few days, the team had to piece together evidence and figure out the meaning of paper dolls cut from art prints and left as clues. After they found a multiple string of cutouts, which indicated multiple victims, and deciphered the location from the clues, the sniper was killed before he could kill anyone else. Not knowing how to help his wife himself, Castle turned to Esposito, who took her aside to talk, pushing her to face a couple of things, and he made some good observations. Knowing he had been in situations in the military that caused him similar difficulties, she listened. Her problems weren't gone by any means, but she now had a couple of new things to think about that added to her list of coping techniques.

xxxxx

When Kate and Rick got home one evening, Martha was re-checking the fit of Alexis's new dress for the wedding. "That is some dress," Castle said proudly as he regarded his lovely, grown-up daughter.

"Beautiful," Kate agreed.

After striking out all day, we finally tried JDF on Madison," Alexis told him.

"And, boy did we score," Martha added, sort of high fiving with her granddaughter.

"That sounds like it's about more than a dress," Castle answered questioningly.

"Not only did Alexis find this exquisite little number, we were completely charmed by the proprietor. John Danton Farnsworth."

"JDF," Castle confirmed.

"So, as we're paying, Mr. Farnsworth is about to close up when his grandson, John Danton Farnsworth III, picked him up for dinner." Alexis chimed in, "Goes by JD. So cute."

"Oh, he's a lovely young man. Freshman at Columbia." Martha added before her granddaughter took over again.

"Which I'm applying to; so, of course I grilled him about it."

"And the next thing you know, they invite us to join them for dinner," Martha finished.

Castle and Kate had been watching the back and forth between the two redheads like a tennis match and enjoying Alexis's enthusiasm.

"So who was the wingman?" Castle asked. "The grandpa or the kid?"

"Dad, they were total gentlemen. They even invited us to their family's annual charity event – a private concert with Lady Gaga. But it's the same time as the wedding. Of course, I'll go if you want me to. It's just this is the first time I've felt this way since Ashley, and…"

"Well, in that case, you are both relieved of your wedding obligations. I'll square it with Ryan."

"Ryan might be relieved, to tell you the truth," Kate told them. "Not that they didn't want you there. They did. But Lanie and Esposito are on the outs again, and Lanie asked to bring a plus one. Then Esposito decided he needed to bring a plus one if she did. Ryan was worried about upsetting Jenny's mom with new changes in the plans. This might help balance things out again."

"Ah, good." Martha said victoriously, holding up a dress bag. "It's a black-tie benefit, so after dinner John opened the store, and I found one, too."

Castle held his hand out and wiggled his fingers. "Card," he requested. "Before they invite you to something else."

"I'll go put this away," Alexis said as her grandmother handed over Castle's credit card.

"I'll go and hang this one, too, spoilsport," she said to her son.

Kate laughed as Castle put his abused credit card back in his wallet. "It's good to see Alexis looking excited and…I don't know…unworried, I guess."

"Yeah, it is."

Over the next few weeks, JD asked Alexis out a few times, and he did seem to be a nice young man. He had a good sense of humor that bounced off Castle's well, and he didn't seem to mind having movie night with the family one evening when the opportunity presented itself. Castle and Kate decided if a relationship developed, they would probably approve. The young man fit right in. Martha went out with the senior Mr. Farnesworth a couple of times, too, but they opted to have their dates elsewhere, the elder Farnsworth staying for a drink or a short visit when he brought her home.

People were gathered in the lobby before the wedding started, and the Castles enjoyed seeing Ryan's relatives again and meeting Jenny's. They watched as Lanie and Esposito admitted to one another that their dates were actually a doctor friend who had his own boyfriend and Esposito's cousin. They seemed to be back together by the end of the wedding.

The wedding was beautiful, entirely traditional, and the love between Ryan and Jenny pervaded every part of the ceremony and the reception.

Mr. and Mrs. Castle danced and mingled among the guests, and went home smiling and happy for their friends. They talked to Martha and Alexis about their evening at the benefit, and told them about theirs at the wedding. And then they retired to their room to celebrate their own love.

The following morning they experienced something new. The reporter for _The Ledger_ couldn't resist a page six story about the double date involving grandparents and grandchildren at the Farnesworth family's charity benefit. The picture caught all four of them smiling and looking happy. The ladies looked beautiful in their new dresses and the gentlemen dapper in their tuxedos; and they were identified as well-known actress Martha Rodgers and her granddaughter, Alexis, with no mention at all of Richard Castle. In truth, it bothered Castle that Alexis's picture was there. He had spent so many years trying to avoid that. He knew she would see right through him, but he put on a pout for Kate's benefit, pretending he was annoyed that he wasn't given credit for his own child. Kate kissed away his little fit of faux pique and advised him to let his mother enjoy her moment of glory, reminding him that he'd have more of his own.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

They had barely entered the precinct and switched on their computers when, after a couple of weeks of mundane cases, the team was sent to a crime scene where the body of a young woman had been found in a car. They put aside their present case, which was at a standstill, and concentrated on the facts of the new one. When it came to light that it was a city car, one checked out to a member of the mayor's staff, it was the beginning of a battle of wills between Castle and Beckett. Evidence was stacking up against the mayor, but Castle didn't believe it. He had known the man too long to think he was capable of murder. As they stood in the bullpen after another piece of information came in, the argument started again…although it was quiet enough to keep it to themselves.

"Beckett, I've known the man for twelve years. You've met him. He's been in our home. You can't think he's a killer."

"That's my impression, too, and I want to believe it; but this is my job, Castle. I can't ignore the evidence."

"All I'm asking is that you don't do anything public with it unless there's no choice."

"I can do that, but I have to handle it carefully. I'm your wife; and considering your longstanding friendship with the mayor, I'm surprised Gates hasn't already taken me off the case. Politics being what they are, people who want him out of office will be coming out of the woodwork; and for all we know, Gates may be one of them. If I'm going to stay on this case where we can find something that might help him, I have to show her that I can also be objective about the things that may look bad for him."

"Okay. I guess I can see that," Castle conceded, but it was with a sense of frustration.

xxxxx

After they were home that night, Smith called. "Once again, Mr. Castle, it seems we need to talk."

Alexis was left out of the family conversation that followed the call, but the couple did share it with Martha. If they needed to depend on Martha to be ready to help with Alexis in a pinch, she needed to understand the possible problems.

Martha was shocked. "Then the death of this young woman is somehow connected to the death of Katherine's mother?"

"It has to be," Kate answered. "And to the sniper who shot me. Otherwise, why would he call?"

"What did he say?"

"He said there were greater forces at play." Castle told her. "That more was at stake than we realized.

"He gave us a number to contact him if we need help. He said we would know when it was time." Kate added.

"I don't like this," Martha said quietly, looking worried.

"We don't, either," Kate agreed.

"But, at least for the moment, it seems to be working in our favor," Castle observed, wrapping his arm around Kate's shoulders protectively.

"I don't want to lose any of my children," Martha said firmly. Taking Kate's hand she pointedly emphasized, "Not any of them. Darling, I know you'd throw yourself in front of a bullet for any of us. This one," she said, pointing to her son, "has already shown us he would, too. Please be careful…both of you. Try not to let it come to that again." She stood and took a deep breath. I'm going to finish that wine we had for dinner."

"I'm sorry you have to deal with all this, Martha. I've brought so much…"

"Stop that right now, young lady. None of this is your fault. You're as much a victim of this man as any of the other families he's hurt. You didn't enter this family knowing that you were going to encounter the kind of trouble he's caused, and we don't blame you for it. Use this truce as long as you can, and then do what you have to to take that psychopath out of his ivory tower and lock him up like the filthy beast he is. And the longer you can make the perp walk last in front of the cameras, the better." She walked into the kitchen and got a glass and the rest of the wine left from their meal and announced, "I'm going to go to bed and read for a while. If either of you wants wine, you'll need to open a new bottle. I'm taking this one with me." Then she picked up a glass and went upstairs.

"I think she likes you," Castle observed.

"I don't think she likes He-who-we-can't-yet-name, though."

Castle shook his head. "Nope. Don't think so."

"Can we not talk about this anymore tonight? It won't change anything if we do, and right now it's more than…"

"If we can sleep, maybe it will make more sense in the morning. New bottle of wine?" he asked, and she nodded. "Run us a bath so we can enjoy it while we soak in nice warm water?"

She breathed out a relieved sigh. "Best offer I've had all week. We're gonna have bubbles, too."

"I'll have to smell all girly again?" he mock complained as he went to the kitchen to open a new bottle of wine and get them glasses.

"Hey, you share a bath with a girl, you take your chances," she teased. "Besides, you've even admitted it's relaxing, and right now, we could definitely use some relaxing. Meet you there," she said, smiling at him over her shoulder.

xxxxx

In very little time, Castle and Beckett realized that Mayor Weldon was being investigated for embezzlement of funds from a charity he had established, and Lanie's examination produced another clue that pointed to the mayor's involvement in their victim's death. At that point, Castle decided it was time to call Smith.

He and Beckett met Smith at a deserted parking garage where they asked a couple of questions, got less than specific answers that nevertheless confirmed their suspicions of a conspiracy, and were told to listen to the evidence…as the victim had.

Eventually, after deciphering the puzzle as to what to listen to, they were able to identify the voice of a mid-level member of the mayor's staff as someone who had aided in framing Bob Weldon. However, just as the young man had confessed his involvement and was about to tell Castle and Beckett who he was working for, a high-powered attorney made an unexpected entrance and didn't let him finish his statement. Another dead end. Another ambiguous connection to the man behind Johanna Beckett's murder. And more questions without answers.

A joint press conference with the mayor and the police chief was held the following morning. The Chief of Police made a public statement absolving Mayor Weldon of any wrongdoing and stating the particulars of the charges against the young man on his staff.

Mayor Weldon then made his own statement, ending with, "And, Chief, I don't know about you, but I am immensely proud of Captain Gates and her detectives at the twelfth precinct. They were willing to take on a sitting mayor when it appeared that he was guilty of a grievous crime. While I did not enjoy that aspect of the investigation, I have to applaud their willingness to follow the evidence wherever it led. I admit, though, that I might want to applaud a little louder for their tenacity in following the less obvious leads and proving that the initial evidence was wrong." Laughter rippled through the crowd at that remark, and he finished his statement with, "Regardless of the difficulties and inconvenience to my family, my office, my duties, and my peace of mind, I assure you that that they all continue to have my complete respect and support."

The press conference was played at the precinct, and everyone who could take the time listened to see how Mayor Weldon characterized the investigation. At the end of his statement, there was applause and palpable relief in the bullpen. It seemed that they were not only forgiven, but lauded as well. Then they all went back to work.

Castle treated the team to drinks at The Old Haunt that night, taking them to his private office and serving them there where he could offer them a comfortable sofa and armchairs. When everyone left, he kissed his wife, locked the door and found a new use for the sofa.

"Would you like to go somewhere this weekend?" he asked, reaching up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she lay stretched out on him. "You don't have to work."

"The Hamptons?"

"That would be nice, but we could go somewhere else if you want. We could fly to somewhere warm, or go somewhere to ski."

As they talked, they engaged in loving little kisses and soft touches, tracing each other's skin with their fingertips.

"We haven't ever been skiing together. That would be fun. Does Alexis like to ski? I don't think that subject has ever come up."

"She does, and I love that you immediately thought of her; but I was thinking of just the two of us. She finishes her last day of high school on Friday, and some of her friends are taking her out for burgers and a movie that day to say goodbye. And I'm sure I could talk Mother into a grandmother/granddaughter weekend, especially if I entice her with a nice spa package. She and Alexis have always enjoyed that."

"Mmmmm… A whole weekend of alone time."

"So?"

"When do we leave?"

"Right after work on Friday?"

"Okay."

"Shall I rent one of those chalets with a fireplace and a bearskin rug?" he asked with his signature eyebrow wiggle.

"Yeah. Let's go for the full ski trip experience."

"Will you let me spoil you?"

"You do that anyway. But, yes. It might bother me now and then, but I promise not to complain."

"Couples massage?"

"Only if a guy is working on you."

"And a woman is working on you," he countered. "I'd be jealous, too."

"Good." She kissed him, sighed and gave him a smile. "We should get dressed. We didn't tell anybody we wouldn't be home for dinner. And it's getting a little cool in here with no clothes."

"I'm nice and warm."

"That's because you have a human blanket."

"Best blanket ever," he answered, stroking her backside.

She sat up, straddling him to balance enough to stand. "Come on. The sooner we get home, the sooner you can get to the computer and arrange to have all weekend to stay naked if we want to."

He stood and took her in his arms, holding her lovingly, nothing more in his intentions. "This was nice. Spontaneous is nice."

"Yeah, it is."

He kissed her gently before he sighed and turned to pick up their clothes. Then they dressed, cleared any evidence of what they'd been up to, and went home.

xxxxx

After dinner, Alexis was in her room studying for her last exams; so Castle and Beckett took everything they needed for scanning into the study and set it up where it wasn't too obvious from the door.

With the new answerless questions that came up during the mayor's case, both of them felt the need to organize the leads and evidence related to Kate's shooting and her mother's murder sooner rather than later. They had no reason to believe they would have new information any time soon, but being ready to add or analyze anything new in relation to their current data would certainly be a plus. To that end, they had been saving the stick drive Ryan and Esposito had given them until last. And now they also had a few cryptic comments from Smith and several new, unanswered questions to mull over.

They expected to complete the scanning of the material the team gathered right before Captain Montgomery's death by the time Alexis was ready for bed. The following week they would start organizing tonight's additions and the contents of the stick drive into Castle's murder board set-up.

They had been working since shortly after dinner. While Beckett scanned documents into the new computer, Castle researched several ski resorts, showed what he found to his wife, and they chose one that had a chalet that almost exactly fit Kate's imaginary one. Castle and Alexis had been there before and were happy in standard rooms at the lodge, so he checked on the ski conditions for the weekend and then booked it. After that, as they worked, they talked about their last case.

Beckett seemed to be considering something as she waited for their next document to scan. "Smith said there were larger forces at work," she stated. "I think it's safe to assume he meant whoever we're looking for is involved. And apparently he's even bigger than we thought. What in the world are we up against?"

"I don't know, but Bob mentioned something similar. The embezzlement investigation started right after he decided to look into running for governor, and the murder investigation followed close on its heels. He's given up on running for governor…let alone president later."

"Why? He's been a terrific mayor."

"He said there are people who control what goes on…political groups, I guess…that he wouldn't play ball, so they took him out of the game. Smith even said Bob wasn't wrong about the conspiracy. You think this guy is part of that?"

"It makes sense. If he's a politician, especially if he's an important one, he could have access to a lot of people he could pay, or coerce, into getting him any kind of information on anybody. That would explain the guard who got Lockwood back into general population." She paused long enough to check on one of the documents being scanned. "So, based on what Montgomery said, if he's a politician, he would probably be someone who got his start in New York City a little before my mom was killed. That could give us a place to start."

"Smith also said something about my getting kicked out of the precinct if the mayor were out of office…asked who would keep you from getting into the case again. And then he said something about a well-placed pawn sometimes being more powerful than a king. But who's the pawn? Why can't the man just give us a straight answer? And who the hell is he? He seems to know a lot more than that early stuff we think is in Roy's files. And the way that SUV came into the parking garage and had him out of there that fast. That practically screams Men in Black. But he wanted to help us clear Bob, so he must be on the right side."

"And who hired that lawyer, Bill Moss, was it? The one who waltzed in and stopped our suspect from giving us a name? I'm sure we can track down his firm. I just wish we could get a list of their clients…see if anybody's name stands out."

"Yeah, right. Does the term 'snowball in Hades" ring any bells?"

"I know," she sighed.

Castle was jotting down their list of questions as they talked, and when Beckett finished scanning the last document, he took the laptop from her and typed their questions into a new document. Then they both leaned back in their chairs and began to unwind, just sitting in silence for a couple of minutes.

"I hope the chalet looks just like the picture," Kate said suggestively. "I already have plans for that rug."

"I have some ideas, too. Want to tell me about yours...you know, just so I'll be prepared?"

She leaned in and whispered some very naughty things in his ear, and he answered, "I think that rug is going to be my favorite place in the entire resort."

Just as he was about to whisper his plans in her ear, they heard Alexis coming down the stairs. "To be continued," he promised and they left the study for the kitchen before Alexis came to meet them there. "Are you ready to ace those last two exams?" he asked.

"The one tomorrow, I think so," she said as she took out the juice and a glass. "The one on Friday is the toughest one, but I'll have tonight to work on it."

"Want some hot cocoa? I'll make you some," Kate offered before the juice was in the glass.

"No, thanks. I think I'll just have this and go to bed."

"Are you still sure about leaving school early?" her father asked.

"I'm sure. I have two interviews lined up for internships on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. Starting something new…it's exciting. And I'm looking forward to Friday night with my friends and the spa weekend with Grams. She said you're going on a ski trip while we're gone. I'm glad you're doing that. You deserve to have a getaway all to yourselves now and then."

"I'm really proud of you, you know."

"Yeah, I know." She gave Castle a hug and he kissed the top of her head.

"For what it's worth, I am, too." Kate told her.

"It's worth a lot, Kate." Alexis gave her a hug, too. "And I'm proud of both of you. The press conference was on the news tonight, and I'm so glad you were able to clear Mr. Weldon's name. I knew he hadn't done anything they said he had. And he made the NYPD look really good." She finished her juice, yawned, and said, "See you in the morning."

"There's nothing going on tomorrow unless a call comes in," Kate said as they went back to the study and started gathering up the things they had been working on. "Do you want to stay home and try to get some writing done?"

Castle stacked some papers on top of the printer and picked them up to return them to storage. "I might stay home and spend some time organizing what we scanned tonight. All I need to do that is to take out the laptop. And I need to get my ski gear from the storage room downstairs. Do you have skis? I don't remember seeing any when we were moving your things here."

"I have all the clothes, but I always rented the rest…didn't use it often enough to warrant the expense," she said after opening the storage space for him.

"You said I could spoil you this weekend," he answered, depositing what he brought on the shelves. "We'll buy you your own when we get there."

"Castle, you…"

He stopped her by putting one finger over her lips. "Nope. Can't do that. You also said you wouldn't complain," he stated smugly.

She stopped talking and backhanded his chest. "I didn't say I wouldn't hit you," she teased.

He held his chest, dramatically pretending to be in pain, then he laughed and closed everything up, exiting the closet behind her. "Where are your ski clothes?"

"Same place as your skis."

"And where do I look for them?"

"In the corner with all the ski gear…in a box labelled 'ski clothes'," she answered over her shoulder with a smug look of her own.

"Well, aren't you Little Miss Organized?" She laughed when he swatted her backside. "Why don't I stay and get some things done here tomorrow. I'll have everything we need to take with us up here before you get home, and we can pack tomorrow night. You can call me if anything new comes up."

"Okay."

Draping an arm around her shoulder, he pulled her close and said softly, "Now about that rug." He started whispering, and her first response was a giggle, shortly followed by an "Ooooooo" not long before she grabbed each side of his shirt collar and dragged him to her for a kiss that demanded his full attention.

She seemed to be having trouble forming her words. "Shower. You coming?"

xxxxx

The next couple of days at work went quickly, and they ignored their scanning project in favor of relaxing while the opportunity presented itself.

The weekend went by too fast. They left town on Friday after work and took full advantage of the ski slopes, the lodge's amenities, the chalet, the rug, and the bed. And when they returned, they were wishing they'd had another couple of days in their own little bubble.

Alexis had her interviews and started working two days a week at each of them. One was at a law firm, and the other at a non-profit that supported the arts…two vastly different experiences.

Castle's banker had given Martha his card as they left the bank after the explosion. He told her anybody who could think as clearly as she and her son did in a crisis deserved the chance to prove she could handle a business, and he arranged the loan at the best interest rate he could. They had a few dinners together after that, but nothing more came of it. Excellent company but no chemistry was what Martha told her family. The contractors she chose were doing a fine job renovating the part of the building she would be using for her school, and there was plenty of room left for expansion once it was successful enough to be paying its own bills. She refused to use the words "if" and "successful" in the same sentence. To those close to them, it was easy to see where Castle got his sense of optimism in the face of whatever assailed them.

Castle and Beckett sorted through the parts of Smith's rune like comments and their assorted unanswered questions and isolated the pieces that might provide leads. They continued to do quiet, subtle research into the few things they considered as possibilities; and they planned to tell the boys what they were doing soon, probably about Smith, too. If things hit the fan, they would need to be in the loop. And, except for once, when there was the brief but fruitless possibility of a new lead, Beckett was admirably avoiding rabbit holes.

In general, life had been quiet for most of the past month, and everyone was enjoying the peace that came with it.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Martha had assured Castle that she approved of Alexis's new internship, but she was temporarily sworn to secrecy.

Alexis had insisted she was eighteen and could make her own decisions about what she wanted to do, and sign all the appropriate papers to do it; and she had begged both Martha and Lanie to give her a week to tell her father and Kate…if they didn't find out on their own before then, which was likely to happen.

It was late, well after dark, when Castle arrived at the crime scene with Beckett, complaining about things being hidden from them, and then he spotted Alexis in a police jacket with a clipboard, doing Lanie's bidding.

"This is your new internship?" he asked. They talked about it briefly before they both were both needed for their volunteer jobs. It was obvious that Alexis had taken to the work like a duck to water, and he didn't want to remove all that excitement from her eyes, but Richard Castle was _not_ a happy man."

"Who knows, Castle. It may turn out to be a good thing," Kate soothed. "She's already said she understands why you do this now. That said, I can't believe Lanie didn't tell us, either."

"I just don't like that my worlds are colliding. It doesn't bode well."

"How bad could it be?" Kate asked as she looked around the crime scene.

"I don't know. It's just…"

"Don't be so territorial. You'll get used to the idea. I got used to you." She smiled and bumped his shoulder with hers.

"Maybe."

They coordinated with Ryan and Esposito and a few of the officers who were first on scene and went home for the night. The following morning they went to check with a woman whose name came up, and they found her dead. And by the time Lanie and Alexis got there, Castle and Beckett were gone…kidnapped by the CIA and taken to a classified location...and the body of their first victim mysteriously disappeared from the morgue. That set off a series of events triggered by the initial murder…all led by a female CIA agent Castle had shadowed when he was writing his first Derrick Storm book.

After learning about that earlier shadowing situation a piece at a time, being locked in the trunk of a car, having to escape from their car after it was rammed into the Hudson River, being hauled to the CIA site two more times in the midst of all that, and returning to find that their most recent victim's body had been seized by government agents before Lanie could examine it, Katherine Beckett Castle was _not_ a happy woman. Her patience was running on empty, and her jealousy was reaching explosive levels.

The couple argued about the CIA's agent, Sofia Turner, before reaching the morgue to talk to Lanie about what happened, and there was already tension between them. So, when Castle asked how the agency could get a warrant so fast, Beckett snapped back, "Why don't you ask your girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend?" Lanie asked, leveling Castle with a nearly lethal glare.

Castle responded with a lack of patience of his own "Yes. Okay. I slept with her, but it was a long time ago. What's the big deal?"

At that point, there was the clearing of an eighteen year old's throat behind them, and Alexis was there, bringing Lanie what she'd asked for.

Castle and Beckett froze, and Lanie went to accept the paperwork and rubbed a comforting hand on Alexis's arm.

Beckett turned and said stiffly. "I'm sorry, Alexis. There isn't a girlfriend. I'm… I'll be waiting at the car.

"Lanie, unless you need Alexis, we're all going home now," Castle said matter of factly.

"Go," Lanie answered. "All of you get some rest. We all need it after today."

Castle had driven to the precinct to meet Beckett, so there was still a car to get them home from there. The keys in his soggy pockets had reached shore with him when he and Beckett surfaced. The remote might never work again, but the keys did; and Castle unlocked doors for the women to get in. The drive home was absolutely silent, Kate looking out the window and ignoring the others, Castle looking upset and angry, and Alexis alternately looking angry and worried. Not a word was said until the three of them walked into the loft.

Kate broke the silence with nothing more than, "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Dad, who is that woman? You didn't cheat on Kate, did you?"

"I've never cheated on a relationship in my life, and we're not having any more of this conversation. That part of my life isn't your concern."

"It is if it means we lose Kate."

"We're not losing Kate. We've had a rough couple of days, and having to be pulled out of the river didn't help. Right now, I need to be talking to her, not to you. I don't know how long this conversation will take, but I'm not going to waste time getting to it. Go to bed, Alexis. Just do what you're told this time. No questions right now. Understand?"

Castle didn't unequivocally lay down the law very often; but when he did, Alexis accepted it, whether she liked it or not.

"I'm glad you're both okay. You scared me again." She wrapped her arms around his middle, and he held her for a long moment and kissed her forehead. "Get something to eat if you want, but do it right now. Honey, I love you. There are things I can't tell you, and things I won't tell you; but we'll get to whatever is left tomorrow." Alexis pulled away and went upstairs saying she wasn't hungry.

Castle walked through his study, closing the door behind him, and stopped at his bedroom door at the sight of Kate holding a staring match…or from Kate's side, more of a glaring match…with Sophia Turner, who was perched nonchalantly at the end of their bed as if she thought she belonged there.

"Sophia?" he asked in surprise, anger showing as well.

Never taking her eyes off Sophia, Kate asked Castle, "Is Alexis upstairs?"

"Yes."

"Is the study door closed?"

"Yes."

"Get off our bed. Now!" she ordered harshly.

Sophia took her time standing, but she did. Rick still stood at the door.

"You need to leave my home. Don't make me say it twice." Castle told her.

"What are you going to do if I don't, shoot me with the gun I found in your safe?"

"And what else have you illegally tampered with besides my safe? Have you planted bugs, gone through our papers? What else, Sophia? How else do you intend to invade our lives?"

"No bugs. I did check your desk, though. The next Nikki Heat is good. I just came to talk, and I had to entertain myself while I waited."

"I don't think you need to talk to either of us anymore today," Kate told her firmly. "You can send your friends to throw some bags over our heads and kidnap us again at a more acceptable hour tomorrow."

"Rick…" Sofia started with a little flirtation in her tone.

"You heard my wife. You're not welcome, and we're not interested. Go home."

"Listen to me for one minute and I promise you I'll go."

"Fine. I'm timing you," Kate answered, watching the clock on the dresser. "Start."

Although she had ordered them off the case that afternoon, the CIA agent was now asking them to keep working on it, this time spinning it as being for the good of the country and playing on their penchant for digging until they had all the answers.

"Time's up," Kate stated.

"Is that it?" Castle asked.

"That's it."

"We listened. Now leave. That was the agreement. You had your minute."

"This isn't over," she said as she stormed out.

"Sophia," Kate called, walking toward the door before the other woman was out of the study.

"What?" she answered, none too patiently.

"Alexis is already upset, and she has nothing to do with any of this. Leave quietly if you want any hope of our cooperation." Then she pointedly opened the study door, and a glaring Sophia Turner walked through and let herself out the front door…quietly .

Kate watched her leave, and checked the locks on the front door. Then she returned, closed the study door behind her, stalked angrily back to the bedroom, closed that door and let out a low-pitched half growl, half scream the likes of which Castle had never heard from her. "She broke into our home, she was in our room, on our bed, had no apologies… I hate everything about her. I hate everything about you and her. I…"

"Kate, explain to me why you're so upset that I slept with somebody before I even knew you existed. When I was shadowing Sophia, you were still in high school."

"It isn't because you slept with her. You shadowed her. It's because you let me be blindsided with that," she answered angrily. "In all the time you were following me, didn't it ever occur to you to mention you'd done this before…for a year…with another woman you wanted to sleep with? Is there anybody else you should tell me about?"

"No. I've followed several men for short times, but she's the only woman. Kate, Sweetheart…"

The fight was out of her at that point and Castle could see that what was left was hurt and sadness, maybe deep seated disappointment.

"If there's anybody else even vaguely like her, I need you to tell me right now. I know I sound crazy, but _she_ was your muse then, Castle. As much as I've always hated the word, I've loved the feeling; but I didn't know there had been another…muse…someone else…that you had feelings for." She turned away from him and said softly, "I…I thought that belonged to just the two of us, and it doesn't anymore…and it hurts. And it wasn't eased away from me. It was ripped away with no warning. All those times I read the early Derrick Storm books and felt the connection to my mother, that's different now, too. I can't read them with any pleasure because I can't think of Clara Strike again without remembering being blindsided with Sophia. If I'd known beforehand that there was somebody else…somebody who, judging from what I've seen of her, probably hurt you, I could have started out being angry on your behalf…by being behind you all the way. This way I had to see you being happy to see her, remembering your time with her, being willing to jump right into her investigation without even asking me…listening to her talk about it. And, especially at first, I had to wonder what the hell was going on…because you didn't just come right out and explain it to me. You let her do it. I had to pick up little bits of your history with her a piece at a time, and every piece of it cut a little deeper. Instead of being angry on your behalf, I was just angry." She took a deep breath and resignedly admitted, "I feel like I've lost a big part what made us…us. A part I didn't think I'd ever have to share."

He thought she probably didn't want him to touch her as she spoke, and the quavery sound of her voice, as well as the pain he could hear in her explanation was ripping him apart; but when she brought one hand to her face and swiped quickly at her cheeks as if she were trying to hide that she was crying, he couldn't stand it any longer. He moved closer to her and took her in his arms, saying repeatedly, "I'm sorry," interspersed with kisses to her head, her temple, her cheeks; and then he pulled her in close and let her cry, still periodically whispering his mantra. She curled into his embrace, her hands on his chest between them. This was a side of her no one else was allowed to see, and as much they both hurt in that moment, he valued that she still trusted him enough to allow it.

"When we started together at the twelfth, the relationship we had then…Sophia didn't seem like something that would matter. I didn't expect to ever see her again, certainly not to work with her again. I didn't really think about it."

"There are places I go…phrases I hear that always remind me of Royce. Not that I dwell on it, but he flits through my mind. Can you honestly tell me that any time you see the name Clara Strike, any time you saw the preliminary work for the Derrick Storm graphic novels, she didn't cross your mind? I think you had a lot of opportunities to say to me, 'Oh, by the way, there was this woman…' But you didn't. Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe because I knew you wouldn't like it and I had no reason to think she would ever cross our paths. But I never looked at it the way you just framed it. In hindsight, I should have. Not too perceptive of me. I would never have hurt you that way intentionally. If I could go back in time and fix it, I would."

"It can't be fixed. We just have to get past it. But it was a lie, Castle. We promised not to do that anymore. You knew it was something I wouldn't like, so you made a conscious decision to withhold it. That's a lie of omission that made a huge difference in dealing with this."

"I know that now, and I can't tell you how much I wish I hadn't done it. I'm so sorry." He ran his fingers through her hair to cup the back of her head and hold her a little closer, as if he were trying to protect her from the pain she was feeling, the hurt he caused. "Kate, we've had a long, awful day. Can we take a shower and get some sleep? Talk about this in the morning? I know you're exhausted on top of everything else."

She nodded against his chest and looked up at him, finding tears welling in his eyes, too. After wiping away the threatening tears with her thumbs, she kissed his cheek and pulled away from him. "Go ahead. I need to get something to sleep in."

When it became obvious that she wasn't going to join him, Castle sighed deeply and dried off, wrapping a towel around his waist before leaving the bathroom to give his wife the time and space she apparently needed to regroup. She stroked his bare shoulder as she passed him and closed the door, and he was relieved that she was still reaching in his direction.

After they were both in bed, he spooned behind her, feeling the need to hold her and keep her close. As he began to move his hands the way he often did to arouse her, she said, "Not tonight." She turned toward him, resting her head on his chest and one arm across his waist. "But not to punish you. Only because I don't want to make love to you when my whole heart isn't in it. Tonight it's…too distracted, I guess. Just let me hold you?"

"I love you," he said, stroking her back and the arm she had stretched across him.

"I love you, too."

Castle expected that they would both have difficulty sleeping, but it seemed that the combination of physical and emotional exhaustion worked as well as a sleeping pill. They both drifted off to sleep in no time.

xxxxx

When he woke the next morning, Kate's side of the bed was empty, and he could smell coffee. Wondering what responses to expect from his wife and daughter, he went to see how many of them were in the kitchen. Relieved to find only Kate, he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and nuzzled her neck. "Are we okay?" he asked.

"We're okay. I love you too much for us not to be okay. But I'm still not okay with the whole Sophia situation. That may take a while." She hesitated and said, "Have…" Then she stopped.

"What? That sounded like it was going to be a question. I'll tell you anything you want to know. The whole truth, whether I think you'll like it or not."

"Have…" She stopped again, then just parted with the words. "Have you ever said 'Always' to another woman?"

"Kate," he breathed sorrowfully, finally realizing how much it cost her to find out about Sophia, especially the way it happened. Holding her tighter, he assured her, "Only Mother and Alexis. Mother has said that to me all my life. It was something special between us, and I've said it to Alexis the same way. I almost said it to Meredith once…in the hospital when she was holding Alexis right after she was born. Then Meredith looked up at me; and I think even then, when I still wanted to believe in her, I knew she'd never understand the importance. So, I didn't. You're the only one I've ever thought would…"

She turned and threw her arms around his neck, and the tears were falling again. "That word has been something I treasure. I was so afraid that might not be just ours anymore, either."

"It's ours. Always ours…our family's."

"I'm okay with family."

"He paused to kiss her temple and then said a little more lightly, "But you should know that little Castle baby we might have one day is going to share it, too."

He heard a watery little laugh, and she answered, "Yeah. I could live with that."

He held her and rubbed her back soothingly until she stopped crying, and he was glad that this time it was tears of relief. Once she settled down, he lifted her chin and kissed her softly several times, then the kisses grew in intensity and his arms went around her tightly, holding her as close as he could.

Alexis saw them when she reached the top of the stairs. She waited until they broke from the kiss before she moved down the steps and said, "Well, that looks more promising than last night."

Castle pulled Kate's head to his shoulder and didn't let her go. He could feel the occasional hitch in her breathing that told him she was still recovering from the crying.

"It feels more promising than last night, too," he answered, kissing the top of Kate's head.

"Does it feel that way to you, too, Kate?" Alexis asked, sounding cautious.

"Yeah, it does." Her voice was a bit muffled by Castle's arm and shoulder. "Yesterday took a toll on both of us, in a lot of ways."

"I know you fell in the river somehow. What else happened? I saw how Dad looked at that woman…like nothing good was going to happen. And then you both just got in the SUV and left without a word other than, "We'll be back later."

Castle was back in his not to be questioned, authoritative dad mode. "We can't tell you about the case. It's woven into some other things we're barred from discussing. We're not going to tell you what we argued about because it's between us. What you do get to know is that I didn't tell Kate about something in the past that I should have mentioned to her, and I was wrong to do that. But nobody is leaving anybody. Our marriage is stronger than that."

"Kate?" Alexis asked.

"Marriage needs a lot of give and take, Honey. Before we were together, I did things that hurt your dad; but he didn't give up on me."

"And I did some things that made her afraid to try to trust me in a relationship, but we obviously worked that out."

"We're going to have rough spots now and then, but you don't need to worry about anybody giving up on anybody, or anybody leaving," Kate assured her.

"Okay."

Castle continued his confessions to his daughter. "And you'll find out sooner or later that we didn't just fall into the river. Kate's car was rammed from behind several times, and it's at the bottom of the Hudson, unless they've pulled it up already. We had to get to the surface from there. Lanie agreed to keep that from you when she sent you to bring us dry clothes. We thought you'd been through enough lately and we could let you get through the night without knowing about another close call. You can ask whatever you want, but you may not get all the answers."

"Your car was rammed into the river? With you in it?" Castle nodded. "And you didn't think I needed to know that?"

"I just told you. You didn't have to not know it for long. And we've all barely slept. I don't want to argue about it. Which internship is today?"

"This is the day off, but I'm going to deliver resignation letters to both of them this morning and then come home and sleep. I'm going intern full time with Dr. Parish, and she has the night shift this week."

"If you're going to keep working with Lanie, that's the sensible thing to do."

"Dad, I know I'm sort of getting into your space, but Dr. Parish is a great mentor, and she says she's impressed with how fast I'm learning. And I love it. It's just the right balance between never knowing what you'll find and then going after it analytically, and it's…"

"Fascinating?" He smiled fondly at his daughter over Kate's head. "Pumpkin, if medicine is where you decide you want to go, this is a phenomenal opportunity for you. I guess we may all just have to try to avoid awkward moments from now on."

"You were really trapped in a car in the river?" Castle nodded at his daughter. "Is there room for one more in that hug?" Alexis asked, and Kate and Castle both held out an arm to welcome her.

xxxxx

Their last murder victim told them he'd found a linchpin that would trigger a series of massive, world-changing consequences, and it turned out that Sophia had used Castle and Beckett to get her hands on it. She had framed her partner, Agent Danberg, to deflect from her own machinations, and she intended to kill the writer and the detective after she sent her other rogue agent to set the dominoes falling. After some taunting, she had her gun poised at Castle's head and was about to pull the trigger when Danberg caught up with them and shot her instead.

While Danberg was taking the second rogue agent into custody and arranging for the covert removal of Sophia's body, Kate returned to take Castle to the twelfth, or back home if that was what he wanted. He opted to return to the precinct with her, where he and Beckett went to speak to Captain Gates.

"The other case is closed, Sir," Beckett reported. "I'm sorry we can't be more forthcoming than that, but it was a worthwhile collaboration."

"I can't say I'm happy about being out of the loop while Mr. Castle wasn't, but I do understand. And I'm glad to hear it was successful. They did seem to know that you would be a valuable asset, Detective."

Taking advantage of another opportunity to boost her husband's image, Beckett answered, "Actually, it was Castle they wanted. The two of us work well together, so they pulled me in, too. He had worked with someone early in his career, someone who knew how good an investigator he can be…and knew that the two of us would dig our way into parts of their case. They decided having him on their side would be more productive for them. And we both pulled our weight well. I believe we left a good impression of the NYPD behind us."

As Gates raised eyebrows at that piece of information, Castle pointed out, "But the case took its toll. Beckett should take tomorrow morning off to see her doctor. She lost part of a lung not that long ago, and I don't want to take any chances. We were spirited away before I could convince her to follow the EMTs' suggestions to go once she was recovering from being in the river."

"He makes a good point, Detective Beckett. It looks like they had the two of you working day and night for most of the week. Go home and get some rest, see the doctor in the morning, and I'll look for you tomorrow afternoon. Come to see me then and we'll decide how to handle the paperwork."

"Yes, Sir." She shot Castle a glare as they were leaving the office.

"Glare at me all you want. I'm not the least bit sorry."

When they returned to Beckett's desk, Agent Danberg was waiting. He apologized and briefly told them their new assumptions about Sophia. Then he handed an elated Beckett the keys to her cruiser, saying it should be better than new now.

"Can I interest you in a drink, Agent Danberg? My treat," Castle asked.

"I think we could all use one," he answered. "But I should go and pay your captain my respects before I leave."

"The Old Haunt. Meet you there?"

Beckett jotted down the address for him and picked up her things. "See you there," she said as he left.

As Beckett drove them to the bar in her better than new cruiser, Castle phoned the doctor's office and they squeezed in an appointment for Beckett early the next morning. After a drink and an easy conversation with Agent Danberg, they went home for some well-earned rest.

Once they were home where no one had to worry about driving, Castle chose a good wine and invited Kate for a long, hot soak in the tub, saying he couldn't care less if he smelled like a girl again. He took care of the wine, and she took care of the bath and the bubbles.

They sat in silence for a while, spooned together in the water, sipping their wine and caressing each other's bare skin with fingertips and sharing a chaste kiss now and then. Nothing particularly sexual, just pleasantly sensual and relaxing.

"Do you think she really knew anything about my father?" Castle asked, breaking the silence. "Danberg didn't know anything…or said he didn't."

"I don't know, Castle." She smoothed her hand down his thigh and back up again in sympathy.

"What about the linchpin? Do you think we really saved the word from disaster?"

"Maybe. We'll probably never know, but it looked pretty convincing." She turned to straddle his lap and kiss him. "I think Sofia told a lot of lies. What we can be sure of, though, is that we saved that little girl's life. That's a pretty good feeling."

"Yeah, it is."

"I'll despise her forever. But, for you, I'm sorry she was such a disappointment, especially after you based Clara Strike on her. I know how it feels to find out you've been used and betrayed by somebody you cared for...someone you thought you could trust."

"Clara started out like Sophia, but she ended up more like you, you know," Castle answered. Smart, fierce...kind. There are a lot of things that could have been admired about Sophia then, but before I was halfway through writing the book, I knew that one of them wasn't that she was kind."

"She called us in because she knew how good you are, took all the information we had put together, and then berated you in front of the others. She used you, and she taunted you right up to the end, tried to kill you…and turned out to be a traitor to boot. I thought we were both going to die. It's just now catching up to me how close we came again. This has been a rough year."

He pulled her in for a kiss, his hand splayed across her bare back, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Is this you being angry on my behalf?" he asked lovingly.

She leaned forward to rest her head on his shoulder, planted a little kiss on his chest as she snuggled against him, sighed contentedly, and whispered, "Always."


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Castle again found his wife's side of the bed empty when he woke, and he went looking for her. He found her filling her coffee cup, and she reached to get another mug for him.

Once the coffee was safely in the cups, he hugged her from behind and asked hopefully, "So, last night… The being angry on my behalf… The snuggling… The multiple times you said, 'I love you'… The mind-blowing sex… Does that mean I'm forgiven?"

She leaned back against him, her head moving to one side to allow him to easily leave little kisses on her neck, and answered. "You're forgiven, but it doesn't mean it won't take a long time for me not to be hurt and angry when I think about it. And I'm not sure Derrick Storm will ever be on my reading list again. I'll miss that. Those books were important to me. But you're more important than any of those things. Not forgiving you can't change anything anyway."

"Kate, I'm so sorry. I…"

"Stop apologizing. We both could have died…twice in just the past few days. Or one of us could have been left to live without the other. It puts things in perspective. We both said 'for better or for worse' and we seem to take turns delivering a little from both sides."

"Yeah, but this was kind of a big one."

"It pales in comparison to losing you." She turned in his arms to face him, and they shared several long, slow kisses before more or less melting together in each other's arms for a long moment.

"You're already dressed," he observed, nuzzling her hair.

"I woke up early and decided I might as well be. You need to get ready to go, too," she answered, pushing out of the little cocoon they had created. When he looked less than happy, she responded, "Hey, you're the one who insisted I go to the doctor, and made the appointment so early…and insisted on going with me."

"When we got you out of the water, I had to breathe for you before you started breathing on your own; and you coughed up that nasty river water. It scared me again, and I'll feel better if he checks on you. I'll go take a quick shower."

"I'll get a decent breakfast together while you do. We haven't eaten too well most of this week."

After the tests he required and having blood drawn, the doctor agreed she could go to work; but he recommended limited activity for a few days and a follow-up visit in a week, just to be on the safe side. He promised to call if any problems surfaced after the results of the blood work came back.

xxxxx

After arriving at the precinct, Beckett spoke to Gates and they worked out how to handle the paperwork. This time, rather than simply helping with the typing, Castle's writing skills came in handy in helping with the narrative aspect of the report.

The rest of the week was blessedly uneventful, so it was easy for Beckett to follow doctor's orders, as well as to leave on time. She and Castle went to the library one night and did some research on New York politicians without leaving a trail of library records behind them.

"We need the internet," he finally admitted on their way home, "but it can't look like we're the ones looking. We need another anonymous computer. I might get laptops for Ryan and Esposito, too. We need to let them know what we're doing and make it easy for them to help if they're okay with that."

"I hate to think of dragging them into this, but I'd feel better if somebody else knew."

"Me, too. I'll see Ben again tomorrow."

"How do you know Ben?"

"Junior high. He had a few shady friends in high school, but once he got married, he changed his ways, mostly. He runs a legitimate electronics business, but he does a little cash business on the side for friends who want something under the radar. I don't think he's buying stolen property, just getting merchandise from people who buy overstocks or buy out stock from places going out of business and accept cash for what they have left. Then those people only accept cash, and nobody pays taxes on any of it. It gives Ben some extra money for the kids to have music lessons or take karate or a family vacation now and then. I have cash in the safe. I won't even have to go to the bank."

"Speaking of the safe, do you think Sophia…"

"I checked while you were talking to Alexis the next day, and it doesn't look like she found anything behind it. A couple of things in the safe were out of place, but everything behind it was right where we left it. If she had found that, I think she would have thrown it in our faces, like she did with the safe and the computer files for Nikki. I didn't find any bugs, either."

"Yeah, she did seem to enjoy gloating," Kate grumbled.

"New subject?"

"Please."

xxxxx

A few days later, after a meeting at Black Pawn, Castle came home with another package he'd had delivered there. This time it was several new laptops. And then he showed Kate the fake IDs for everybody in the family, using their doctored passport pictures. Alexis was a brunette. Kate's hair was shorter and blond, and she wore glasses. Jim's hair was a salt and pepper light brown, and he had a moustache and wire rim glasses. Martha's hair was as white as it probably would be naturally without the hair color, and Castle wore glasses and had a short beard and a moustache, looking professorial. According to the ID's and new passports, they were the Selden family…parents and son, and the son's family.

"Fake ID's?" she asked. "Seriously, Castle? Oh, and I'm a blond? Isn't that your playboy go to image? Did you give me fake boobs, too? Honestly, don't you think you're taking this a little too far?"

"I'm serious as a heart attack. Whoever this guy is, he had my wife shot, Kate…right in front of me. Remember that? He's not going to get to my family again if I can help it. If we never need these IDs, we just won't use them, and that's fine. I wasted my money. But if we do, these could give us the time we need to disappear for a while. Mother has the materials and the skill for everything we need to become these people. And if we don't need them, they could come in handy for undercover work. Whoever this man is, he's ruthless, and…"

"And you don't want to lose any of us. I get it. You take your role as the head of the household very seriously, even though I can kick butt all by myself. And, in spite of all the teasing, we all know that; and we respect it, and appreciate it, and love you for it. But, Castle, I expect you to call me out if you see signs of the rabbit hole. And I'm going to call you out on the paranoia."

"Okay. I guess I do sound a little paranoid, but I…"

"I've got to say, you're sliding in that direction right now. What's next? Martha gets us wigs, beards, and makeup to keep behind the safe? We all start packing go-bags to hide in there?"

"Okay, okay. I hear you," he said, holding both hands up in a look of agreement…almost. "It's getting too cloak and daggery for you. But I'm still glad we have the new computers…and I'm not sorry the IDs are there, either.

"Okay. I'll let the computers slide, Rich Guy. Fake IDs and thinking about disguises does concern me a little bit; but they're here now, so we might as well keep them. Oh, and Martha is going to hate that ID picture, by the way."

"I know," he answered with a smirky smile, looking pleased with himself."

Kate smiled and said, "You shouldn't be mean to your mother."

"And she shouldn't be mean to me."

Kate just shook her head and smiled. "We'll tuck them away in a just-in-case box or something."

"And that's all I intended. I just…"

"You're still my hero, you know," she told him.

"And you're mine," he answered with a smile.

She planted a kiss on his lips in return.

"I'll get one of the new computers set up under another name tonight, then we can use the internet anonymously…and judiciously."

Over the next few weeks, they did do some research online, looking for local, state, and national politicians whose careers started in New York City around the early nineties. They were careful to keep it relatively non-specific and didn't work in long sessions, but they had amassed a list longer than they had expected. Their next project would be to see if they could find any connection to Washington Heights or Vulcan Simmons or drugs. Simmons seemed to remember Johanna Beckett and her murder. He wouldn't remember her so well so long after the fact if there weren't some sort of good reason for it.

xxxxx

As they were working on a bombing where five people were killed, Beckett was developing a cough, and Castle wanted her to see the doctor again, but she was fighting it.

Castle was also worrying about Alexis and the toll her internship might be taking. When he and Beckett went to see Lanie to discuss the evidence she called them about, he saw Alexis near Lanie's office, outside the examination area, and walked over to check on her. She looked exhausted and overwhelmed.

"Don't you want to go home and get some rest, Honey? You don't have to be here at all, you know. I could take you home now."

"And would you stay at home, even though you don't need to be here, either? Everybody here needs rest, Dad. Dr. Parish wouldn't let me help at the crime scene this time. She said she didn't need to see that kind of carnage at her age and she certainly didn't intend to cause an eighteen year old nightmares. I've been cataloging and storing all the victims' personal effects. That and keeping the files organized is all she'll let me do."

"Knowing your heart, I'm sure that's enough of a struggle. And seeing what Lanie is having to do, I'm sure it's taking a big load off her shoulders."

"I'm not going home before my shift ends, Dad. I want to be here for whatever she needs. Then I'll go home and get some rest, I promise. Don't worry about me. Just help Kate catch whoever did this.

In spite of her mild protest about being at work, Castle could tell his daughter needed the hug he gave her.

"We have a lead. You ready to go?" Beckett asked Castle as she gave Alexis a hug, too. "Are you okay, Alexis?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Dad can fill you in."

Kate kissed the top of her stepdaughter's head, and Castle gently squeezed the girl's shoulder before they left. Looking over his shoulder, he told his daughter softly, "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Dad," she answered as she picked up several files and a few loose papers and turned toward Lanie's office.

"She's dedicated. I have to give her that," Beckett said on the way to the car. "I'm proud of her, too."

They closed the case a few days later, allowing a television reporter's arrest. The paperwork had been completed that morning, and the file was ready to turn over to the District Attorney, a case of a publicity stunt gone very wrong.

Leaving Gates's office after delivering the file and summarizing the latest developments, Castle said, "You need to see a doctor."

"It isn't in my chest, Castle. It isn't anything to worry about."

"Well, I'm going to worry you about it until you check on it and make sure."

With a full Beckett eye roll, she took out her phone and grudgingly called to make an appointment. There had been a cancellation, and they were able to give her an appointment right after work.

"Are you happy?" she grumbled.

"Yes. Are you ready for lunch?"

"Yes. Remy's? I need comfort food before I can talk to you."

"Strawberry shake sound good?" he asked pushing the call button for the elevator.

"It might help."

"Usually does," he said as they entered and the doors closed. Then he took his place beside her and mischievously kissed her head. "I'm just trying to take care of you. Sometimes you forget to do that."

"I know. I'm sorry I was grouchy about it."

"I love you."

"I know," she answered, unsuccessfully trying to hide her little smile.

"You love me, too," he said with a little smirk.

"I know," she answered and bumped his shoulder. Then she smiled at him, he leaned in for a quick kiss on her lips, and by the time the doors opened in the lobby, all was right in their world again.

She sent him home that afternoon and went to her appointment alone; and when she arrived at home later, she waved a prescription bag at him.

"Sinus infection," she told him. It was wreaking havoc with my throat and causing the cough. I have medicine, so it should be all better in less than two weeks."

"Must be a wonder drug. I feel better already," he said with a smile.

"You're such a goofball. What's for dinner?" she asked, getting water to take her medication.

"Chicken parmigiana," he said, opening the oven door and making a show of fanning the aroma of their main dish toward her.

"Mmmmmm. What can I do to help?"

"Kiss the cook. Everything else is done," he answered, closing the oven door.

"That's easy."

He wrapped his arms around her, and they engaged in some playful kissing as they waited for the chicken to cook.

Alexis came down the stairs and caught them again. "Is that all you do in the kitchen anymore?" she asked, pretending disgust.

"No, but it's the most fun part," her father answered and grabbed Kate's arm, noisily kissing up it from the wrist to the shoulder in a manner worthy of a cartoon.

They all laughed at that, then Kate retrieved her arm, pretended to need to wipe it off, and asked Alexis to help her set the table.

Martha came in just as they were plating the food and proceeded to tell them about the progress at her school, and the plans for the opening. Application process, advertising, etc. She had really done her homework, seemed to know exactly what she wanted, and was actively putting it together.

"Mother, I'm really impressed," Castle told her. "I've seen you on stage, but I'm looking forward to seeing you get other people there."

"Thank you, Richard. It's exciting. I think I'm going to enjoy it."

xxxxx

Coming home after closing out the paperwork at the end of a case a few weeks later, Castle was all but squealing. "Zombies, Kate. We had a case with zombies!"

"They weren't real zombies, Castle," she answered with a grin at his glee.

"Don't kill the mood. The case was full of zombies. And there are zombie walks, Kate. Will you dress up like the walking dead and go with me for one sometime? Just one. That would be enough. Please?"

"Maybe."

That netted her a huge kiss from the ten year old sounding grown man…with the warm, broad solid chest, and the impressive biceps holding her, and the decidedly grown-up talent for kissing. Kate Castle would probably be roped into a zombie walk before long. The man did have persuasive powers.

Later that night they were on another online information hunt. They had narrowed their list of possible politicians down to about twenty but hadn't given up.

"We have a lot of people on this list. Roy said 'him', so I think we can be pretty certain it isn't a woman. If he's a politician, we might eventually find him in this list," Kate commented.

"But, if he isn't a politician, we're back at square one," Castle answered.

"We need a break from this. And we need to tell the boys what we're doing. I think we need to tell them about Smith, too."

Castle turned off the laptop and plugged it in to charge. "Tomorrow night? We can invite them over here tomorrow night and talk to them then. And give them phones and laptops. Then they can help you tell me how paranoid I am."

"Okay. Let's do that. Um...not necessarily the paranoid part, but you're right...Javi is probably gonna go there. Do we show them what's behind the safe?"

"I haven't decided yet. I wouldn't worry about it if they knew, though."

"We'll decide before tomorrow night," she said.

xxxxx

Their next case took them to an alley where a young Hispanic man, Orlando Costas, had been shot. Lanie told them he was shot in the shoulder by one gun, and in the head, execution style, by another one. After gaining information from his girlfriend, they found his car a couple of blocks from where he was shot. Inside it there was a GPS, and the last thing programmed into it was Captain Montgomery's address.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

When the team arrived at their late captain's home, CSU was already there. The children weren't at home, and Evelyn said she hadn't intended to be there, either…that it was almost as if someone knew the house would be empty. Beckett and Castle looked at each other with concern. Evelyn identified the picture of Costas as the man she saw and said she had shot the intruder with Roy's old gun and thought she had hit him in the shoulder. That would explain the two separate gunshot wounds on the body. The intruder had crashed through the window and run. He had only taken records…Roy's laptop with old files on it, old files from a cabinet, but no valuables. Castle and Beckett were nervous about where the case was heading, and trying not to panic yet; but the more they learned, the more they worried. They willingly stayed with the case, though, right up until Ryan and Esposito came in around lunchtime to tell them that the DNA under the victim's fingernails matched the DNA from another shooting…Beckett's shooting.

"Oh, god," she said, suddenly looking pale. "Ohgod… ohgod,ohgod,ohgod,ohgod,ohgod." Then she put one hand over her mouth and left the room in a hurry."

"What was that?" Esposito asked Castle.

"Yeah. I've never seen her respond like that to anything...ever," Ryan said.

"We need to talk, but not here," Castle told them. "I'm gonna go check on her."

Based on her actions, Castle headed toward the women's restroom; and when he was nearly there, he saw Officer Hastings coming out.

"Is Beckett in there?" he asked.

"Yeah. And I doubt there's anything left in her stomach. I asked if she would be okay alone, and she said she would; but I'm glad you're here. She looked pretty bad."

"Is anybody else in there?"

"No. Just her."

"Do you have time to stand watch long enough for me to go in and check on her? I don't want to surprise anybody."

"Yeah, sure. I'd try to talk her into going home if I were you."

"That's the plan. Thanks. I won't be long."

When he went into the room, Beckett was rinsing her mouth out and spitting water into the sink. Then she washed her hands, splashed water on her face, and grabbed some paper towels. She was unusually startled when she heard Castle's voice say, "Come here."

She threw away the paper towels and went willingly into his arms, not seeming to notice that she was snuggled against her husband in the ladies' room at the precinct with his arms around her.

"It's starting again, isn't it?" she asked shakily.

"It might be."

"All those paranoid plans of yours aren't looking quite as unreasonable right now."

"The boys are worried about you. I've told them we need to talk, but not here. Let's go and reassure them and then figure out a way to get Gates to let you go home."

"I think we can use Hastings for backup. She looked worried about me."

"She sounded it, too. She's standing guard in the hall so I don't get labelled a perv."

Beckett gave him a weak smile. "Yeah. We should probably get you out of here."

Walking out into the hall, Beckett said, "Thanks, Hastings."

"No problem. Hope you're feeling better soon," she said as she went back to work.

Castle put his arm around his wife, precinct or not, and walked her to an open area of hallway where they were less likely to be heard without being aware of it. Looking down, he whispered, "Do we trust Gates or not?"

Beckett caught Castle's downward look and copied it, also whispering. "I think so. We've had some conversations, and I've watched her back up different teams when they needed it. She seems to want to take care of her people...even you, whether she resents it or not."

"Then I think we have to take the chance. This is too big for just us. We can't do it alone, and we can't dump it all on the boys. We need federal help, and with her IA background, Gates might know somebody who can be trusted. If this is what we think it is, and they knew Evelyn's house was supposed to be empty, they've monitored her somehow. They've always been a step ahead of us every time it counted. We have to be careful."

Beckett nodded her agreement, and they went back to her desk. "Sorry guys. But you really didn't want me to stay."

"You okay, chica?" Esposito asked in his best big brother voice.

"I think so."

"So was that a reaction to what we said, or are you just sick?" Ryan asked.

"I honestly don't know. It just hit me out of the blue," she answered. "But to be on the safe side, you might not want to get too close for the time being."

"I'll stay close enough to be sure she's okay, guys. I'm pretty sure that, if she's contagious, I've already got it."

"Don't need to know, Dude," Ryan interrupted.

"So what else do we know?" Beckett asked.

"We got Orlando's financial records, and it looked pretty dismal until a ten thousand dollar wire transfer appeared in his account a few days ago. Girlfriend started paying bills with it as soon as it hit the account, and it looks like the girlfriend cleaned out the account about an hour ago."

"The girlfriend? She said... She lied to us, and she's running. Get her in here."

After a second session with the girlfriend, they identified a church where Orlando had met a few times with the man who hired him, someone he had known in the military. Ryan and Esposito insisted Beckett stay at the precinct while they went to talk to the priest, and they discovered a security camera trained on the donation box, which showed them the face of the man Orlando met…the man who shot Beckett.

For the second time that day, Beckett's hand went to her mouth, and she ran from the room.

"What's going on with her, man," Ryan asked Castle. "She doesn't do this."

"PTSD affects everybody differently, Bro'," Esposito offered. "You think that could be it, Castle? Knowing this guy is back?"

"I don't know," he answered. "I guess it could. I'm…" He pointed toward the restrooms.

"Go ahead," Esposito answered. "Better you than me."

"Why do you think Castle said we need to talk? You think something's wrong with her?"

"She's probably just still thinking about the guy shooting her. That was pretty bad. She went through some hell to be back here. If that sniper case brought it back as bad as it did, think what seeing the shooter actually in town and at work again would do."

"You're probably right," Ryan agreed, but he still looked concerned.

When their partners returned, Ryan asked, "You gonna be okay, Beckett?"

Castle grabbed a piece of copy paper, sat down at the desk, and started writing while Beckett talked to the boys.

"Maybe not. I don't think this is going away this afternoon. Can you take over until tomorrow? I won't be much good to you running off all the time, and maybe spreading the germs around. I think I'm going to talk to Gates…see if I can go home. Might be that twenty-four hour bug Bristol's team had a few days ago."

"Yeah, you can keep those germs to yourself," Esposito said with an exaggerated shudder to lighten the mood.

Castle handed Beckett the page he had written; and she looked at it, nodded, and took it with her. Then he motioned to the boys to follow him into the hallway.

"Ryan, can you think of a reason to be at Esposito's place tonight around eight?" he asked quietly. "I need to talk to both of you, but it can't be here…or on our phones. We meant to talk to you today anyway, but this guy is a step ahead of us again."

"I don't like the sound of this, Castle," Esposito said.

"Then I'll apologize now for waiting this long because it probably won't get better in the telling."

"Yeah. I'll tell Jenny," Ryan agreed.

"Just make up something for now. Don't make it sound like the case. You can decide what to tell her after we talk, but for now, leave Jenny out of it. I'll explain later."

They saw Beckett coming back, then she turned toward the restrooms again.

"Uh-oh," Esposito commented. "That doesn't look promising."

"Nope. I need to get her home," Castle agreed, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "My independent wife insisted I wait for her here if it happened again."

The three of them waited, someone making a comment now and then, until Beckett returned a few minutes later. She looked pale and seemed ready to go home. She said softly, "Hey, guys. I know it's going to make this harder, but see if you can find anything on this guy without running him through facial recognition. You heard Evelyn. She caught Costas because she was home when she hadn't intended to be. And they knew they could hire Costas because he was in financial trouble. Somebody is keeping an eye on things connected to Roy and this case, and they're looking for his records. They have access to a lot of information somehow, and if we run the shooter through facial recognition…"

"The same somebody might find out we're onto the shooter," Espo finished for her.

"Definitely harder, but it might be good to let him think he's completely anonymous for a little longer. It gives us the element of surprise. We'll see what we can do." Ryan promised, then he stepped back and said a little louder, "Feel better, Beckett."

"Thanks, guys," she answered. "Sorry to have to desert you."

"Better than having you barf on us," Esposito declared.

"Yeah. There's the sensitivity I know and love." She gave them a little smile, and she and Castle left.

"See you later," Castle called over his shoulder.

xxxxx

Beckett handed Castle the car keys.

"It must be bad," he observed, opening the passenger door for her.

"I feel like my insides are inside out. There can't be anything left in there. I hope I haven't already given whatever it is to you." She leaned her head against the headrest and closed her eyes.

"You and me both," he agreed. "With any luck, it's that twenty-four hour bug, which means this time tomorrow, you should feel much better." He paused a moment, more hesitating to say it than not knowing what he wanted to say. "Do you think knowing he's this close again was enough to make you physically ill?"

She answered without opening her eyes. "I… It might have. I hadn't felt sick at all until I heard the DNA evidence. It's… Can we talk about it later?"

"Whenever you feel up to it. When we get home, I'll get you some ginger ale and saltines. That always made Alexis feel better when she was little. Or I could make you some peppermint tea. Or just let you get some rest. Whatever you need."

"You're a good man, Richard Castle," she said, reaching to rest her hand on his thigh.

Once home, Kate opted for ginger ale because it was quick. She drank a little bit, ate a couple of crackers slowly, and went to bed, sleeping for about three hours. Castle took the time to get out two of the new laptops and four of the burner phones. He took one of the phones for himself and programmed that number and three others into the phones for the boys. Then he gift wrapped them, phones and a stick drive tucked in with the computers; and as soon as someone else was home to be there if Kate needed anything, he went to the little take-out/delivery pizza shop on the next block.

"Hey, Lamar," he called out when he entered.

"Hey, Mr. Castle. I'm usually at your door. Not used to having you at mine. What can I do for you?"

"I need three pizzas, four salads, and a favor."

"What kind of favor?" he asked, dusting off his hands, and coming to the counter.

"Putting a bag with the gift wrapped computers and phones on the counter, Castle said, "These are thank you gifts. I thought it might be fun to disguise them as pizzas and have them delivered along with the real ones. Showing Lamar the address, he asked, "Is that too far? I'm willing to pay you for the extra distance if it is."

"No, I can work that out. When do they need to be there?"

Castle asked to have them delivered at eight.

"I'm off at seven-thirty, and my brother should be here any minute. I can do it myself." Lamar answered, looking in the bag. "A large pizza box might hold one of those, but not both,"

"Two might even be better. There are notes to explain this in each package. Just be sure to tell them it's from me so they won't worry. They're both cops, and unexpected, unidentified packages work on their nerves."

"Lamar laughed. "Got it. I'll package them in pizza boxes now and have the other two pizzas ready when I leave. Will it matter if I pack the gifts in the thermal bag with the pizza?"

"No. I think that will be fine."

"Okay. Salads? The same ones you usually order?" Hearing an affirmative, Lamar went on. "And what kind of _real_ pizza will the cops get?" he asked with a smile.

Castle rattled off the pizza orders, including one for himself, Lamar read the order back, and Castle confirmed. He rang up the order and promised to have Castle's order there at six and the "cop order" there at eight. Then Castle gave him a very generous tip, shook his hand, and thanked him for his help before he walked back home, looking much more nonchalant than he felt.

Kate woke up feeling a bit better. She ate a little part of her salad and had more ginger ale…in the study, far from Castle's pizza. Alexis joined her in sympathy, and they left Castle contentedly eating his pizza and salad in front of a sci-fi movie on television.

"He should be more sensitive to how you're feeling," Alexis complained, glaring toward the door to the living room.

"He's been right beside me, helping with the case and taking care of me all day; and at eight we need to make a phone call to the boys...about the case. Don't judge him too harshly. He doesn't deserve it. What he does deserve is the little break he's taking. I just didn't want to smell the pizza."

"Okay."

"How are things going with JD? How much have you told him about your internship?"

"Great. He can't believe that's what I decided to do, but he kind of wants to come and visit me at work. He's read Dad's books now, and he's always interested in whether all the crime scene details are real and how he finds it all. I think he might have a little bit of a man crush. But keep that to yourself. I haven't told Dad."

"My lips are sealed." Kate put her salad down. "I think that's all I can eat for now."

"Do you want to lie down again?"

"I think so. I don't usually get sick like this. It's kind of wiped me out."

"Go ahead. Since I misjudged him, I'll go keep Dad company. Want me to put the salad back in the fridge?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Kate answered and returned to her bed.

xxxxx

At eight, there was a knock at Esposito's door. He opened it, then turned to look at Ryan. "Did you order pizza, Bro'?"

"These are from Mr. Castle. He said to be sure to read the notes."

Taking the four boxes, and responding to the weight of them Esposito asked, "What did he send? Cement pizzas? How hungry did he think we'd be?"

Lamar smiled as the door closed and the other man spoke. "It's Castle. Who knows? I just hope it's good."

They went to the sofa, sat down, and started opening boxes. Getting to the first large box, Esposito said, "What the hell is this?" Then Ryan opened the last one.

"He must mean one for each of us. Didn't the pizza guy say something about reading the notes?"

Ryan ripped open the paper. "Laptops? And a burner phone…and a stick drive?"

"That's what's in this one, too."

"There's the note under the laptop." He held it up to read. "Call me at the first number on speed dial. I'll explain."

"Pizza first?" Esposito asked. "He didn't sound like he had good news. And he sent our favorites. We might as well enjoy it before he lowers the boom."

Ryan grabbed his pizza and leaned back. "Good plan." Taking a bite, he added around the next bite, "Mmmpf. Great pizza."

After they had eaten their fill, Ryan called Castle.

"Hey, Castle. Thanks for the pizza. What's this all about?"

"Wait a minute. Let me get Beckett. She's feeling better, but she's resting." They could hear a door closing as Castle went into the bedroom and shut the rest of the household out of the conversation.

"Hey guys. You're on speaker. It's just the two of us here."

"You're on speaker, too. Same," Esposito told them.

"We have a couple of things we need to tell you. You probably won't like hearing them, but here goes. First, we've put together a pretty comprehensive inventory of every clue we've ever had about Mrs. Beckett's murder, Kate's shooting, and any other connected murders we know of…police files, her mother's appointment book, Roy's explanations, any bits and pieces or loose ends we've seen, some new research we've worked on recently…"

"New research? Without telling us?" Esposito exploded. "Who's supposed to have your backs?"

"We were planning to invite you here tonight and tell you, but then everything else happened, and we couldn't. I had to do it this way. And there's more."

"More than the fact that you're taking chances on your own?" Ryan asked.

"Until today, it didn't seem like so many chances. Then he told them about Smith.

"You made a deal with the guy who killed Beckett's mother?" Ryan seemed appalled.

"Actually, Roy made the deal a long time ago, but Beckett never knew. His friend now has the files, and made contact to extend the deal before we knew anything about it. We weren't told until after the fact, but today told us they're looking for Smith and the files. Beckett wasn't nearly strong enough to protect herself in even a small skirmish then, and we didn't know what else to do other than to be thankful for at least a temporary reprieve. But we knew he'd be looking for a way out sooner or later."

"We got some information on the shooter this afternoon. It looks like he's using the name Cole Maddox," Esposito said.

"Javi identified the tag on the car keys from the video and tracked them back to where he rented the car at the airport. They have GPS tracking in all their cars, so we found it, found the building where he was staying, and talked to Gates."

Esposito took over the narrative. "We knew Maddox would be dangerous, so she sent heavy back-up. We managed to surprise him, but he was killed in a shootout on the roof when he tried to get away. Everything he got from Montgomery's house was there in his apartment, though. He had the Montgomerys' wedding album, too, and there was a picture missing; so we went to see Evelyn to see if she could tell us who it is. The missing picture is Michael Smith…must be your guy. Somebody Roy knew before they were married. She didn't know anything about him, though. Said her mother kept her too distracted about the wedding to think to ask."

"I'm surprised Smith hasn't already called," Kate said. "He's got to be who they're looking for. We suspect he knows how to take care of himself, but that's easier if you know something's coming, and it's probably coming soon. It took all of two days to have another shooter at the funeral after Lockwood was gone. Smith helped us. If he calls us, we owe him a head's up."

"If he calls? Can't you call him?" Ryan asked.

"No," she answered. "It's one of those, 'I call you. You can't call me because the number I gave you won't work anymore' things. He's maddening. Always hangs up before you get all your answers," Beckett responded.

"We have to let you guys handle this," Castle told them. "Kate can't be seen as having any part of it. I'm sure all they need is to get their hands on the files, and whoever replaced Maddox will be looking for her. That's why I contacted you the way I did."

"I hate dropping it all in your laps, guys."

"We're good, Beckett, Esposito assured her. You stay home. Even if you feel fine tomorrow, play sick until we see how it goes. We can handle it."

"Thank you."

"Sometime soon, set up those computers with fake names and addresses." Castle said. "That way we'll all have non-incriminating internet access. Then take a look at that stick drive. It's everything we have, coordinated so it's easier to see the big picture…and all the little loose pieces. After that, we'll talk."

"Okay. Take care of yourself, Beckett," Ryan answered. "I'm gonna go home to Jenny…try to figure out what to tell her."

"I'm really sorry to put you in that spot, Kev," Kate said sincerely.

"It's nothing next to the one you're in. I'll work it out."

"We'll keep you updated," Esposito promised.

"Thanks, Espo," Castle answered. "Talk to you tomorrow."

"I guess I need to call Gates in the morning," Kate said. "I hate being on the outside of everything."

"I know." Castle pulled her down on the bed with him and held her gently. "But it isn't safe." He hesitated and pleaded, "Please don't make us go through that again…or worse. I don't want to face life without you, and I don't want to have to see you suffer your way back again, either."

"I don't want to put either of us through that again, either. I'll be careful, but it's hard. He isn't going to get me, Castle. You're making me believe in fate. You and I are supposed to get old and gray together. We're going to get him, hang him out for the world to see, and live happily ever after."

They were startled by a knock at the bedroom door accompanied by the sound of a phone, and Alexis called out, "Your phone is ringing, Dad. I don't recognize the number."


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

"I think you know why I'm calling, Mr. Castle." Smith stated, when Castle answered his phone.

"It's you. Thank God. This call is important to both of us."

"Most likely, the break-in at the Montgomery house was a cleanup job…making sure that Roy had nothing else incriminating in his files. As long as Detective Beckett drops her investigation, we still hold all the cards."

Knowing there wasn't much time before Smith would hang up on him, Castle spoke urgently. "You don't know everything that's happened, do you? Beckett was sick yesterday and went home early, and she's going to stay here and play sick until after whatever happens is over. She couldn't very well stop the investigation without causing suspicion, so she's removed herself from it. That's the best we could do. But... Call me right back. Please believe that you're going to want this information as much as I do." Castle gave Smith the number for the burner phone he had taken out for Beckett, ended the first call, and answered the second phone when it rang a minute later.

"Mr. Smith, that wasn't just a cleanup job. Costas, the guy who broke in, was hired by the man who shot Beckett, and then he was killed. There's DNA proof that the hitman, who calls himself Cole Maddox, was responsible for both shootings. Maddox was found after we left this afternoon, and he was killed when he tried to shoot his way out to escape. He had your picture in his pocket. You've helped us. We'll do whatever we can to help you. We all know there's the possibility that he had already contacted whoever he works for and identified you."

There was silence at the other end of the line, then a coldly determined voice. "I did this for Roy. I owed him, but I don't owe you or Detective Beckett. What I _will_ do is send you these files. Do with them what you want. What I _won't_ do is continue negotiating with this man and wait for him to send someone to kill me. My only choice is to disappear before someone else is hired to replace Maddox."

"Wait. Let me tell you where to send the files. If they come here, they might be intercepted. This guy seems to have eyes and ears everywhere."

"That's because he does," Smith answered. "I'll send them wherever you want, but I'll be gone before morning."

Thinking desperately, Castle told him, "Send them to Gina Cowell at Black Pawn Publishing, and use the return address um…"

"Make it quick, Mr. Castle. I don't have much time."

"Roger Clark….return address should be from Roger Clark…street address...whatever.

"I'll leave it for a courier to deliver tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, Mr. Smith," Kate said quietly. "For everything you've done."

"Is there anything we can do to help you?" Castle asked.

"I've worked with intelligence and high level security long enough to know how to disappear, Mr. Castle. I won't need your help. Be careful, Detective. Plan your responses prudently. This man would do anything to hold on to what he has. You should know that by now. Good luck." The connection clicked off and they knew that was their last call from Mr. Smith.

Castle then dropped the phone on a towel on the bathroom floor and stomped on it several times to smash it. "I don't know if that was necessary or not, but at least we'll know not to use that one again. And stomping something made me feel much better," he grumbled.

Kate's hands were shaking slightly as she put them to her face. She started pacing, nervous energy surrounding her like an aura. Stopping at the end of the bed after two passes, she said with a barely contained appearance of wonder, worry, and anticipation, "He's sending us the files." She paced in the other direction and turned back to face him. "Do you realize what this means, Castle?"

"I do," he answered gently, trying to stay as calm as possible while she obviously wasn't. For him, her intense reaction to the knowledge that something she had wanted for so long was about to be revealed to her was both inspiring and frightening.

"We're going to know who killed my mother."

She paced back toward the other end of the bed, stood before him for a moment, and then threw her arms around his neck. "Rick, I'm finally going to know who had my mother killed."

"And I'll know who had my wife shot," Castle added holding her close. "I need that for myself. But, before I bring the files home, we're going to talk about how to handle what you do about it, understand? You're going to want to storm his building, guns blazing; but you can't do that. I'm not going to lose you to this. We're going to be smart, remember?"

"Smart." She nodded, as if in agreement, but when she pulled back to look at him, he could almost see the reflection of a large rabbit hole in her gaze.

Pulling her close again, he said, "I can see it in your eyes, Kate. Step back far enough to be safe. He cupped the back of her head with his hand and pulled it to his shoulder as he pleaded, "For me. Be careful. Please."

"For you, I'll do my best. Just be there to hold on to me if I start to fall."

She squeezed her arms tightly around him, clinging to him; and he returned her embrace, holding her just as tightly.

"Always, Sweetheart. Always."

xxxxx

Arriving at the reception desk at Black Pawn early the following morning, Castle announced himself with, "Good morning, Dawn. I need to see Gina."

"She has someone due in about ten minutes, Mr. Castle."

"I won't need more than a couple of minutes. Just tell her I'm on my way, please. I'll be brief, but it's important."

"I'll tell her."

"Thanks." When dealing with the less influential employees at the publishing house, Castle didn't usually take advantage of his position as Black Pawn's golden boy. Those lower level employees were pushed around enough by the likes of his ex-wife, and he didn't like leaving them in difficult positions with the bosses; but for the matter at hand, he was making an exception. He strode at full height and full importance toward Gina's office, looking every inch the heavy hitter he was at Black Pawn. What he was doing was too important to impede in favor of the better manners he would usually use.

"Richard, what do you mean waltzing in here like you own the place?" Gina demanded testily and dismissively, still looking at the papers in front of her. But when she looked up at him from her desk, he could see that demeanor change.

"No attitude this morning, Gina, please. This is important, and I don't want the instructions to be lost in ill-will between us."

"Fine. But make it quick. I have the owner coming in for a short meeting." She had capitulated to his demand with her normal bravado, but he could see that this time it was all bravado. He had shaken her confidence that she was in charge.

"I only need a minute." He paused before telling her tersely and firmly. "I've had a package sent to you. It's should arrive by courier sometime this morning, and the return address will say it's from Roger Clark. It's going to look a lot like a manuscript box, or maybe boxes, but it isn't; and you should not open it. You don't want anything to do with what's there. I couldn't have it delivered to the loft or the precinct, but I can't explain why; so, for once, don't ask questions or voice objections. Be as nonchalant about it as you can, but tell your assistant not to open it, to bring it straight to you when it arrives. Then call me, and I'll come and get it. I'm sorry about this; but I had to arrange for its delivery fast, and I couldn't think of anything else right then. I need you to just follow directions without discussion."

Castle knew Gina would recognize when he intended to be in charge and could see that she was taken aback by his unusually forceful approach...and she simply agreed.

"Thank you, Gina."

She nodded, and he left and went back home to be with Kate.

"Did she cooperate?" Kate asked.

"Yeah. I didn't give her much choice." He stroked her cheek with his fingertips and kissed her gently. "Before she calls, we need to take another look at how you're going to handle this. Having what you want is awfully close now."

"I know. I've been lecturing myself ever since you left, but I'm already feeling the need to pull my gun and shoot somebody. And I don't even know who to shoot yet."

"As long as it isn't me." He was trying to lighten the strain he knew his wife was feeling without pushing her too far. "You seem fine this morning. Are you still feeling okay? I know yesterday was rough."

"I'm good so far."

"But you're not going out to look for anybody to shoot today. Even if you're better, you're still playing sick, remember? You can't go back to work until we know who we're dealing with. I think you're still safe. Whoever he is, if he can't find Smith, he won't know what's happened to the files; and he won't take chances yet. And I've already called the security people to keep an eye on the loft.

"And, whoever he is, we'll know by the time we get to the precinct again; and we'll talk to Gates about finding help then," she said.

"And without shooting anyone," he admonished. After we get this guy, we want you on the right side of the jail cells so you can enjoy the victory. So, stay focused. Tell me what we do first," Castle insisted.

"First, you let me see the files…and probably let me growl and snarl and vent, and maybe cry…and then I'll depend on you to guard the rabbit hole so I can't get in," she answered.

He smiled at her, relieved that her emotions still allowed for the teasing twinkle in her eye, even though he knew all of what she said would probably happen. "And after that?"

"We pull me back together, go through all of it, and chose the best points to argue our case with whoever we're dealing with. Then we list the most damning ones, and I call him to set up another deal."

"And then?"

"We make enough copies that we can send them to several different places as insurance. And then we con him," she said with an evil smile. "We work against him while _he_ thinks we still have a deal, the same way he sent Maddox behind our backs when _we_ thought we still had a deal." And then with a hefty dose of dark and serious enthusiasm for the thought, she added, "And then we get help to squash him like a bug."

Castle chuckled. "So far you're holding it together pretty well. Although, I do admit to some concern for my safety when I walk through the door with those files. I'm giving serious thought to opening the front door and throwing them into the loft…you know, the same way I might throw raw meat to a tiger from just outside the cage door."

"Might not be a bad move, Castle," she answered with a smile. She ran her fingers through her hair then, looking serious again. "I'm trying hard, Rick, but I've needed to know for so long, and knowing I will sometime today… It's hard not to drag you back to Black Pawn and make you sit in the lobby until Gina calls you…"

"And knock down anybody in your path between the lobby and her office to get to that package when she does?"

"Yeah. That might be a little obvious, though, huh?"

"Yep. Might look a little suspicious."

"All this self-control you're seeing…it might only be on the surface."

"Could you possibly think I don't know that?"

"No. I know you do."

"But I appreciate all the effort. It's a good sign."

"Together…like you've been saying." She turned toward the kitchen, suddenly changing the subject. "Coffee? I made some just before you got home."

"Yeah, 'cause you need something to get you a little more hyped," he teased. "I'll get it."

"No. I will. I need something to do while we wait. This has already been the longest morning in history."

He sat down at the breakfast bar and said, "Okay, then, serving wench. Bring me coffee."

"Pushing your luck, there, Writer Man," she shot back as she filled the mugs and brought them to where he sat. She put the mug in front of him and kissed his forehead before sitting down beside him. "I love you," she said quietly and sincerely.

"I love you, too."

After that, they sat in comfortable silence and enjoyed their coffee and the knowledge that each of them would always be there for the other. During the next half hour, they talked sporadically, held hands, traced soothing patterns on arms with their fingertips, refilled coffee mugs, and generally tried to hold on to their sanity until Gina called.

The phone finally rang, and Gina told Castle that a package from Roger Clark was waiting for him. He went to pick it up, and Kate made a beeline to the door as soon as she heard the key turn when he came back.

"Did you look? Do you know who it is?" she asked eagerly.

"No. Partly because I didn't want to have it out in the light of day in public. But mostly because you've worked so hard to find out, I thought you should have the honor of opening it…finding out first." He handed her the messenger bag he'd carried it in and watched as she quickly dug into it for the package. "Just don't keep me in suspense too long."

She held the package to her chest like the treasured object it was to her and said, "Refill our coffee and come back and sit with me. We're doing this together, remember?"

While Castle filled mugs from the fresh pot of coffee she had brewed while he was gone, Kate opened the package to find a stack of police files and several pages handwritten in Montgomery's familiar scrawl.

Castle put the mugs in front of them as his wife opened the folders, scanning each of them until she found the name she was looking for.

"William Bracken," she said with an unnervingly quiet kind of venom.

"He was on our list; but Kate, he's a long-term senator."

"Right. A long-term senator on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Rick, that's how he could figure out who to target to help him. That's how he knows who's in financial trouble, whose family members are in trouble with the law and need someone to give them a free pass… He probably has contacts in all the intelligence agencies to find out whatever he wants…contacts with the government contractors who hire ex-military for mercenaries. He'd be able to find out which ones have the same lack of conscious he does and hire them for his dirty work. He's using the resources of the government to kill his own constituents to keep himself in office." Then she launched into a rant that was a bit shorter and much more efficiently focused than Castle had expected…and rather colorful in places.

"I know you want to do this yourself; but Sweetheart, we'd be tackling a sitting senator. I think any thought of doing this without federal help just left the building."

"Yeah. I got that."

"Okay, the growling and snarling and venting has happened. So now I'm guarding the rabbit hole. Let's start with Roy's notes and then work our way through the files to see what's here. Then we can talk about it while we make copies until Alexis gets home."

"Do we tell Martha?" she asked.

"Let's get our own heads wrapped around it first. Then we'll decide."

They spent the rest of the afternoon first looking through the pages to see what was there, and then going through them and taking notes on what points would put the most fear into the senator. Then they started scanning the documents and printing copies of them, not getting too far before Alexis came home.

Kate went out and put on a good show of perfectly normal behavior and carried on a conversation about their daughter's day…while Castle stored everything away behind the safe.

Beckett called in sick again the following day. Both of the Castles, feeling the need to get the work done as fast as possible, worked together to finish the scanning and printing. Then they put together a script of sorts for her to use when she would surprise the senator with a phone call. They organized packets of copies of all the files; and as they packaged the files using Castle's stash of manuscript boxes, they discussed who to send them to. In the event that anything happened to either of them, they wanted to send the files where they would do the greatest amount of damage to Senator Bracken. Then their conversation turned to who would be trustworthy enough in that same circumstance to follow their instructions to unwrap the outer cover and mail the pre-addressed inner package without looking at its contents. They stored the packages on the hidden shelves behind the safe to be addressed after they made those decisions; and then they stretched out on the bed, exhausted from all the activity and emotional stress. Kate curled into her husband's arms and said, "I think this is where the crying part starts." And they held each other until they both fell asleep.

xxxxx

Back at work for the first time since she went home sick two days earlier, Kate was settling herself at her desk when the captain walked out of her office.

"Good to see you back, Detective. We need to talk. Walk with me. Heavy workload today."

"Yes, Sir."

They walked toward the supply closet on the opposite side of the precinct and spoke quietly as they moved through the areas where there was no one to hear them.

"Why do we need to talk?"

"I can't explain here, Captain. We have information in our possession that… I think the term explosive would be an accurate way to describe it, but we don't know who to trust. We hate to involve you, but we were hoping that your time in IA might have given you some insights that could help."

For appearances, Gates got several items from the supply closet to take back to her office as she told Beckett, "Roy knew I had passed the Captain's exam, and he asked me to consider the opening here. He said he needed to retire and that he'd requested me as his replacement. He also told me that there would be a situation that involved you…that you don't trust easily and that you'd come to me when you decided you could trust me. He didn't explain a lot, but he did tell me it was big and that it would be dangerous…and that I was going to be disappointed in him. After that lead-in, curiosity alone would have had me look into serving at the twelfth. But Roy was also a friend, and it sounded important to him."

Kate looked shocked, but seemed to recover quickly as they turned back toward the bullpen. "There's an Italian restaurant about three blocks from where we live. If I give you the address, could you, and your husband if you'd want to include him, 'accidentally' meet us for dinner tonight? Our treat, to thank you for at least listening. Castle knows the owner, and he'll see that our table will seat four."

"I'd prefer to leave my husband out of this as much as possible, but I'll bring a colleague from IA...someone we can trust."

"I appreciate this, Captain."

"I haven't made any promises yet."

Kate nodded to indicate her understanding as they walked back.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

"Where's Castle this morning?" Esposito asked when Beckett was back at her desk.

"He's organizing some things at home, but he'll be in later," she answered. "Do we have something new? I know you closed out that last case without me. And thank you."

"You know we got your back," Ryan told her. Then with a grin, he added, "Even when you're slacking off. Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah. I felt human again for enough of yesterday that I figured I had to come back to work."

"Well, thank you for gracing us with your presence," Esposito answered dryly, and yeah. Something new. Call came in just before you and Gates got back."

"Text me the address, and I'll meet you there." On their way to the parking area, Kate stopped on the sidewalk and told Esposito quietly enough the traffic noise would cover it, "You should call Castle on the other phone when you can."

"Got it," he answered, and he and Ryan got in their car.

Beckett raised a hand to acknowledge his answer and said, "I'll call Castle," as she got in her car.

Ryan had caught enough to know not to say anything, but he raised eyebrows in question.

"Later, Bro'," his partner told him and inclined his head and eyebrows toward Beckett's car as she moved out into traffic.

"Whatever," Ryan answered, catching on.

Castle didn't join them at the crime scene. But he did come in late that morning and picked up the details of the case as they organized them on the murder board, asking questions and adding his two cents. Aliens were mentioned once, but it was with an accompanying rascally grin.

Before she and Castle left for lunch, Beckett walked to the captain's door and announced their plans, taking a slip of paper with her with the name and address of a restaurant and a time to meet. "Here's the information I promised," she said as she left the paper on Gates's desk.

Gates read it quickly before going back to her work and answered without looking up again, "Exactly what I needed. Enjoy your lunch."

After lunch, Castle went home and continued his work organizing their new information into his murder board. After well more than an hour at the computer, he leaned back, stretched, and took in a deep breath. Then he got up and paced around the loft for a few minutes to give his legs and back a break. Returning to his project, he poured himself a small glass of his best scotch and sat back down at his desk to check over what he had done. He was determined to have at least the most important elements of their new information incorporated into his murder board set-up before they met with Gates that night.

At this point he thought the murder board should have a different name. He was a writer. He should be able to come up with something, but he was temporarily unable to find a word to describe what they had…other than fear. If the senator, even at the beginning of his career, was so cold-bloodedly determined to gain power and hold on to it, it was beyond frightening to know what he could do with all the resources he had now. He took another deep breath at the thought of what they were about to undertake, dreading the possibilities if anything went wrong. But they had enough to ruin Bracken's career on convincing circumstantial evidence alone and probably enough to put him behind bars for a few years; and if they worked quietly enough, there were openings to find more solid proof to go with what they already had. Part of him wanted to take his family and move them to someplace away from it all, pretend Bracken didn't exist; but the better part of him knew they had to stop him somehow.

He thought again about the recent accusations against the mayor, and that it seemed to have something to do with Johanna Beckett's murder. But it was more likely that it had something to do with the man who ordered it. Did Bracken have a political ax to grind with the mayor, or was he simply trying to work one of his less honest cohorts into the office at the next election? Who was the well-placed pawn Smith mentioned? Could it be Kate? Could it be him? Somehow, they seemed to end up in the middle of whatever was connected to Bracken. Was that as much by chance as it looked, or was someone pulling strings to make it happen? With a deep sigh, he decided he'd have to speculate on that later. He needed to get back to work if he intended to take stick drive copies of the board for Gates that night. Something as small as a stick drive should be easy to deliver unnoticed.

xxxxx

Beckett's team met with members of the victim's family and gathered as much information as they could before lining up interviews with friends, neighbors, and work associates; and by the time they had talked to a few of them, it was past time to go home.

"Looking at her watch, she told the boys, "I need to get home right now, but I'll be here early tomorrow morning. The two of you go home and relax tonight. You were shorthanded on the last case."

"A night off? Great. I might take Jenny out for dinner," Ryan answered. "Call Lanie and come with us if you want," he said to Esposito.

"Yeah, I might do that."

"If you want to take them to The Haunt, I'll tell Castle. He'll call and tell them to take care of the bill. Consider it a thank you for taking the whole load on the last case," Beckett said, stopping at Ryan's desk on her way out. "Call me if you decide that's what you want to do."

"Thanks, Beckett. We might do that." Ryan told her.

xxxxx

"So how is it going?" Kate asked when she came home and entered the study.

"I got all the big items on the stick drive in an easy to access order. There's certainly enough there to make a good case for finding federal help.

"That's about all we can do right now. We need to have the files in their hands and the copies distributed before I call Bracken…all our safeguards in place."

"I don't mind telling you I'm scared, Kate. This is a heavy responsibility."

"He seems focused on me, not on you or our family. I have no doubt he'd use you as threats against me, but I think that would only be if I look non-compliant. But me personally…I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't. Whether I take the deal and see how long it lasts this time or take the bull by the horns and try to destroy him, I could be dead either way. One decision buys time, the other offers maybes; but either way, my future is iffy. I'd rather go with the maybes and hope they become reality." She paused and ran her hands over her face. "I wouldn't hold it against you if you wanted to back out. We both need to think of Alexis and your mom, and my dad. I don't want anybody other than me to have to su…"

"Kate, are you listening to what you're saying? Do you think any of us wouldn't suffer if you were the only one hurt…or killed? None of us would recover from that. I know they'll all worry; but if they know why we're doing what we're doing, I think they'd back us. They'd hate that it's us involved, but they'd see the importance."

"You really think they'd…"

"Our parents taught us to have the sense of justice we have, and I raised my daughter the same way. So I think they would. I think they'd be afraid, but I think they'd understand why we need to do what we can. And be relieved we're calling in reinforcements and hanging back more. But we know that Senator Bracken is a serial murderer and an extortionist, and heaven knows what else, and…"

"Okay," she agreed with a sigh. "When do you want to talk to them?"

"This weekend? We could invite your dad over for dinner on Sunday."

Kate took a deep breath and let it go as she ran the fingers of both hands through her hair, looking agitated.

"I guess that's as good a time as any. I hate dumping all this on them, though. And tonight we're planning on dumping it on two more innocent bystanders."

"At least the ones tonight are sworn to uphold the law, and I think Gates intends to do just that. I wonder who she's bringing."

"All she said is IA…someone we can trust."

"Do you think she's that good a judge of character?"

"I think she's all kinds of competent, and way more perceptive than we gave her credit for at first; so yeah, probably. I think we can trust whoever she brings."

"Okay. That's what my gut tells me, too. And speaking of Gates… We need to be at the restaurant in about an hour. I've already had a shower. All I need to do is change clothes and I'm ready."

"I'll go take my shower, then. We want to be there at the table ahead of them. I guess we have to just play the getting together by ear."

"We're good. We can do that," he answered with his smirky smile, trying to lighten the mood.

"And after we've dropped this information bomb on them, can we come home and work off the stress? See if you can make me need another shower?"

"Are you trying to see just how short we can make this meeting?"

She turned and smiled flirtatiously over her shoulder as she walked through their bedroom to the shower, trailing articles of clothing behind her as she went.

Castle smiled to himself as he went to his closet for the clothes he intended to wear for dinner. On the way, he picked up a few of the pieces of clothing his wife had strewn behind her and brought them to his nose to breathe in her scent before he deposited them in the hamper. In spite of the danger they were about to deal with, he considered himself a very fortunate man. He had a wonderful family, which now included a man who treated him as a son…and to make it even better, Katherine Beckett Castle loved him unconditionally.

xxxxx

The couple arrived at the restaurant, and the owner welcomed them with warm hugs and personally escorted them to their usual table, which was in the corner of a section that was a bit more private than most. He stopped to talk for a couple of minutes before going back to making his rounds of the restaurant. The place was busy that night, those without reservations beginning to queue up to wait for tables.

Their server arrived shortly after the owner had seated them.

"Wine to start, Mr. Castle?"

"Yes, John. Thank you," he answered, accepting the menus. "Surprise us this time. We trust your judgment."

The Castles had arrived nearly half an hour before they were scheduled to meet with Captain Gates. To make the meeting look accidental, they wanted to be there ahead of the captain. When they saw her come into the restaurant, Castle thought it couldn't have worked out better. He saw the hostess take the captain's name, nod toward the group of people waiting, and then gesture toward the bar.

"This is perfect," he said to Kate. "We'll let them order at the bar, then I'll go and invite them to join us and tell Arturo to seat them with us."

"Sounds good. Would you rather I invite them?"

"No. I want to make Gates agree to sit with me in a restaurant…entirely on my own," he answered with a totally unapologetic grin.

"You have an evil streak," Kate answered, laughing and swatting his arm.

"This from the woman who switched her backside at me, sent a sultry smile over her shoulder, and proceeded to strip as she walked to the shower…knowing I didn't have time to do anything about it? That, my love, was evil."

"I'll make it up to you later," she promised, covering his hand with hers.

"I'll hold you to that."

"I'll expect more than holding."

"Not a problem."

"They've ordered," Kate reported.

"Good. I'll wait until they have their drinks, and then I'll go and invite them to join us."

They sat holding hands across the table for another moment, and then Kate told him, "You can go any time now."

He stood and walked over to the bar area where Gates sat with her colleague, a woman of Asian descent who was about Gate's size and build and probably somewhere between Kate's age and the captain's. Standing behind them, he said, "Excuse me, Captain Gates."

"Mr. Castle. This is a surprise. What can I do for you?"

"Actually, Kate and I thought we'd offer to do something for you. We saw you come in, and it looks like the wait is longer than usual tonight. My mother and daughter backed out on us a few minutes ago, and we have a table for four. If you think you can stand my company outside the precinct, we'd be glad to have you join us. We haven't ordered yet."

The captain looked at the woman who was with her, and the other woman shrugged and nodded. Then Gates answered, "Thank you, Mr. Castle. We'll take you up on that offer."

"Good. I'll tell Arturo to remove your name from the list." He waved across the room when he caught the owner's eye, and the man came to meet him.

"Do you need something, Ricky, or could you simply not be without my charming company any longer?"

"These two ladies are on your waiting list, Arturo, under the name…"

"Gates," the captain supplied.

"We just received a text," Castle continued. My daughter has to go in early tomorrow, and my mother…well, you know my mother," he explained with a look to the heavens. "She said she had a better offer."

Arturo laughed. "Let your mother enjoy her life, Ricky. A reward for putting up with you."

"And all this time I thought you were on my side," Castle quipped. "Would you have Captain Gates and her friend seated at our table, please? It would shorten your line and save them the wait."

"Certainly. Let me take those drinks for you, ladies. Follow me."

Stopping at the table again, Arturo placed the drinks on the table and signaled for a server as Kate moved to the chair next to her husband. The owner then carried on a short, flirtatious conversation with "signora Castle" in Italian as he refilled their wine glasses, and he gallantly kissed her hand before turning to the other women. "It's always nice to see new faces. Welcome to Arturo's," he told the new guests at the table and gave them a charming smile with a hint of a parting bow. "Enjoy your meal."

"Lin, this is Richard Castle and his wife, Kate, aka Katherine Beckett, an excellent homicide detective. Indicating her dinner companion, she finished, "And this is Lin Jackson, a colleague from IA. We worked together long enough to know that we see eye to eye on the importance of our work."

"Good to meet you Ms. Jackson," Kate said. Shaking the other woman's hand and speaking more quietly, she added, "Thank you for being here."

"And the same from me," Castle agreed, reaching across the table to greet her properly.

"Not a problem," she answered keeping her voice quiet as well. "The little bit your captain could tell me certainly piqued my interest, and I promise you it will be kept in confidence."

"Why don't we wait until we've ordered before we get to that part of the conversation? That way the server won't have reason to be back at the table for a while."

Out of habit, Castle rested his arm on the back of Kate's chair and traced little strokes along her arm as he spoke, and her hand automatically covered his on the table, as usually happened when they were sitting close at a restaurant.

"We already know what we want," Kate said, handing them the menus John had left them.

"Everything on the menu has the Castle family seal of approval," he assured them. "I think all of us have tried almost everything there."

The other two women decided on their orders, and they made small talk until the server returned.

"I enjoy your books, Mr. Castle," Lin admitted. "When will the next one be published?"

"I'm supposed to be working on it now, but the reason for our evening together has taken precedence for the past week or so. It's scheduled to be out in November, and my publisher will be raising Cain in another couple of weeks if I don't get back to it."

Once their orders arrived and the server was assured that everything was as it should be, Castle started telling their story as they ate.

"Kate has stick drives in her purse for each of you, and I think the information there will be pretty self-explanatory. We've tried to organize it logically," Castle told them. "Before we leave, we'll try to deliver them without anyone noticing. And we should probably try not to look like this conversation is a heavy as it will be."

"I know this seems too much like one of Castle's spy novels, Captain; but in this case, I agree that it can't hurt to be careful…Castle's little act included."

"I think you'll find the information convincing enough to make the case that we need to call in the FBI, but we don't know who to trust," Castle said. "The man we're dealing with seems to have eyes and ears everywhere, so this feels like playing with fire in a room full of explosives. We've encountered his assassins during several cases. Kate barely survived one of them, and she isn't entirely safe yet."

"Because he's still out there? I thought the man who shot her was killed earlier this week," Gates argued quietly.

"He was, but the man who hired him…and hired the man who killed Roy, and the man who killed Kate's mother and several others we know of, is still out there. It took him all of two days to replace the man who killed Roy and send his new man to shoot Kate at Roy's funeral. There could already be someone else in line to pick up where Maddox left off, but we think she's safe for the moment. The break-in at the Montgomerys' house is connected to this, too."

"Why would someone be interested in Roy's old files?" Gates asked.

Kate looked down at the table, then at Lin, then back at the table. "Captain, you may need to take my badge for this. I've withheld information; but this is so much bigger and more important than my badge. If that's what has to happen, I guess I'll just have to be Castle's kept woman until I find something else to do."

Castle grasped her shoulder with the hand that had been caressing her arm, leaned and gently kissed her head, and said, "I'd have no objections, but I know that isn't what you want."

"What have you withheld, Detective, and for how long?"

"I've withheld what Roy told me just before he was killed. It's all there with what we'll give you."

"Captain, the short version is that Roy had made a deal with this man." Castle explained. "If Roy could keep Kate from looking into her mother's murder, she wouldn't be killed. Roy also had files with incriminating evidence against the man responsible. He held them to protect his safety and his family's. Kate knew nothing about her captain's involvement until right before his death. She knew nothing about the deal he had made or the files until we got a phone call not long after she came home from the hospital. There's a long story we'll be glad to explain later, but the matter of importance right now is that two days ago we got those files from a friend of Roy's. It's a long and convoluted story, but I think it's organized in a way that will help make some things clear. This man is still killing people. He seems to know everything that's happening almost as soon as we do, which means he has access to records at the precinct and probably has contacts there as well. We know some of how he started in the early half of the nineties and some of what's happened in the present, but there's probably a lot more in the middle.

"Do you know who he is?" Lin asked.

"We'd rather not talk about any more of it here." Kate answered. "The files should tell you what you need to know. We have to worry about our family. It's frightening to us, and it's going to need to be handled with kid gloves. I think you need to see the information and then we'll have to figure out a way to talk again. You may decide you'd rather back away."

"I'm glad you finally decided to trust me, Kate," the captain said. "So how do you want to live out Mr. Castle's spy novel scene?" There was a wisp of an amused smile in Castle's direction.

"Not too cloak and dagger," he answered, returning her smile. "When she stands to leave, Kate's going to drop her purse and spill things out of it, and you'll help her pick them up. Your stick drives are the only ones there. Just keep them and hand her anything else. The long tablecloth will hide all of it."

"I'll think about this every time I pick up one of your books," Lin answered, also smiling.

"I used to think it would be exciting to live out some of my stories," Castle told them. "But I have to tell you, it's much more fun putting it on paper." He was holding his wife's hand again and lifted it to his lips to kiss it. "There's no real blood and pain on paper…no actual fear for the people you love." With that said, he asked a bit louder, "Can I interest anyone in dessert?"

There was a chorus of varying versions of "I couldn't eat another bite."

Looking at Kate, he asked, "Would you like to take some tiramisu home for later?"

"Is that you twisting my arm?"

"Could be," he answered with a smile.

"Okay. Order some for Alexis, too."

"So, may I offer you ladies a midnight snack? Going once…go…"

"Why not?" Lin answered, laughing. I haven't had tiramisu in ages."

"Captain? Could your arm be twisted, too?"

Gates gave Castle a surprisingly easy smile and said, "Might as well. A midnight snack might be in order. I have the feeling I'll be up late tonight satisfying my curiosity."

With that, Castle signaled the server, ordered the desserts in boxes, and asked for the check. They talked as they waited, the Castles again looking comfortably cozy. As they stood to leave, Kate bumped the small, open purse she had placed on the table, and it dropped to the floor. As she stooped to pick it up, she laughed and called herself klutzy. The captain immediately offered to help, smiling and making a little show of handing her a few things but holding on to the stick drives, dropping them in her own purse before standing to leave.

"I'm glad you came in when you did, Captain Gates. A nice surprise." Castle said, channeling his mother's acting genes. "We enjoyed your company. And it was nice to meet you, Ms. Jackson."

"I agree with everything he said," Kate added, shaking their hands as well.

"Thank you for sharing your table, and for dinner," Gates answered. "We had no intention of imposing on your evening out, but we appreciate the hospitality."

The Castles walked out behind the captain and her friend, stopping briefly to say goodnight to Arturo on their way.

Kate slipped an arm around Castle's waist as they walked home, and his arm went around her shoulders.

"I hope we did the right thing tonight," she said.

"Me, too," he answered, protectively pulling her closer.


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

The team, minus Castle, was in place bright and early. About twenty minutes later, he came into the bullpen with coffee and bear claws for all of them and joined them at Beckett's desk.

"Yesterday, one of the victim's friends mentioned a problem with his business partner," Ryan was saying as Castle arrived. "They were both in their late sixties, and they ran a successful cleaning business, had for about twenty years. The partner wanted to sell, but the victim didn't."

Esposito took up the story there. "Funny thing, though. The partner didn't mention that when we talked to him. Want us to get somebody to bring him in? Yesterday we went to him."

"Yeah. This time we'll talk to him in interrogation. Might shake him enough to say something he doesn't intend to," Beckett agreed.

Gates came back from the break room with coffee and stopped to ask about progress on the case.

"Looks a little different than it did originally. We're bringing the business partner in to talk to him this morning," Beckett answered.

"It seems the business partner wasn't as forthcoming as he could have been yesterday," Castle added.

Gates started toward her office then turned and looked at Beckett. "We need to talk, detective…whenever you have a break from the case."

"You haven't been back long enough to be in trouble. What's going on?" Ryan asked.

"Too much at the moment. I meant to tell you guys I passed the lieutenant's exam."

"When was that?" Esposito asked.

"About a month ago."

"And you didn't tell us?" Ryan sounded hurt.

"You didn't think we'd want to know that?" Esposito grumbled.

"Sorry. It was about the same time as that classified case, and things got a little crazy after that. I didn't mean to keep it from you." After hearing disapproving noises from both the boys, she told them, "Gates said Farraday intends to retire at the end of May, and she's said she'd consider me for the position. But I'm pretty sure that's only if Castle and I manage to stay out of trouble that long."

"Looks like we're probably stuck with you, then." Esposito teased and got a backhanded swat on the arm.

"Get somebody to pick up the business partner," she ordered good-naturedly.

He grinned at her and answered, "On it," as he went to find LT.

"You guys should call to set up another game day when you have time," Castle said pointedly to Ryan. "I've got a new one. We could try it out."

"Okay. Sure," Ryan answered. "I'll talk to Javi. Maybe after we close this case." Turning to the murder board as if they were discussing the case, he said, "Looks like there's more going on than we thought."

"Sure does," Castle answered, giving him a look indicating he meant more than the present case.

"Guess we'll see when they bring the guy in. You taking him, Beckett?" Ryan asked.

"I'm here. I might as well work," she answered and sat down at her desk.

About an hour later their case was closed. The business partner had developed a gambling problem over the years, owed money to some dangerous people, and needed the money for his share of the business. When he couldn't talk his partner into selling the business and retiring, he killed him, knowing that neither the victim's wife nor children would want to run the cleaning company. The boys watched from observation as Beckett led the conversation to a place where a small piece of information gave her an opening she could work with. Then she drew the confession from him with little trouble.

With the confession behind them, the paid members of the team did paperwork. They spent most of the afternoon writing up their various required reports and organizing the case file to pass to the captain before going home. Meanwhile Castle entertained himself for the rest of the afternoon. At one point, he wandered over to see what the gathering at Lupinski's murder board was about, theorized with them, and actually pointed out something useful…something else he had run across in his book research that gave new meaning a piece of evidence.

After that, he went back to his chair beside Beckett's desk. "Can we go home sometime soon?" he asked his wife.

"About twenty minutes." She double checked the case file and then took it to the captain. "Another sad case," she said as she handed Gates the file.

"Yes. I've seen a lot of those recently." She looked at Beckett knowingly.

"I hope you have a good evening, Sir."

"I intend to. A friend is dropping by this evening, an old colleague. Work has been tiring lately, and we've both done a lot of reading and intend to discuss it…give ourselves something new to think about. She called this morning to confirm and said she actually had tiramisu for breakfast."

Beckett smiled. "I understand. I've had worse for breakfast myself. Enjoy your discussion." Going back to her desk, she looked over at the three men on her team.

"Let's go home, guys," she told them.

xxxxx

When they walked into the loft and didn't see Alexis within hearing distance, Kate said quietly, "They both know now…the captain and Lin Jackson. Gates told me in a roundabout way that they're getting together tonight to talk about it. I assume we'll hear something from her soon."

"Ryan caught that there's something new, so I think either Ryan or Esposito will call me before long. We need to get copies to them, too. They may come over this weekend for 'game night'."

"I'm so wired right now I can hardly hold myself together. This Bracken abomination has been almost our entire world for the last few days. It's been hanging over us for way longer than that, and it's eating us alive. Let's try to just enjoy a night with Martha and Alexis, pretend that nothing on those shelves behind the safe exists."

"What do you want to do?"

"Talk to them. Take a walk. Go to a movie…nothing heavier than a comedy. Play cards, games. I don't care. Something that doesn't involve murders, or conspiracies, or politicians…"

"Alexis, we're home." Castle called out without answering his wife. When Alexis appeared at the top of the stairs, he asked, "Do you feel like doing something with us tonight?"

"I don't know. I just got here, too. What do you have in mind?"

"Maybe dinner and a movie. We could see if your grandmother wants to go, too."

"Sure. Is something special happening?"

"No. There's been a lot of stress in the past week or two, and we just want to unwind."

"Okay. What kind of movie are we looking for?"

"A comedy," Kate answered. "We need to laugh."

While the other two Castles found their favorite theaters on their phones, Kate unfolded the newspaper and scanned the movies in the entertainment section.

A few minutes and a few theaters later, Alexis asked, "Dad, do you remember this one? It's showing at that classic films theater where we saw _The Princess Bride_."

Castle looked at her phone and saw an old Danny Kaye movie, _The Court Jester._ "I don't remember everything about it, but I think I remember very few serious moments."

"I remember laughing a lot," Alexis agreed. Turning to Kate, she added, "But I was only eight at the time. I remember because we watched it after my birthday party. I had a princess party, so we watched a silly movie with knights and castles and a princess."

"That sounds like exactly what we need," Kate answered. "I'll trust the two of you."

Castle sent a text to his mother.

"If we leave now and Martha meets us there, we could have dinner at that little restaurant again, right?"

"We should have time as long as the traffic isn't worse than usual. We'll get a cab, and I'll get the car service to pick us up." Castle's phone dinged then with an incoming text. "Mother's in. I'll tell her where to meet us. Get whatever you need, Pumpkin. We're ready."

Martha met them at the restaurant and told them about progress on her school. The construction work was still on schedule, and she was enthusiastically planning the curriculum and listing the materials and equipment she would need for her classes. There were three other teachers interested in working with her, and Castle had finally talked her into accepting some help from him. Stating the advantage of not having to worry that someone might leave at a critical point because of lack of funds to pay them, he had talked her into taking enough from him to pay their salaries for the first year…and to provide advice from his lawyer's office on contracts, etc. He argued that he was proud of her and that she could consider it a loan if it made her feel better…one that wouldn't come due until the school was on its feet and making a profit.

Alexis started to tell them about something she encountered during her day and then stopped. "I probably shouldn't talk about that in a restaurant, should I? Besides, I'd gross Grams out completely." Looking up at her parents, she said as if just realizing it, "We aren't exactly a normal family, are we? We talk about some of that kind of thing while we eat dinner, and it doesn't bother any of us."

"I guess that's what happens when your family consists of a research oriented murder mystery novelist, a homicide detective, and a medical examiner intern," Kate answered, amused. "Not quite normal. But maybe normal is overrated. It works for us."

"Yeah, it does," Alexis answered and smiled.

Martha and Castle looked on, still enjoying the fact that Alexis had a mother figure in her life who behaved like a mother figure and loved their girl.

They finished their meal, walked to the theater, picked up their tickets, and leaned back in the recliner seats, looking forward to a couple of hours of de-stressing. Castle reached over and took his wife's hand, resting their hands on the arm of her chair. All of them laughed at the sheer foolishness in the film, and Castle and Kate left feeling much lighter than when they got there.

"Feel better?" Alexis asked Kate as they left.

"I do," she answered. "Your dad and I needed that."

"Anything in particular giving you all that stress?"

Kate hesitated before answering. "Yes. We'll tell you about it when we figure it out, I promise."

"Just remember, I grew up with a dad who had reporters hanging around him a lot. I know how to keep my mouth shut about things that he doesn't want in the media. It works the same way for other things, too. And I like that you've always been honest with me. Don't stop now, okay?"

"Okay. Just give us time to work it all out, and then we'll sit you down and explain everything."

Alexis nodded, and Kate swung an arm around her shoulders. "I'm glad I can lay claim to you, Kid."

"Me, too," Alexis answered.

Castle had asked to have a car waiting close by when the movie was due to end and had sent a text before they left their seats, so a town car miraculously appeared in front of the theater within a minute of their leaving the building. They all got in, were dropped off at home and agreed to end the evening with ice cream sundaes.

After Martha and Alexis went upstairs, Castle kissed his wife playfully and asked, "So what's next on the agenda?"

"I was kind of hoping to get lucky," she answered, running her hands under the lapels of his jacket."

"I think there's part of a bottle of that wine you like in the cooler, the one that..."

"Relaxes my inhibitions?"

"I was going to say 'makes you horny'," he answered with his smirky smile, his arms around her loosely with his hands at her lower back.

"Ever the romantic, aren't you? Yeah, definitely that one," she answered, returning the grin.

"That's one of my favorites these days, too. So, wine, bed, and eventually sleep?" he asked, leaving soft little kisses trailing down her neck.

"Exactly what I had in mind," she answered. "You get the wine, and I'll get the glasses."

They left the empty bottle on the counter, took their glasses to their room, and finished their day with no thought at all of murders, or conspiracies, or politicians.

xxxxx

Again Castle came into the precinct a little later than Beckett, bringing coffee and pastries for the entire team. This time, though, when he set the box of pastries on Esposito's desk, he also dropped two stick drives under the front edge of the box where Esposito could pick them up unnoticed as he and Ryan grabbed for their favorites.

"There's something new. Let me know what you think," he told them as if he meant the breakfast he had brought.

"Thanks, Castle," they both answered around their morning goodies. He placed their coffee on the desk next to the box and took his wife's to her.

"Last night makes it easier to face this morning," he said softly as he handed it to her and placed his own on the corner of her desk.

"Yeah, it does," she answered, giving him a loving look before taking a sip and putting her cup down to go and pluck a bear claw from the box on Esposito's desk. She brought Castle his favorite, too.

By the time she was back in her chair, Esposito had palmed the two stick drives and dropped them in his desk drawer, ready to pocket them later and hand one off to Ryan.

Beckett's phone rang then, and she wrote down an address and texted it to Esposito. The men all grabbed one more pastry, all of them took their coffee, and they were off to another crime scene.

In their car on the way, Esposito asked Ryan, "So you think Castle meant to pick a game day this weekend?"

"Think he'd be up for Saturday? We've got lunch with Jenny's parents on Sunday."

Handing him one of the stick drives, Esposito answered, "I think he's up for whenever we can get there."

Ryan looked at it and put it in his pocket with his keys when they got out of the car. "He did say to let him know what we thought of the new stuff this morning. Think he's planning more of that?"

With that, they reached the crime scene; but before they left, they did arrange for game day on Saturday. Ryan called Jenny to let her know he'd be spending some time at Esposito's apartment after work again.

xxxxx

Arriving at home after work, the couple were just Kate and Rick again. They settled into the loft and sat to talk until the others got home.

"We have to get back to the files, don't we?" Kate asked, sounding resigned.

"We should," her husband agreed, putting a consoling arm around her shoulders. "Bracken is unpredictable, and we need the FBI to have a heads up on what they need to look for before he tries to get rid of the proof. You shouldn't call Bracken until after that."

"Any place in particular that you'd like to start?" she asked, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Bracken and Vulcan Simmons. The files showed Bracken is connected to Vulcan Simmons and his drugs…or he was at one point. How long? How do you think they met?" Castle asked. "We know there was a connection as far back as the early to mid-nineties."

"It would make sense that they made some kind of deal around the drugs while Bracken was a prosecutor. It would also make sense that it's how he's stayed out of prison that long. We know Bracken doesn't like to get his hands dirty. I'll bet Vulcan Simmons operates the same way."

"Does it strike you that Simmons is an extremely well-spoken drug dealer?" Castle asked. "Corrupt, depraved, and a degenerate, but well-spoken and intelligent."

"Two of a kind? Do you suppose they knew each other before we think they did? Maybe in school?"

Castle looked thoughtful. "We can look up yearbooks from anywhere without raising any red flags. Do you know where Bracken went to school?"

"No. Do we know where in the city he grew up?"

"I don't, but it would probably be easy to find online. I'll get the other laptop from the closet…the one with internet."

"I'll meet you in the study."

Kate pulled a chair up to Rick's desk and they did a quick search for Bracken biographirs. He made a big campaign issue of being educated in New York's public schools, so it didn't take long to find the school and neighborhood he grew up in.

"There it is. Let's find the yearbooks."

"Start with the scholastic teams," Kate suggested. "Bracken would probably be there. Debate, maybe, honing his presentation skills. He did go to law school."

"I would have thought he'd have tried for Stuyvesant like you did. Which still impresses me, by the way. I read that about thirty thousand students take the entrance test every year and less than three per cent of them are accepted."

"You would probably have made it if you'd tried. Listen carefully, Rick, 'cause I may not say it again for a while. You're brilliant. Your mind is an endless source of fascination for me. I'll never understand how…" She paused as if gathering her thoughts.

"Don't tell me my mind leaves you speechless," he said with his signature smirk as he looked for their targets.

"And you've just provided the reason you may not hear it again for a while." Her tongue peeked through her teeth as she smiled playfully, and he leaned in for an appreciative kiss.

"Good call. Look. Both of them on the debate team. They knew each other in high school. Wonder where Vulcan Simmons lived. Could they have been neighbors? What would you bet they had all the teachers and other people's parents conned? I'll bet both of them could 'yes ma'am' and 'no sir' with the best of them while they were getting away with all kinds of trouble behind their backs," Castle speculated. "And probably had other kids doing a lot of their dirty work so they wouldn't get caught."

"I wouldn't be surprised. And possibly coercing, blackmailing, or threatening them if they weren't cooperating. Ordinarily I'd find some of their teachers and some of the other students and ask some questions, but we can't do that," Kate answered.

"So we make a list of questions we can't follow up but the feds can…either because we can't be seen as connected to it or we don't have the clearance or equipment or whatever."

"Okay, so they could look at other connections between the two of them besides the drugs in the early nineties. Simmons seemed to know too much about the reason my mother was murdered not to still be in the loop in 1999. And it wasn't about the drugs, the Take Back the Neighborhood project. Scott Murray had nothing to do with that. He was just the court records clerk who pulled a court file for her…the file that disappeared."

"When did Bracken run for State Senate?"

"The turn of the century. He was elected in 2000."

"So he blackmailed the cops for the money to get his first campaign started, and he had your mother murdered to keep her from doing something that could stop his state senate run. Am I seeing a pattern?"

"That question goes on the list, too. Are there other suspicious incidents that coincide with his elections? We only have the early years."

Castle created a document called Questions that need answers, and they worked for a while on lists of questions they could and couldn't answer on their own, and put it all away when they heard the front door open.

They wanted to talk to Ryan and Esposito before they talked to the rest of the family on Sunday. The four of them made a good investigative team because they understood each other and how to work together effectively. And two more minds would probably add to what needed to go on their list of questions and comments.

Alexis brought JD home for a movie night, and the four of them had an impromptu at home double date, JD laughing at the fact that they had now double dated with both her parents and her grandparent. After two movies, the married couple finally retired to their room, even though Rick grumbled as they changed for bed that the younger two were "out there making out".

"What would you like to do in here?" Kate asked, getting under the covers and propping herself up against the headboard.

"Read," Castle answered, sliding in beside her. "If we're making out, I'd be thinking about them making out. It's distracting."

"If it makes you feel better," she answered with a chuckle.

"But if we're still awake when he leaves…" Then Castle got up, excitedly saying "Oh, I know…" He grabbed his usual laptop, then returned and pulled up the yearbook for Stuyvesant High 1998.

"This is the year you graduated, right?" he asked. When she rolled her eyes and nodded, he grinned at her and said, "Then let's see what Katie Beckett was doing that year."

"Castle." It sounded like a warning.

Immediately he was delightedly distracted, and found her on the debate team. "Honing your pre-law presentation skills, too?" he asked staring at her picture as if he had found some lost treasure.

He was well distracted from the inevitable thought that his daughter was old enough to make her own decisions about everything, including making out with boys; but some of the pictures he was finding of Kate's younger self…

For a while, there was occasional moaning heard from her that was of a completely different sort than what usually issued from being in bed with her husband.


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

When Beckett left her desk at the precinct to get coffee, Gates followed her in and made herself a cup as well.

"Where do we stand on the Murphy case, Detective?" Gates asked as she pointed toward the hallway.

"We're at a dead end unless the lab finds something we don't expect. We should have those results tomorrow morning."

As they walked, Gates stopped in the open part of the hall near the stairs where they weren't near anything.

"'Accidentally' meet me at the coffee shop on the corner tomorrow morning at 7:00?" she asked.

Beckett nodded and answered, "We will."

Then Gates lifted her coffee cup in parting and said, "Keep me apprised."

"Yes, Sir." Castle was about to ask something when Beckett returned, but she headed him off with, "Lunch at Remy's?" as she handed him his coffee for a change.

"Sure. Half an hour sound good?"

"That works." He stood looking at the murder board for a little while, something vaguely like a lead niggling at the back of his mind; but when he gave up on identifying it right then, he sat back down in his chair. Getting out his phone, he said, "I need something to do. Where did you go to junior high?" he asked quietly…and mischievously.

"Nuh-uh. Not a chance, Babe. Just play Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja or something. I won't be that long."

"I could find out from your dad, you kn… Wait! Did you just call me Babe?" He was still keeping it quiet, but he looked as excited at that thought as he did about finding yearbook pictures of Katie Beckett in junior high.

Wearing her deer caught in the headlights look, she stopped what she was doing on the computer and answered, "Maybe?"

"You totally did. We're going to explore that later."

She released a resigned sigh and went back to work.

Esposito eased over to Castle's chair a little later and said, "You told us to tell you what we thought of that new thing you brought at breakfast yesterday. If you want to have more of that for game day, we're good with that. Just saying."

"I'll stock some, then."

"Saturday afternoon about two sound good?"

Castle looked at Beckett and asked, "Does that work for you?"

"Saturday's fine," she answered as she worked.

"Then it's a plan, he said to Esposito."

"I'll tell Ryan when he gets back."

"Finished," Beckett said, hitting print before shutting down her computer. "We're going to lunch…Remy's. You and Ryan go when he gets back. Just let the captain know where all of us will be. If a body drops, tell Sarge we'll take it. You can meet us there when you're done," she said as she picked up her printed copies. She stored them in her desk and got her purse from the bottom drawer.

Castle was already standing, ready to go.

It was a little earlier than they usually had lunch, and their favorite booth in the back corner away from the window was available. They placed their order, and no sooner than the waitress had left, Castle gave Beckett a smug smile and said, "You called me Babe, Beckett."

"You call me Sweetheart and Love…"

"But I've never heard you call anybody but Alexis a pet name. This is a landmark."

"They just don't come naturally to me, but I'm used to you using them now and then. I call you 'Writer-Man' sometimes."

"Not the same, and usually teasing. And Lanie calls me that, too…now that you've retrained her from Writer-Boy."

"You're right. Not the same. It means that much to you? The way I say your name when…" She stopped and looked around them, appearing relieved that no one was too close to them yet.

"I know when you mean," he answered, the smug smile back in place, "And yes, I love that; but a couple of names just for us…spontaneous like a little while ago…" His voice trailed away and he shrugged. "It felt good. That's all."

"You're right. Hearing the little spontaneous names does feel good," she admitted, taking his hand in hers across the table. "I'll remember that, but I shouldn't forget myself that way at the precinct again."

"Agreed."

Changing the subject completely, she said, "We need to be at the coffee shop on the corner near the precinct tomorrow at seven."

"In the morning?" he asked, and she nodded. "Any particular reason?"

"Gates asked us to 'accidentally' meet her there," she answered with a smile.

He smiled back. "Then I guess we'll be there at seven."

A group of four sat down in the booth next to theirs, so they steered their conversation away from sensitive subjects of any kind. When they had finished their meal, Beckett went to the restroom while Castle stayed and took care of the check. When she returned, she leaned close to his ear and said softly, "Ready to go, Stud?"

Castle laughed loud enough in surprise that a couple of people turned to look, so he toned it down to a chuckle. Beckett had the smug smile then. He put an arm around her waist as they left, saying softly, "Yeah, I could get used to that one."

"I figured you'd like that," she answered, elbowing his ribs.

They walked to about a block from the precinct with her arm around his waist and his arm around her shoulder. At the corner, they separated and entered the front doors looking absolutely professional.

xxxxx

They arrived at the coffee shop the next morning a few minutes before seven and Castle put in his usual order for coffee for two.

"Is this who you take the coffee to, Mr. Castle?" the barista asked.

"Yes, it is. This is my wife, Kate, Alton."

"Nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Castle."

"Detective Beckett," Abigail, the barista just coming on duty called. "Does Alton already have your order?"

"Yes, but this is Mrs. Castle," Alton corrected as he passed the cup to another barista to take care of the order.

When Abigail started to say something, Kate answered, "You're both right. I'm Detective Beckett at work still, but I _am_ Mrs. Castle."

"Good. I thought maybe I'd had your name wrong all these years."

"No. You're both doing your job well."

Castle made a show of looking at his watch. "Well, look at that. It's only two minutes to seven, and we've already managed to confuse two baristas. Our job here is done." He paid for the order and left a tip, saying, "A little extra for the confusion."

"Why don't you go claim that table back in the corner? I'll wait for our coffee."

He saw the captain enter the door then and waited until he had his order before saying, "Good morning, Captain. If you'd like to join us, we're at the table in the in the back…that is if you aren't overly anxious to get to work right away."

"I might do that, Mr. Castle, but I won't intrude too long. Duty calls."

When the captain joined them, they exchanged greetings, and made their conversation look like an average pre-work exchange. But the captain sat with her back to the rest of the customers and got right down to business. "There are two IA detectives we'll be working with. You've met Detective Jackson. The two of us have been friends for a good while, so it won't seem odd that Lin and I would get together now and then. There's also a man, Gene, Detective Eugene Bowers. He's someone else we both trust completely; and he's someone Lin works with frequently, so it won't seem odd for them to connect over work. "I'll communicate with Lin. She'll communicate with Bowers, and Bowers will communicate with the FBI. You won't communicate directly with either of them. That might keep us out of the woods."

"Thank you for all this, Captain," Kate said. "I hate putting you in this position."

"And I hate being in this position; but I hate the idea of that man literally getting away with murder, and heaven knows what else, a lot worse. I consider it part of the job."

"That's generous of you." Castle told her.

She took a small piece of notepaper from her jacket pocket and slid it inconspicuously across the table. Three agents all of us have worked with before and all agree can be trusted," she explained. "I believe you've worked with one of them."

After scanning the list quickly, Beckett took a sip of her coffee and put it down. "Jordan," she answered. "I think I'd trust her with anything."

"Remember when she came to visit after you were home from the hospital?" Castle asked. "She said something about possibly having a line on your shooter. I think she said there was a tenuous connection to another case her team was keeping low key, something about a connection to the same man? She couldn't tell us anything that could affect the other case, though. You don't suppose…"

"I'll see that Bowers knows who to contact, then. Does the rest of your team know about all of this?"

"Most of it. We're filling them in on the rest tomorrow. They know us too well not to eventually know something is going on."

"What about your family?"

"They'll be told what we feel we need to tell them. They do know about the deal and the original contact with Smith," Beckett answered.

"They're all strong, sensible people, Captain, Kate's father, my mother, my daughter. And family is important to all of them. My mother may come across as an airhead sometimes, but it's as much a publicity thing as most of my playboy reputation. There's a wisdom and strength in her that all of us can depend on when we need it. She's an actress. Kate's father is a lawyer. They can both present a poker face with the best of them."

Gates nodded, still looking skeptical. "Shifts will be changing soon, and this place will be seeing the first wave of one coming and the other going before long. I should go before my reputation as Iron Gates starts fading."

"Are you ashamed to be seen with us?" Castle teased, taking his chances.

"Gates levelled a look at him and said, "It depends entirely on when someone asks me that question, Mr. Castle."

"We'll be there soon," Beckett answered with a little smile.

Gates looked back at her best detective as she waited to pick up a second cup of coffee to take to work with her. Beckett was again leaning close to her husband, her hand over his, and he nuzzled her hair and left a little kiss there. They were sitting close, his arm around her shoulders, and talking softly, taking a sip of coffee now and then; and she smiled as she picked up her caffeine fix and left for work.

Once at work, the day went quickly. A new crime scene was called in. A drive-by shooting this time, and it was only a couple of blocks from the precinct. For a change, there were about half a dozen thoroughly distraught witnesses willing to talk, some of them at the same time…probably because they were tourists who were planning to go back to Georgia the next day. One of them even got the license plate number and a picture of the back of the car. Half the team's work was done for them before they had even left the crime scene.

Beckett's team took the entire middle-aged group back to the precinct, divided and took statements from each witness separately. They went through all the appropriate steps, apologizing for interfering with their trip. One of them had recognized Castle, and two others had read several of his books, and the others were fans of murder mysteries on TV. Now that they had calmed down somewhat from the initial shock of the situation they found themselves in, one of the women asked sweetly if they could have a quick tour of the precinct as a reward for giving up their last afternoon in New York. Everyone laughed and accommodated them. Before the tour was over, the car involved in the shooting had been located and the young men in it were being brought in. Surveillance camera footage backed up the witnesses.

The team thanked the group as they were leaving, again apologizing for the inconvenience.

One of the men said, "Well, we couldn't let them get away with killing that poor woman. We did what we needed to do."

"And we appreciate the tour," the woman who had asked for it added. "I'm sorry about the circumstances, but it was a pleasure to meet all of you, especially you, Mr. Castle. I've been a fan for years."

"Always glad to meet a fan," he answered gallantly just before they all went back to their hotels.

After talking to the suspects and facing them with the evidence against them, they discovered that the young woman who was shot had just started dating the ex-boyfriend of a gang member's sister. The gang member took offense at someone leaving his sister and finding another woman, so he shot the woman.

"That kind of thinking always rattles my mind. Why wouldn't he just shoot the man who left her?" Castle asked as they were putting their notes together to do the paperwork.

"We asked him that," Ryan reported. "He said his sister still loved the guy and wanted him back. He actually seemed to think the ex-boyfriend would want his sister again because they shot the new girlfriend and she wasn't in the picture anymore."

"The ex-boyfriend should be looking for a new life somewhere far, far away." Ryan stated. "You still have to notify the victim's parents, don't you?"

"My least favorite part of the job. Everything moved so fast today that we didn't get that far yet."

"Rotten way to end the week," Esposito sympathized. "Why don't the two of you go ahead and take care of that. We'll take care of the reports this time."

"Thanks, Guys."

"No problem. See you tomorrow," Ryan answered.

xxxxx

When the boys arrived on Saturday afternoon, Ryan said, "I'm still leaving Jenny out of this for now. I hate all this hiding and sneaking around, but I can see why now."

"Look, Ryan, if you want to back out, we completely understand, Castle told him. "You just got married. We're stuck with this. You aren't."

"No. That isn't what I meant. I'm in. I don't want Bracken to get away with this, either. It's just so much bigger than we thought. I worry about not telling Jenny. I have to tell her something before long, but I don't want her to know all of it. I have to figure out what to do, but I thought I'd find out if you have any more surprises before I decide. And I don't like the idea of having those stick drives in my apartment."

"Shouldn't Lanie be here for this, too?" Esposito interrupted. Looking at Kate, he said, "You know there'll be hell to pay for both of us if she finds out we hid it from her. I don't want to drag her into it any more than you do, but she's part of the team, too."

"Aren't enough of us in the line of fire already?" Beckett asked.

"She knows a lot of this anyway. The biggest difference is that now we have a name."

"I feel like we're putting everybody we love in danger, and it's because of me." She was pacing the living room looking angry.

"It isn't because of you. It's because of Bracken," Esposito answered, sounding just as angry. "I'd love to be the one to take him down."

"Me, too," she answered.

"With any luck, we'll be able to back away from it for a while before long," Castle offered.

Ryan immediately wanted to know, "What happens before long?"

"The cavalry arrives and takes over the parts we can't handle."

"Call Lanie," Esposito insisted.

With a defeated sigh, Beckett went into the study to call her friend, and Castle pulled some snacks out for the boys. With what we're dealing with here, there better be beer to go with this stuff," Esposito grouched.

Castle just pointed to the fridge and said, "Help yourselves. I got everybody's favorites.

"Lanie will be here in twenty minutes." Beckett told them as she returned. "Why don't you sit down and relax a little before she gets here? No need to do this more than once."

"Makes sense. You need a new game, though, Dude," Ryan complained. "I don't think I like this one."

"Me, either," Castle agreed.

Once Lanie arrived, they all went into the study and closed the door. Beckett plunked a beer down in front of her friend and told her, "You might want that in the next few minutes.

"What has got you so wired, Girl?"

"The name I've been looking for since 1999."

"You know who it is?"

"Yeah. Senator William Bracken."

Lanie was speechless for a long moment. "You're sure?"

"You know those files Roy had…the ones he was using to make the deal to protect his family and then me? We have them. It's there. There are a couple of other things we didn't know, too."

"Like what?"

"Like affidavits from all three cops, and letters to each of them agreeing to immunity in return for their testimony against Bracken. Those guys were realizing they were in over their heads, and they were looking for a way out. Looks like Bracken was stuck with an honest ADA."

"So why didn't that happen?"

"Because the ADA was murdered while he was visiting his family in Rochester…two days after the date on the affidavits. We assume that was when Roy took charge of the files and made his long term arrangement with Bracken."

"And let me guess. The ADA? He was stabbed?"

"And if the wounds were the same, it wouldn't have shown up in Dr. Murray's search because he only looked at the records from New York City. But there's no way we can ask to see the autopsy from Rochester without giving ourselves away."

"It would be so easy for me to go and ask, but they'd trace it right back to you." Lanie released a long slow exhale. "And he's still killing people. How many do you think?"

"If we count the people the assassins killed to cover their tracks, we're sure of twelve, probably thirteen, and the attempt on Kate," Castle reported.

There were varying sounds of disgust from the others.

"The next biggest thing all of you need to know right now is that we went to Gates. She has two friends in IA who are working with her to contact Jordan Shaw. Castle and I trust Gates to make good decisions, and we trust Jordan to keep all of this under wraps," Kate told them.

Castle explained the arrangements that had been made so far and the connections they had discovered between Bracken and Vulcan Simmons. He also mentioned what Jordan had told them the year before.

"You think they're looking into Bracken, or just into something else Maddox was involved in?" Lanie asked.

"I don't know," Beckett answered. "I hate the waiting to find out how they're going to work this out."

"Right," Lanie observed with her own brand of sass. "Patience being your finest virtue and all."

Beckett stuck her tongue out at her.

"Oh, and maturity goes right after patience. You've been spending too much time around Writer-Man."

"Hey, what did I do?" Castle asked. "I thought I'd behaved pretty well this afternoon."

"Sorry. Had to break the tension if I'm going to cope," Lanie answered.

Esposito put an arm around her shoulders. "Heavy stuff, huh?"

Ryan is right about those stick drives," Castle agreed. "You probably should get rid of them. Smash them with a hammer or something first. The other thing we haven't told you is that, after Jordan has the files and an updated copy of the murder board, Kate is going to call Bracken and reinstate the deal, but Jordan will know about it."

"Are you losing your minds? She's going to flat out tell him she has the files?" Esposito exclaimed.

"Kate?!" Lanie sounded horrified. "He'll have a sniper on the roof across from your windows within hours."

"We'll have safeguards in place before she calls him," Castle assured her. "The script is already written so she doesn't forget any of our demands."

"We're working with crazy people," Ryan grumbled, shaking his head.

"We're dealing with people in IA now. Technically, the first deal was only Roy and Bracken. Kate didn't know about it. She didn't know about Smith, either, until he called when she was still too weak after the shooting not to go along with it. What Kate is about to do now could be seen as blackmail. If Jordan knows about it ahead of time, it can be seen as part of the investigation…buying time and keeping all the players alive. Kate's willing to lose her badge to take Bracken down, but if we can avoid that, we will."

They sat in silence for a few moments, contemplating what they were doing, and Ryan finally broke the silence.

"I gotta admit, though, that murder board presentation was a great way to look at things. Laid out so it was easy to follow. As much of it as there is, that had to be a lot of work."

"That was all Castle," Beckett answered. "We both worked on getting everything entered and on how it all fit together, but he created the format and connected it all."

"It's how I've been putting my books together since I started the Nikki Heat series. Kate was impressed, too. We established last night that my mind turns her on," Castle stated with a playful grin.

"Castle! That is _not_ what I said," she reprimanded, swatting his arm, and he reacted dramatically then wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her head.

Simultaneously Castle was unapologetically saying, "I like my version better."; Ryan was chanting, "La, la, la, la, la…" with his fingers in his ears; Esposito was declaring, "Did _not_ want to hear that, Bro'."; and Lanie was saying with a big smile, "Oooo, I'm all ears. What else do you want to tell us?"

Beckett rolled her eyes. "Children. I'm dealing with a room full of children."

"Says the grown woman who stuck her tongue out at me." Lanie shot back jokingly, and Kate stuck her tongue out again.

"Did we cover everything we needed to?" Esposito asked.

"I think so," Castle answered. "For the moment."

"Then can we get another beer and actually play a game so Honeymilk here doesn't have to lie to his wife? And I need to shoot something. I'm guessing you'd rather have me do that on a screen than at a wall?"

"Sure. Come on." Castle led them back to the living room, and Beckett sat down next to Lanie on the sofa in the study.

"You weren't going to tell me, were you?" Lanie asked, serious again.

"I'm scared, Lanie. I didn't want to. There are already so many people in danger because of me. But our safeguards, the new deal we'll demand…it includes all of you."

"I'm glad you're scared, 'cause you need to be," Lanie answered. "Honey, I appreciate that you want to be my hero; but you're the best friend I've ever had, and I can provide information that can help you. Don't you ever think about leaving me out again, understand? I'm glad you came to your senses. There's more that I haven't seen yet, isn't there?"

"Be right back. I might as well get you caught up. After they've blown off a little steam out there, maybe the three of you can help us add to our lists of questions and comments."

Beckett got the computer they had used to put the whole board together, and she took Lanie through everything she didn't already know.


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

On Monday afternoon a week later, Agent Jordan Shaw breezed into the twelfth with her partner, Agent Avery, and headed straight for the captain's office just as Castle and Beckett were leaving the breakroom with coffee. She slowed down only briefly when Beckett said, "Agent Shaw? I hear we have an FBI case among us again."

"I'll talk to you as soon as I've seen your captain," she answered. "Protocol. Good to see you again." Then she continued her trip to Captain Gates's office…on script for anyone who might hear, as well as on the legitimate case she had managed to be assigned to in New York.

"So, does this mean they start rolling in the cool toys now?" Castle asked, looking forward to the gadgets.

Jordan returned, told Agent Avery to have the team set up in the conference room, and pointed out where to find it. Then she turned to Beckett and Castle. "Where's the rest of your team?"

"Interviewing a witness. They should be back in half an hour, maybe forty-five minutes. What are we working on?"

"A kidnapping. For several months we'd seen nothing but dead ends until this weekend, then we had a lead in Brooklyn."

"Brooklyn? Does that mean we're getting a case from another precinct?"

"Right. We'd worked with you before. No idea what we'd find at the sixty-eighth. Working with a competent known quantity made sense, so we cleared it through 1PP. We'll need the file from that precinct, though. Captain Gates has already requested it."

"Okay. I think I'll call and tell them that I'll pick the files up myself. I can try to sooth some ruffled feathers. Might gain us a little more cooperation if we need their help with anything later."

"Couldn't hurt, I guess."

Beckett made her phone call and then said, "Come on, Castle. Let's go mend some bridges."

When they entered the sixty-eighth precinct, they were not welcomed with open arms. They asked for the correct floor; and on reaching it they were directed to Detectives Flanagan and Dorset, who had started working the case on Saturday.

"Detective Kate Beckett from the twelfth," she said, offering her hand.

Each of the other detectives shook her hand grudgingly. "I know who you are," Flanagan answered. "You're the one who works with that Castle guy. He gets you in the news all the time. That what this is about? The FBI wanted a little more publicity?"

"Nothing like that," Beckett answered. "The captain told us our team was requested." When Flanagan looked surprised, she explained, "We worked with Agent Shaw on a case a couple of years ago, and it went pretty well. As feds go, they weren't too bad."

The other detectives looked skeptical and Dorset mumbled, "Well, good luck with that."

"After a few rough spots while we learned to get along, all of us worked together pretty well. I guess when they were coming in from out of town, they figured better the devil you know than the one you don't. Listen, I've been where you are, and it stinks. All I can do is apologize that I have to do this, but my hands are tied, too. The captain was going to have the file ponied over, but I thought I owed you the apology face to face."

The two other detectives seemed to loosen up a little at that.

"We also wanted to see if you had any insights that might not be in the file…something that didn't quite feel right…a gut feeling about something. It's hard to put those things on paper, and a good detective's gut instinct isn't something to be ignored. If the victim is still around here, we want to help her as much as you do."

It was still slightly grudging, but Dorset told them, "There was one guy, the manager at the restaurant next to the alley." He picked up the file and pointed him out. "The woman was working there, and everything he said checked out; but there was something about him that felt wrong, you know. We couldn't put a finger on it, but we were about to look into him when we got the call this morning. Might not hurt to start there." Then he looked at Castle, who had been standing in the background letting Beckett take care of the bridge mending. "This guy with you?" he asked Beckett.

"Yeah, he is," she answered with a smile. "Flanagan, Dorset, meet that Castle guy."

"Richard Castle," her husband said, stepping forward wearing his friendliest smile and reaching to shake hands. "Sorry about this. I know how the folks at the twelfth react to the same thing. We appreciate your help."

"Yeah, well there's nothing to be done for it," Flanagan answered. "You'll let us know how it turns out?"

"We'll be sure to do that."

Dorset handed her the folder, then Flanagan asked, "Kevin Ryan still at the twelfth?"

"Yeah. On my team as a matter of fact. He'll be working this, too," she answered.

"That so? Well give him my regards." He gave them a small smile. "He and my son were friends all through school. Kev's a good guy."

"He is that," Castle agreed, and Beckett gave them a smile and a nod of agreement.

"Thanks for the help," she said as they left. "I owe you one."

Once they were in the car, Castle looked at his wife and said proudly, "And you call me a silver-tongued devil. You had those guys eating out of your hand."

"Yeah, well most of it was being in total sympathy with them. I guess that came through."

"Well, whatever. I was impressed. Didn't look like it hurt that Ryan is one of yours, either. Knowing Ryan seemed to raise your approval rating."

By the time they returned to the twelfth, Ryan and Esposito were back, talking to Agents Shaw and Avery while they waited for Castle and Beckett to join them.

"We thought we might as well talk to all of you at once," Jordan explained.

"Detective Flanagan sends his regards, Ryan. He asked if you were still here. It's his case we're taking." Beckett told him.

"Ouch. I guess he and Dorset weren't happy about that," Ryan answered.

"No, but he seemed a little less grouchy when he heard you were on this team," Castle reported. "You should have seen Beckett. She apologized, and sympathized, and actually got a little smile out of Flanagan before we left…and a piece of information from Dorset."

"Well, you know, we've been there a couple of times with people less willing to work with competent city cops than Shaw and Avery are." Getting to the case, she told them, "Dorset said something about a restaurant next to the alley the victim was taken from. He said she worked there and that something didn't feel right about the manager…suggested we start there."

"Well, Beckett, I guess you're designated chief diplomatic liaison," Jordan Shaw teased. Then she began talking about her case. "As I said, the original kidnapping took place in Iowa, went cold in Cleveland and had gone nowhere until late Saturday afternoon. A witness in a car across from that alley you mentioned saw a woman taken at gunpoint from the alley and shoved into a waiting car. She had a water bottle with her when she was taken, but she dropped it when the gunman yanked her across the sidewalk. Lucky for us, the witness wasn't your typical New Yorker. He called it in and gave a description of the car and the colors on the out-of-state plates. The police found the bottle exactly where the witness described. Their search for the prints on the bottle alerted us that someone was trying to identify our kidnapping victim, Vera Sullivan, by the way; and here we are. She's a secretary for a construction company, no problems with family and friends, no known enemies, and nobody seems to have a reason to want her to disappear. There was a jealous ex-boyfriend, but he left town with no forwarding address not long after they broke up. A neighbor saw two men in hoodies dragging her to a car, but it was dark, so she couldn't describe the car, let alone the kidnappers. Vera was abducted from her house the night before her engagement party, but the new boyfriend has an iron clad alibi."

"Any sign of the ex-boyfriend?"

"No. No credit or debit card use, no bank account activity, no use of his driver's license as ID, nothing showing as income. His social is as inactive as anything else. Poof. He's gone."

Shaw handed them copies of all the information they had from their initial investigation as well as the brief time they could account for in Cleveland. The rest of the afternoon was spent getting Beckett's team up to speed on the information, fielding possibilities, and deciding where to go from there.

"Is Avery included in _everything_?" Beckett asked pointedly as she and Shaw had a moment in an open area alone.

"All of it," Shaw answered. "We're working on it together with a couple of others in different locations."

Beckett nodded as they returned to the conference room. "Would you and Avery want to have dinner with our family tonight? We're not too far from the precinct if we need to get back quickly for any reason."

"That sounds good. I'm in. I'll check with him."

"We're going to go home and probably order in, but we'll at least set a decent table," Beckett promised with a smile.

"I don't have to cook or sit in a restaurant in a crowd of strangers. I'll be easy to please," Shaw assured her.

After speaking to Avery, she let Beckett know they would both be there, then she went and assigned half of her work force to stay until early morning and the other half to come in early to relieve them. They were left with instructions as to what to look for and told to call her if there was any progress.

xxxxx

When the agents arrived at the loft, Martha answered the door in full Martha mode, surprising them.

"Come in, come in," she said effusively. "I'm Martha Rodgers, Richard's mother, and the other redhead over there is his daughter, Alexis." Alexis smiled and waved from the kitchen where she was helping put the serving dishes on the table.

"I'm Shawn Avery. It's good to meet you," Avery said, offering his hand.

Martha took his hand firmly in both of her own. "We're so glad you came. Good to meet you, too." She then reached for Jordan. "And you must be Jordan Shaw. I missed meeting you last summer. Would you like something to drink?" As she spoke, she placed a hand at Shaw's elbow and guided her toward the dining table, and Shawn Avery was stifling a laugh behind them.

"My mother takes a little getting used to," Castle explained. "She's never been accused of being a shrinking violet."

"Don't pick on your mother," Kate scolded.

"If I didn't pick on my mother, she'd think I was ill," he retorted.

"Thank you for trying, Darling, but we both know he's incorrigible," Martha answered

Jordan and Avery were watching the back and forth like a tennis match and looking as if they were wondering what they got themselves into.

"Yes, This happens a lot," Alexis said as she put the last bowl on the table. "The two of you can sit here," she added, pointing out two chairs.

They both thanked her and sat down, and the others followed.

"Welcome to the Castles at home," Kate told them playfully. "Help yourselves. You must be hungry by now. We can talk later. Everything is set up in the study to show you efficiently."

"This looks good," Avery said. "I think I'm hungrier than I thought."

An easy interchange flowed between everyone at the table, though they were steering clear of the conversational elephant in the room. Jordan started to ask a question, then looked at Alexis and stopped.

"You can ask, Jordan," Castle assured her. "The family knows most of what you will when you leave tonight. Despite the picture you got when you walked in the door, our family, Kate's father included, can be trusted. Kate and I talked about it. All three of them are too perceptive to miss that something was going on. We haven't mentioned all the names yet, but they know the circumstances we're dealing with. If we have to gather them up and get them to a safe place, they should know how important it is to move when they need to."

"I can't speak to that until I know more of what you need me to know."

"We've finished dinner," Martha said, looking quite sensible and understanding by this point in the evening. "Let me serve dessert, and all of you can take it to the study and tackle this unwieldy mass of information. Alexis and I will take care of the kitchen."

"I'll get the plates, Grams," Alexis offered. "You get the cake."

Once they were ensconced in the study, Castle turned the lights down and picked up the remote for his smartboard.

He smiled at the two agents and said, "I had to have one of these after getting the chance to play with the one you brought last time you were here. This one is an offline connection, though. I use this setup for my books, and I don't want spoilers escaping until I'm ready. And I certainly don't want this hacked."

Kate closed the blinds, then Castle clicked the smartboard into action and brought up his murder board. They started explaining from the beginning, answering questions and showing Shaw and Avery the questions that didn't yet have answers.

"When you came to see me last summer, you said something about a possible lead on the man who shot me," Kate mentioned cautiously. "The case you were working on…was it Cole Maddox...Cedric Marks?"

Shaw and Avery gave each other a questioning look, and Avery nodded.

"By now, I'm sure you don't want this to get out any more than we do," Jordan said, "so we're going to tell you some of what we know. I do ask that you don't tell your family. I'm not sure it's a good idea that they know as much as they do."

"As the evening progressed, I think you could see that my mother is a much more stable and level-headed person than you probably thought when you first came in. My daughter is eighteen going on forty, and she understands how to handle this information. She's interning with the medical examiner. She saw Kate get shot and go through recovery. She's been exposed to enough to know how important it is. And neither of them will do anything that could compromise another member of the family."

"We talked about it before we told them, but they needed answers. I'm confident about them, too," Kate agreed.

"I'd love to meet your father, Kate," Jordan told her. "This is quite a family. Is he just as strong?"

"He is," Castle answered proudly. "A lawyer…a lot less flamboyant than my mother, though."

"I'm not sure I'd want to see the profile you'd come up with for us," Kate said with a little chuckle.

"It would be impressive," Shawn chimed in as he stood. Then he told Jordan, "I'm going back to the precinct. Three of our team went to dinner at the restaurant where Vera worked, just to get a general feel for the place, as well as getting a read on the manager. The others are looking into his background. After they left the restaurant, they canvassed places close by to see if anybody recognized Vera." Turning to his partner, he said, "Stay here and tell them what they deserve to know, Jordan. Unless something major comes up, I'll see you at six."

Kate and Castle stood to walk him to the door, but he stopped them.

"I'll find my way out. You'll want to stay and hear what we're working on. And in answer to your question, Kate, we've been looking into the man who hired Maddox. Sorry to steal your thunder, Jordan, but Kate has been through too much because of Bracken. I wanted to be here when she realized how much help she has now." With that, he reached out, gently squeezed her upper arm briefly and empathically, and left, closing the study door behind him.

Kate looked at her husband with tears gathering in her eyes and all but whispered, "Castle, they were already working on this. They know things we don't. There's already more than what we have."

She was trembling a little when she melted into his arms, and he held her gently. "I know, Sweetheart. I know." He walked with her to the sofa near Jordan's chair, never losing contact with her; and they sat down to hear what Jordan could tell them.

"We suspected something was going on with Bracken," Jordan began. "There were too many rumors for too long. Now and then, there was a little something to back them up, but never enough to prove anything. If there seemed to be something that might be used as evidence or someone who might be willing to talk, it would mysteriously be gone when an investigator got to it. We suspected that someone was informing him ahead of an investigation. When the request to take your case was turned down from so far up the chain of command, we were surprised; but it makes more sense now. He must have informants in the Bureau."

"We think he has informants at the precinct, too."

Bracken is a powerful man…and, from what we hear, not kind to his enemies. We didn't want to give ourselves away or to allow the wrong people know what we were doing; so a couple of years ago, we started quietly gathering information. It's been slow going; but there's a judge we work with for warrants, a good man who's in the job for all the right reasons…someone who can't be bought or coerced. And Shawn Avery is a tech genius. That's where he should be, but he'd rather work in the field; so I benefit from the best of both worlds. He bought a computer we could work from, and we've been in and out of a few accounts and records; but you need something solid to get a warrant, and things connected to Bracken are always hazy. I'm seeing why now. What you have here should give us some leverage, especially to look into any bank accounts in his name. We should also be able to get into Vulcan Simmons's accounts. Maybe we can make some connections. And having Bracken's bank account number and the money order receipts for the blackmail payments will be a big help."

"Will the affidavits the three cops signed still stand? I know the statute of limitations for blackmail has expired, but will they still help get warrants?"

"I think so," Jordan answered. "We have something similar that's more recent, but we didn't have enough solid evidence to back it up. Those could indicate the beginning of a pattern…prove he'd done it before."

"What about Bracken's ADA? We can't get the autopsy report from Rochester without making ourselves obvious, and we can't afford to do that."

"We can work that out. We can get answers to most of your unanswered questions, too.

"And Coonan's accounts? His connections to Bracken?"

"If the records still exist, we'll find them.

"Will you let us know what's happening when you can?" Kate asked.

"We'll do our best; but to avoid taking too many chances, it will probably be sporadic." She gave them a quick overview of what they suspected Bracken had done, none of it a surprise to them. Then they showed Jordan the demands they intended to make when they contacted Bracken and discussed how long to wait before calling him.

Jordan ended by saying, "What you need to do now is leave this alone and let us work on the things you shouldn't. You've done a great job of finding all this and coordinating it. It's going to make our jobs a lot easier."

"We've spent so much time on it lately, we'll probably have withdrawal," Castle commented.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Jordan said as she stood. "I should get some sleep so I can relieve Shawn in the morning."

"I have a supply of burner phones. And yes, I admit to being a little bit paranoid. The numbers for the entire team are programmed in them already. Would you like to take two of them…just in case?"

"Might as well. With Bracken, it's probably good to be a little bit paranoid. Do you really think you'll be safe long enough for us to check into things he might want to destroy if he knows we're looking?"

"Assuming Smith was able to disappear as easily as he said he could, Bracken doesn't know the files have changed hands. I think we're okay until he feels confident enough test the waters again."

Kate and Castle walked her to the door. "We should do this again sometime without the angst."

"I would enjoy that. See you tomorrow."

xxxxx

Kate leaned into her husband's embrace after he locked up behind Jordan.

"I'm exhausted," she told him. "And relieved…and excited…and worried…and…"

"Me, too," he agreed.

"So what do you think? Shall we get some sleep…or at least try? Jordan is doing so much for us, we should be there bright and early to see if we can help her."

"Set your alarm for whenever you think bright and early should be, then. Shall we see if Mother and Alexis are still awake? Say goodnight and let them know the meeting with Jordan went well?"

Kate nodded, she left Jordan's things on the coffee table. Then they went upstairs and each of them knocked gently on a bedroom door.

"Of course we're still awake, Richard," Martha said as Alexis answered Kate's knock looking just as wide awake as her grandmother. "Well? How did it go?"

"Were they looking into Cole Maddox or the guy you've been looking for?"

"They were looking for the man who hired Cole Maddox…and Hal Lockwood, and Dick Coonan. The one who had Kate's Mom killed and tried to do the same to Kate. Jordan said what we gave them should allow them to get warrants to look into a lot more," Castle told them.

He draped an arm around his wife's shoulders as she said, "We thought you might want to know."

"Oh, I'm so happy for you." Martha reached for her son and daughter-in-law.

Alexis was quick with the same sentiment, also reaching for them.

They stood in a long, calming, celebratory group hug, heads together and hope in their hearts that the nightmare of dealing with Bracken might be over sometime in the foreseeable future. Castle kissed his two redheads on their cheeks, and then they all went to their rooms and slept well.


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

With their own case information delivered to Jordan and Avery the day before, Castle and Beckett returned to the precinct the next morning set on helping Jordan with the kidnapping case.

When he went back to the precinct the night before, Avery talked to the three team members who went to dinner at Pederson's, the restaurant in question. The three made conversation briefly with the manager, Leon Sandoval, returned with his surreptitiously obtained fingerprints, and then went back to their hotel for some rest.

The FBI team on duty at the precinct that night then went to work and found that Leon Sandoval's fingerprints came up as belonging to a Leon Carpenter, who had owned a nice restaurant in the area where Vera grew up. They found his Iowa driver's license and sent the picture and information to agents near Vera's family, instructing them to speak to relatives and friends to see if they recognized him. The overnight team had also researched the restaurant, the owner, and looked for any other connections to the victim or the small town in Iowa where she lived. Vera's fingerprints matched, but the name she was using at work didn't. The people there called her Mary Cain.

The morning's first job was to interview the owner, the manager, and all the employees who worked the shift with Vera/Mary. Interviews in Iowa eventually revealed that Leon was once her mother's live-in boyfriend and that Mary had a restraining order against one of his friends.

When Avery came in later in the day, they compared notes on the case. As they took a break for coffee, Avery was in the break room with Ryan and Esposito.

"Have you met Castle's mother?" he asked.

Both of the detectives smiled, and Ryan answered, "Yeah. We love Ms. Rodgers."

"Avery smiled, too, then chuckled and shook his head. "When she opened the door and invited us in, it was a little bit of a shock. She was kind of overwhelming, but I decided I was good with a whole evening of that after I saw her take Jordan by the elbow and actually herd her into the dining room, chatting the whole way. I don't think in all our years of working together I've ever seen Jordan Shaw that far from being in control."

"Ryan laughed. "I can't even imagine Jordan Shaw not in control."

"You saw the other side of Ms. R., too, though, right?" Esposito asked.

"Yeah. That's quite a family," Avery responded respectfully. "A little eccentric, but strong…formidable."

"That's them. Some of the toughest people we know." Ryan nodded in agreement just before someone came in to let them know they had just accessed more information on the man who was the subject of the restraining order.

After two days of sorting out the real identities and putting together the pieces of the puzzle, everything centered around Jeffrey Cain, a friend of Leon's who had become obsessed with Vera. Jeffrey, having let them know he had already killed her ex and made it seem that the man had simply moved away, was able to manipulate Leon and Vera with threats of more violence against them or others…most often against Vera's fiancé. Cain forced her to marry him before they reached New York, where his mother had bequeathed him her small house in Brooklyn. He knew that would be a place where he could keep Vera under his control. When Vera complained about being locked in all the time, she was allowed to work in the kitchen at Leon's restaurant, but not allowed to go outside during the day. Jeffrey walked her in and picked her up, and Leon kept a close watch for fear of crossing Jeffrey. Any time Jeffrey wasn't with her at home, Vera was locked in a basement room in his house. That was where they found her early Thursday morning.

By eleven, Vera had been examined at the hospital, her statement had been taken, and Jordan and Avery had promised to take her to her family before they went home. Leon was offered a lesser charge to supply information on Jeffrey Cain, and Cain was charged with everything they could hold against him.

Later in the day, as Jordan's team was disassembling their command center, Kate watched Jordan enter the break room talking on the phone with her daughter and saying, "No, I probably won't be home for dinner, but I think I'll be there in time to read you a story and tuck you in." There was a little pause, and Jordan smiled. "Yes, Honey. That means Mommy slayed another dragon."

Kate smiled and offered Jordan the coffee she had just made. "Sounds like she's proud of you," she said as she made another for herself.

Jordan took a sip of the coffee and closed her eyes in appreciation. "I think so. Do you and Castle plan to have children?" she asked as Kate finished making her own and adding the vanilla syrup. "None of my business, of course, if you'd rather not answer."

As they walked across the hall back to the bullpen, she answered, "Not right now, but maybe before too long." More quietly, she added, "It would be nice to know the threats from the past are over first."

Rather than answer that with something that would give them away, Jordan nodded. "I hear you're about to become a lieutenant. That might make a difference, too. Rank has its advantages, offers possibilities that might be easier to take advantage of. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see you take over the captain's office one day."

"I haven't planned that far ahead. I wouldn't be this far if Captain Gates hadn't pushed me."

"She's impressed with you. She's impressed with Castle, too, but she told me not to say so." Jordan grinned and added, "I lied and said I wouldn't, but he deserves to know."

"I think we already knew. She just wants the rest of the department to think otherwise."

"I don't think she has too many of them fooled, either."

Kate smiled again and answered. "Neither do I. I think everybody has decided that when it comes to her people, she isn't quite as bad as the nickname 'Iron Gates' would indicate. She's gained a lot of respect here."

"Well-deserved, from what I've seen."

Kate made a nondescript sound of agreement before changing the subject. "I feel so bad for Vera. I doubt she'll have any trouble getting the marriage annulled, considering the circumstances; but she can't annul the memories of being confined and used the way she was. The poor girl had just grabbed her first opportunity to escape when she was taken again from that alley."

"I hope her fiancé loves her enough to stand by her. She's going to need somebody to help her through this." Jordan paused and took a deep breath. "On the bright side, though, today is her first day of freedom in six months. One of our agents took her out for lunch and has taken her back to the hotel to get some rest before we leave. She'll be back with her family by dinnertime."

"And you'll be back with yours by bedtime."

"That's the plan. But today was one of those days that makes all the difficulties that come with the job worth it."

"Hey," Castle said, approaching the two women. "Stay in touch when you can?" he asked, raising his eyebrows to indicate that he meant more than a social connection."

"We will. Whenever there's time." As the last of the FBI's equipment was removed, Ryan, Esposito, and Avery joined them, and Jordan said, "That's our cue." Shaking hands all around, she said, "Again, it's been a pleasure. Thank you for all your help. We may just make you our designated liaison team in New York…let Castle play with the cool toys now and then. All of you relax for the time being," she said purposefully.

Gates had appeared at her door and was watching the scene unfold. "She's right. You're scheduled for the weekend off, Detective Beckett. When you leave tomorrow, I think you should you should use it well. You've had an eventful couple of weeks. Fortunately, the FBI gets most of the paperwork for this one; so go home on time today and take care of your end of the reports tomorrow. Good work this week."

"Would you mind if we leave now and go by the sixty-eighth on the way home. We checked, and the detectives who originally had the case are there for the rest of the day…paperwork of their own. I promised to let them know how things turned out, and we thought we might offer to take them for a beer and tell them about it. It can't hurt to smooth things over. You never know when we might need their cooperation on something."

"I agree. Go and mend fences. See you in the morning."

xxxxx

On the way to Kate's car, Castle said, "You know, I didn't think to ask Jordan how they got a case assigned in New York as fast as they did. I was so busy being glad they were here that it didn't occur to me until now."

"Jordan can be devious when she wants to be. She said this case was originally assigned to another female agent's team and Jordan's next case should have been in Maine. The other agent has family in Maine; so Jordan took advantage, followed her to the ladies' room one morning, and manipulated the conversation so the other agent asked to trade assignments. The woman planned to take a couple of days off to visit her folks after they finished their work there. The other agent even made the request for the change, so Jordan wasn't seen as trying to get to New York, just looked like she was accommodating a colleague."

"Castle chuckled. "She's good. It was still a lucky circumstance."

"Okay, we're here. Let's go be diplomats." Extending her hand after reaching their desks, Beckett said, "Flanagan, Dorset." Castle acknowledged them and shook hands as well.

"Is the case closed?" Dorset asked.

"Yeah. It was an ugly situation," she answered.

"Beckett promised we'd let you know how it turned out," Castle told him. "We wondered if you'd like to hear about it over a beer. Our treat."

Flanagan looked at his partner, who nodded, then they picked up their things, and said, "Where to?"

"You know this neighborhood better than we do. Your choice. We'll follow you."

They went to a little cop bar near the station and told the other two detectives the whole story, feeling that there was good will in their wake when they left. As they were leaving, they heard another cop ask, who's the pretty boy and the model?"

Flanagan asked, "You didn't see the model's badge and gun?" Adding air quotes and emphasizing 'the model', he said, "Some cop you are."

Dorset explained, "That's Detective Beckett from the twelfth, and the guy is Richard Castle. He works with her."

"They had to take one of our cases…the FBI appropriated it and was working with them," Flanagan explained. "They came to buy us a beer and tell us how it turned out. You don't get that too often."

"So Richard Castle and Nikki Heat made a trip over all the way over here just to buy you a beer." another man commented.

"Aren't they married?" one of the female officers asked.

"I think the gossip starts now. Just as well we're leaving," Castle said

"Yeah. I don't think I want to know." Beckett answered, and they left smiling, his hand at her back.

xxxxx

As they fastened their seat belts before heading back to Manhattan, Castle suggested, "Mother is out tonight, and Alexis has the late shift with Lanie. Let's stop for dinner somewhere then go home and unwind."

"Nice idea," she said as she pulled away from the curb. "Tell me where, Castle."

They went to one of their favorite little restaurants, a quiet place that was nice but not too fancy or pretentious. The people there knew them but were good judges of whether to stop and chat or leave them to themselves. That night they were left to themselves to hold hands as they waited, sit close to one another, and have sporadic easy conversation. They enjoyed a good meal and uninterrupted time to themselves and then went home.

When they were home, knowing they had the loft to themselves for the entire evening, they stripped down and took a leisurely shower together; but left their activities at sensual, not too sexual.

"Want me to make some coffee?" Castle asked after he dried his hair.

"You know the way to my heart, don't you?"

"I hope it's more than the coffee you love," he answered, putting down the dryer and turning to take her in his arms.

"You know it is," she answered, standing on tip-toe to place a gentle kiss on his lips.

He smiled contentedly at her, placed another little peck on her lips, and said, "I'll start the coffee."

"I'll dry my hair and be there in a few minutes," she promised and watched him walk toward the kitchen with a towel wrapped around his lower half. She heard the grinding of coffee beans start just before she turned on her hair dryer; and when her hair was dry, she dressed in night clothes and went to meet him in the kitchen.

By the time she got there, the coffee was ready and he was pouring it into large mugs. He looked up as she joined him, finding her wearing one of her long satiny robes, which was hanging open over a subtle but enticing negligee. Their evening seemed to have taken on a no rush approach, even though they both knew where it would end.

"You look beautiful," he told her appreciatively.

"You look pretty good yourself, she answered, running her hands across his bare chest.

He planted a little kiss on her lips and said, "Be right back. This towel isn't going to hold on much longer."

"I could live with that," she called behind him suggestively as he walked toward their room, and he smiled over his shoulder and wiggled his behind at her as he entered the study. When he came back in one of the silk pajama sets she had bought him…no shirt and the short robe hanging open at the chest…she smiled her own appreciative smile and said, "Mmmmm. I can live with that, too."

He took her in his arms and held her a moment before saying on an exhale, "You make me feel twenty years younger. And you make me feel loved and wanted. And for so much of my life, I didn't have you."

"I don't know if I could keep up with you if you were twenty years younger. And you _are_ loved and wanted…and appreciated and respected. And you won't spend any more of your life without me," she answered, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. "I don't know why it took me so long to give in to admitting that you're the best thing that ever happened to me. I'm so glad you came back for me."

"That was almost two years ago. It's almost our 'We finally got our act together' anniversary."

"The one we keep entirely to ourselves," she answered.

"I don't know about you, but I kind of like that we have a secret anniversary."

"Me, too."

"The coffee is going to get cold," he observed.

"There's more, isn't there?"

"You know I don't allow us to run out of coffee."

"Then if it gets cold, we'll make more. I like it where we are now," she answered.

"You know, coffee might be overrated."

Kate giggled as she snuggled closer. Castle loved that.

After some gentle kissing and soft caresses of faces and shoulders, they tested their coffee, replaced it with warmer brew, sat down close to one another at the breakfast bar, and talked for a while.

Kate eventually asked, "Do you think Meredith will be here for Alexis's graduation? It's right around the corner; and, unless something has changed while we weren't paying attention, our girl will be valedictorian."

"I don't know. Meredith has been taking time to call more often lately, but a plane ride across the country is different. As long as you're there, though, I think Alexis will be fine either way."

"She amazes me, Rick. She's still technically enrolled at school because of that biochemistry class she wanted, but she's gone in and taken all the tests when everybody else did. She studied off and on with her classmates, and somewhere in the morgue there was always somebody who could help with any question she had, and she aced all of them. The school even allowed her to test the same way for the physiology class because of the internship, and she's acing that, too. I still can't believe Stanford turned her down."

"Maybe it's for the best. She's talked about Columbia a lot more often lately."

"That's what's best for you, Dad. It keeps her in town."

He smirked at her. "A dad can dream, can't he?"

"Yeah. A stepmom, too," she answered. "I'd miss having her close by.

"But JD is there."

"Is that a bad thing? He's a great guy. Responsible...fun. You like him."

"I know. It just feels like it's too close for comfort. All that freedom to…"

"She talks to me sometimes, asks questions…advice. Rick, they're not sleeping together yet. There's making out, touching…"

"Stop, stop, stop, stop… I don't want to hear about touching. I was totally happy with the not having sex." He took a deep breath and released it. "I know it's going to happen, and I know I'm lucky it hasn't yet, and I know I'm being completely irrational about it. But it's soooo hard for a dad to have to imagine his little girl not being his innocent little girl anymore. I mean, I do want her to find somebody who makes her as happy as you make me, and to enjoy her marriage as much as we enjoy ours. But…"

She slipped off the barstool and pulled him to face her. Standing between his legs so she could put her arms around his neck, she pulled his head comfortingly to her shoulder and ran her fingers through the hair at his neck. "I really, really need to apologize to my dad for that last year and a half of high school. I left a lot for his imagination to…"

"Yeah, you do," Rick answered, easing out of most of his momentary dad crisis and pinching her backside gently. "He's told me a little bit."

"Don't believe it all. He tends to exaggerate…like somebody else I know."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

She smacked the back of his head lightly, and he laughed before lifting it to kiss her playfully. The kissing continued and began to take on a different intent, and soon hands were wandering easily over silken covered bodies. He stood and walked her slowly backward to their room as the kisses continued, closing the doors to the study and their room behind them.

Easing her down on the bed, he hovered above her, bracing himself on his forearms long enough to whisper, "God, Kate, I love you so much."

She brought her arms up around his neck and answered, "I love you, too. I didn't know I could love anybody this much."

Their loving was slow and gentle and patient, and they woke in the morning feeling as close and loving as they did when they went to bed.

xxxxx

Martha and Alexis first noticed the way they behaved with each other that morning when Kate came into the kitchen dressed for work. She walked up behind Castle where he sat having coffee and scanning the newspaper, wrapped her arms around him from behind, kissed his cheek…and then said softly, "'Morning, Sweetheart."

Castle smiled as he looked over his shoulder and gave her a loving little kiss on her lips.

She kissed his temple before getting her coffee, and Martha and Alexis raised eyebrows at each other before Martha mouthed silently, "Sweetheart? It must have been good."

Alexis's lips silently told her, "I don't want to know."

"Anybody interested in going to the Hamptons this weekend?" Castle asked. "One more trip before the tourists take over the town?"

"I'll stay here," Alexis answered. "Dr. Parish is way behind and might need the help, and my final exams are coming up. Oh, and I decided on Columbia."

"You're staying in New York?" her dad said joyfully.

"I'm glad, too," Kate agreed with a big smile, and she lifted her coffee cup in acknowledgment.

"But I want to live in the dorm. I want to feel like I'm at college," Alexis insisted.

"Done," Castle agreed. "We can still come to see you though, right?"

"Just not every day…and call first."

"Right. I should have known there would be rules."

"I should stay here, too. Final touches on getting my school open this summer. Paula has done a great job of helping me with marketing. Thank you for sharing her. I've had more response than I had expected for the opening semester."

"You and Kate should go, though, Dad. You've had a stressful few weeks."

"Maybe we will," he answered as Kate sat down beside him with her coffee. "Kate has the weekend off…not even on call."

"Take some time to yourselves," Martha encouraged. "You need that now and then."

"Shall we leave tonight and have a little more time there?" he asked his wife.

"I have to admit, waking up to the sound of the ocean does sound relaxing."

"Waking up to you sounds even better," he whispered close to her ear.


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

"Do we have enough of the right clothes at the beach house for a couple of days?" Kate asked as they got home from work, stopping to remove her shoes at the door.

"Probably," Castle answered. "If not, we'll go shopping tomorrow morning. One of the perks of being married to a rich guy." He kissed the tip of her nose when she looked up at him.

"This time I might take you up on it. I don't feel like picking out clothes and packing tonight."

"Then let's buy you something even if we do have clothes there. I have to take advantage of being allowed to spoil my wife when I have the chance."

"I don't require spoiling."

"I know, but I enjoy it. Indulge me this weekend."

"So all we need to pack is toothbrushes, shampoo, change of underwear…"

"You know how you could spoil your husband?"

With an amused smirky smile, Kate answered, "I'll probably be sorry I asked, but how would you suggest I do that?"

"Let me pick out the underwear," he said mischievously.

She stared him down for a long moment, and then she caved completely. "Fine. Pick out anything you want, and I'll wear it. Go play in my underwear drawer."

"Yes!" he answered and left for their room. Kate followed and found him already rummaging through the drawer, happily looking for his favorites.

She opened his drawer and went on her own search, finding what she wanted. "What?" she asked when he looked to see what she was doing. "I have favorites, too." Going to the closet, she picked up a zippered tote bag, saying, "Everything should fit in here. I know we left robes and pajamas there."

She dropped the boxers she had chosen into the bag, along with one of the black T-shirts that showed off her husband's biceps, and he added several matched sets of her underwear. Then they gathered toiletries, put them in a small travel bag, and tucked them in with the underwear.

"Done?" he asked.

"Done."

"I don't mind this kind of packing," he said with a smile and took the bag to set it next to the front door.

They ordered a healthy dinner from a place close to the loft, and had it delivered before Martha and Alexis came home. The table was set and ready, and the food was in the warming drawer when Martha arrived, and they texted Alexis to see when she'd be back. She was home shortly after that, and they compared notes on their days and talked for a while before Kate and Castle helped clean up and started saying their goodbyes.

"Where are your bags?" Alexis asked.

"This is it," Castle answered, picking up the tote bag Kate had chosen.

"If you're about to say you won't need any clothes this weekend, please don't."

"Alexis!" he scolded in mock affront.

Kate laughed. "I think he meant to say that we're pretty sure we have clothes there already, and if not, we're going shopping tomorrow morning. Is that better?"

"Much better. Thank you, Kate."

After hugs all around, the couple was in the Mercedes and on the way to the Hamptons. Having spent a couple of weeks of cases at work, and putting information on Bracken together at home, they intended to leave it all behind them for the weekend. They argued over radio stations, bantered back and forth, exchanged teasing little touches, and generally enjoyed the trip.

Arriving at the house, Castle put their one small bag next to the stairs, and they walked through the house, and out the back door. With arms around each other's waists, they made their way down to the beach and breathed in the ocean air.

"This place is magic…healing."

"My skeptical wife is claiming that we own a magical place?"

"It's only magic when you're here with me."

He pulled Kate against him and gave her a soft, loving kiss. "We're magic together. Always have been…even when we didn't talk about it."

"Yeah, we are," she agreed, returning the kiss. "Want to walk a little bit?"

He nodded, and they walked down the beach with arms wrapped around one another, simply enjoying being close; and the most of the stress of the last couple of weeks gradually blew away on the ocean breeze. When they returned to the house, they sat on their bench until it was too cold to stay out any longer.

"You're cold. Let's go in and take a nice, warm shower."

"And see if we have clothes for tomorrow?"

"Our child might have had a good idea about not needing clothes this weekend," he answered, still smiling.

"So no clothes until tomorrow?" she asked as they walked back to the house.

"I'd like that," he answered with the lopsided smile he knew she loved.

They took a playful shower, dried each other off, and fell into bed being silly and laughing…and made love before pulling the covers over themselves and sleeping.

With nothing pressing them to be elsewhere, they slept late the next morning. After a look through their closet, Kate decided they had all the clothes they needed; but Castle wasn't going to be deterred from a shopping trip.

"No. You said I could spoil you this weekend, and I intend to. Find something to wear this morning, and I'm taking you to breakfast. Then we're going shopping. No arguments."

"Fine. Are you choosing my underwear?"

"You already chose mine. It's only fair." He took a lacy, lavender set from their bag and handed it to her with a big smile. "Everywhere we go today, I'll know that's what you're wearing and imagine getting you out of it later."

"You sure you can do all that imagining in public without embarrassing yourself?" she asked flirtatiously as she took the underwear from his hand and retreated to the bathroom. She returned wearing it, with makeup on and hair curled; and then she paraded herself to the closet as he watched. "Does it meet your expectations?" she asked.

"Every time you wear it," he assured her with a grin.

They dressed and went to a little place that served brunch, and then he insisted on finding a dress shop and buying something for a nice dinner out that evening. Of course, there was lingerie in the shop, and Castle pushed her in that direction, too. They chose a few things for her to try on, and Castle wandered around while she did.

The door to the dressing room opened, and Kate came out to show him a dress. "I like this one. What do you think?"

"I think it's perfect. I'll be the envy of every man in the restaurant tonight. Did you try on the other things?" he asked with his signature smirk.

"Yes. They all fit. I just have to pick out which one I want."

"There aren't any other customers here. Let me help decide?"

Kate turned an embarrassed look at the sales clerk, who was aware what the other things were, and the woman assured her it was fine. Castle stood at the door and she opened it far enough for him to see each negligee she tried on, and he liked each one. When she opened the door for him to see the last one, though, he exclaimed, "Oh, god, Kate. Pick that one." She laughed at his response, which was followed by, "Please, please, pleeeeease pick that one."

"Okay, it's yours," she answered and giggled as she closed the door.

Looking up to see the sales clerk doing her best to suppress her laughter, he said sheepishly, "Sorry."

"I've heard a lot worse," she assured him.

He paid for their purchases and took his wife to a shoe store to add to her collection, and then she insisted that if she had a new outfit for the evening, he should, too; so they browsed his favorite store. Kate helped him find things and insisted on seeing those, too, at one point teasing him with "Please, please, pleeeeeease pick that one." They spent the rest of the morning being that lighthearted.

"I had forgotten again that it was possible to feel this peaceful," Kate said as they returned to the house early in the afternoon. I know there are things we still have to decide, but it feels good to put it all aside for a day or two."

"Let's get through today without thinking about any of that, and then we need to get back to it before Jordan calls."

"Dinner, a walk on the beach, some fooling around?" she suggested.

"A perfect evening, in my humble opinion."

"I think the ocean might still be a little cool for swimming. Is the pool ready to use?"

"It is. Skinny dipping? I'll race you." He took off through the back door.

Kate was close behind him calling out, "No fair."

As soon as they reached the pool area, clothes were shed quickly; and there was teasing and splashing and dunking for a while before they swam some laps and floated and played some more.

"We didn't think about towels," Kate observed as they finally left the pool.

"I asked for those to be stocked, too. You know where we keep them."

"I'm still not used to so many things being done for us. I should be by now, but it keeps surprising me."

"Rich guy, remember? The people who do those things have built themselves businesses working for people who can pay for their services. I want it done, and they want the work. It's a win-win."

"But you still treat them like equals, which I appreciate, by the way. I can see that they appreciate that, too."

"I spent most of the first twenty years of my life having way less than they have; and I remember how it felt to have somebody respect the work you do, appreciate when it's done well. Mother and I had a variety of jobs before things got easier for us."

"Sometimes I forget that, too," she answered, handing him a large, fluffy towel, "That there was a time when you didn't have so much."

The breeze was a little chilly, so they got a several dry towels and curled up together in them on one of the wide lounge chairs, body heat contributing to their comfort, too. When Kate woke from a short nap next to the pool, she realized it was later than she expected and sat up, stretching.

"Rick," she called gently. "Time to wake up."

"Don't want to. Come back. It's cold without you," he mumbled, pulling at her waist.

"You made reservations, didn't you?"

He answered never opening his eyes. "Yeah, but business isn't that brisk yet. When it's officially tourist season, we have to be on time."

"But it's still rude not to be there when we said would. I'm going to take a shower. You gonna join me?"

One of his eyes opened at that. "You fight dirty," he answered accusingly.

"You saying you want a dirty shower, Babe?" she asked flirtatiously.

"Okay. I'm coming."

She wrapped the towel around her, gathered the clothes they had left strewn poolside, and hurried to the house. And Rick was right behind her, holding on to the towel wrapped around his lower half.

Agreeing that the next day they would talk about more pressing matters than meals and shopping, they went about enjoying the rest of their day. After the dinner, another walk on the beach, and the easily agreed upon fooling around, they slept soundly.

The next morning felt different. They knew they had decisions to make about where the file copies would go to back up their deal with Bracken, and it needed to be done soon…before Jordan gave them the okay to call him. They indulged themselves and stayed in bed, Kate's head on Rick's shoulder, her arm across his chest, and his arm around her back.

"Want to take a little walk?" he finally asked. "Then we can clean up and go to Bernie's for breakfast. It's still pretty early, and his place isn't usually busy before brunch."

"Okay. We need to talk, don't we?"

He turned toward her and kissed her gently several times. "I wish we didn't."

"I know. Me, too. " She kissed him and swung her legs over the side of the bed, getting up to find something to wear that was warm enough to ward off the morning chill.

Rick did the same, and they left without coffee to face what they had been putting off. They were the only ones on the beach that morning as they walked on the sand near the crashing waves.

"Do you have people in mind already, Rick?"

"A couple...maybe three. What about you?"

"Maybe one. Not sure about it yet."

"I was thinking I could talk to Bernie while we're there this morning. I think he and Inez would agree to tuck a package away in the corner of a closet and not look at it."

"It just seems so unfair to involve someone else. I really hate this."

"Me, too, but we have to do something. I also thought about asking Arturo. Did I ever tell you how I met him?"

"No, but if you're telling me now, it must be a good story."

"I stopped by his restaurant one afternoon and was having coffee and writing. He saw me staring at the screen doing nothing for a while and stopped to speak to me, asked if everything was okay. I told him I had reached a standstill because I needed a child's perspective of the Second World War and hadn't found one yet…he sat down at the table and said 'You found one right here. What do you want to know?' He was nine years old when World War II ended. His family in Italy sheltered Jewish families who were making their way out of the country…helped a lot of people. He told incredible stories about soldiers and shortages, sounds of battles, delivering messages that could have cost him his life, close calls and fear, and the people who sheltered with them. It sounded frightening, but it was all laced with the love in his family…for each other and for the other families they were helping. I was completely enthralled. He still works quietly in the background when he sees a need. He's an impressive man."

"I liked him from the first time I met him, but I had no idea."

"All that to say he understands the importance of trust and following through on promises."

"Who's the third one?" she asked.

"A friend of mother's. Mother and Iris have known each other since before I was born. They were struggling actresses together, babysat each other's children, shared what they had when times were tough. They'd do anything for each other. I think we could count on her. What about you?"

"Most of the people I'd trust are the ones the deal is trying to protect. There's one woman, though. She owns a little bookstore I used to go to with my mother. When Mom died, I'd go there sometimes and we'd talk. When she realized that I had picked up Mom's interest in your books, she'd always call me when the new ones came in. She kind of took me under her wing. I haven't been to see her since before I was shot, though. It seems…"

"Awkward?" Kate nodded, but he assured her, "People who really care about you don't stop because you haven't seen them in a while. It's your call, though. I don't know her."

"But you should. I don't know why I haven't taken you with me. You'd love the place…and Colleen."

"Something I'll look forward to. We need one more. Do you think your dad might be able to help? The more random, the better."

"I'll ask him when we get back."

"Speaking of getting back, we should get back to the house and clean up so we have time to talk to Bernie before the brunch crowd comes in."

"Race you back?"

"Mrs. Castle?" Racing before coffee? This place is more magical than I thought," he answered, amused. "Go!" he shouted suddenly and took off toward the house.

She easily caught up with him and passed him. "Cheater," she called over her shoulder after she ran up the steps. "That means you make the coffee."

Bending with his hands on his knees to catch his breath, he nodded and smiled. "It's the only way I have even a vague chance of beating you."

She laughed and said, "I'll start the shower."

At the restaurant, they spoke to Bernie and Inez, explaining the package they would send as safety insurance and giving them a description of what to look for and instructions on what to do with it if they were willing to take it.

"I can see it's important to you, Ricky. Something you need to do," Bernie answered, looking at his wife questioningly.

"It sounds like something you don't want us to know about," Inez said, " but it also sounds a little like life insurance of one kind or another." Taking Kate's hand in hers, she concluded, "Ricky, you almost lost this fine woman not that long ago. Kate, if this has anything to do with keeping that from happening again, send that package anytime you want."

Bernie put his arm around his wife's shoulders proudly. "My thoughts exactly. We'll tuck it away and keep it safe unless we need to pass it on. We both know you wouldn't ask unless you really needed to.

"Neither of us can thank you enough," Kate answered.

"No, we can't," Rick agreed, and put his arm protectively around his own wife's shoulders. "We hope we don't need to mail them, but it doesn't hurt to have insurance."

"No problem," Bernie answered. "We both understand the need to protect the ones you love."

The beginning of the brunch crowd was coming in, so Bernie and Inez excused themselves to take care of other customers, saying, "You two keep taking care of each other."

The Castles spent their Sunday afternoon on the beach and next to the pool, then repacked their one bag to take home with them. The drive back wasn't as relaxed as the drive to the Hamptons had been; but they were looking forward to Alexis's graduation, and it gave them something pleasant to talk about on the way home. They discussed several options, making a final decision on a graduation gift for her and decided on a place for a graduation dinner, which would include Meredith, the day before the ceremony. Castle gave his wife a thinly veiled play for sympathy and comfort while Alexis was celebrating graduation at an all-night party with the other seniors…and planning on leaving home for college.

"Rick, she isn't planning on leaving home until the end of the summer. She'll be at home with us for three more months…well, minus the time she'll be away with Martha." She paused for a moment and stroked his upper thigh as he drove. "But I'll comfort you anyway while your imagination works overtime."

A smile appeared on his face, and he took her hand and lifted it to his lips to kiss it.

They rode for a while in comfortable silence, still holding hands; and then Kate said quietly, "I'll call my dad tonight and see if I can meet him sometime tomorrow…ask if he can think of someone else to hold the files for us."

"That would send them to five different media outlets. At least one of them is going to use it, and that would set off the others. I doubt Bracken would take the chance of having that happen. That should buy us time until Jordan, and whoever she and Avery are working with, can connect some dots and find enough proof to have Bracken spend the rest of his sorry life behind bars. I thought she sounded confident. I hope that wasn't my imagination because it was what I wanted to hear."

"I thought I heard the same thing. And I hope we hear from her soon. The Smith situation makes me nervous, even though I know Bracken didn't get the files. I'd love to know that Smith is safe, though. I don't want anybody else hurt trying to protect me."

"He sounded more than capable of taking care of himself. I expect he's fine."

"I hope so." She paused a moment. "So you'll talk to Arturo, your mom will talk to Iris, and I'll talk to Dad. And we can stop by the bookstore sometime tomorrow to talk to Colleen."

"You know, if Jordan can find enough solid evidence, all this work we've done might be for nothing."

"For a two letter word, 'if' can have huge consequences. What we've done isn't for nothing. Some of our work gave Jordan some connections she didn't have before, and what we're doing now is going to give us a little more peace of mind for the time being. I don't think any of it is wasted."

When they were close to the loft, Castle glanced at Kate and said lovingly, "I enjoyed our weekend. Want to go back after graduation…on our actual secret anniversary…even if it's just overnight and back the next morning?"

"If I can get the time, I'd absolutely love that." She brought his hand to her lips for a kiss then, and they relaxed a little bit as they pulled into the parking garage, looking forward to seeing their family.


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Martha, despite her seemingly relentless exuberance, was just as tired as her son and his wife, and just as much in need of a break. Alexis, burning the candle at both ends recently with her final exams and a demanding internship, was worn out as well. Having talked to Martha often during the weeks before they left for the Hamptons, they knew she needed a breather before her school opened in mid-July. All the construction work was complete, the office was set up and stocked, and there were others available to accept deliveries and mail, to answer phones, see that furniture was set up in the classrooms…take care of the basics.

They had Martha in mind as much as Alexis when they were considering one of the gift possibilities for Alexis's graduation. They spoke to Martha about a trip before they offered it to Alexis, asking if she thought she might be able to find time to spend the first two weeks of June in Europe with Alexis. Martha initially said she would need to think about it but then seemed to realize how much she needed a break. She had already done her due diligence and would have a full month to catch up after she and Alexis were back at home. And their phones allowed international calls, so the staff members at the school would be able to call if they needed her.

Martha told them right before they left for the beach house that she would be happy to spend that time with her granddaughter, and that Europe was a wonderful place for it.

When they were all home from work that night, they sat down with Alexis and presented her with the idea, and she was excited about everything except not seeing JD for two weeks.

"You and your grandmother have been working so hard that we thought you could both use a little break. We wanted to give you some time to decompress before you both have to jump headfirst into the next challenges in your lives," her father told her.

"I love the idea, but it would be more fun if we could all go."

"I can't get away again for a while," Kate explained. "By the time the two of you get back, I'll be a lieutenant, replacing the one who's retiring; and I can't accept the new assignment and then immediately leave for two weeks. I'll need time to adjust to my new responsibilities...see how much my field work will have to change."

"I know, but we'll miss you."

"You and Mother have always enjoyed your trips together. You can take whatever time you have in the next couple of days to decide whether you want to go back to one of your favorite places and stay there or if you'd rather spend a few days here and there…see a lot of things and find some new favorite places. Our travel agent will be expecting you on Wednesday morning to arrange what you want. She can work miracles in no time. We've seen her do it before."

"That's perfect," Alexis answered. My exams are both on Monday, and Grams and I can talk about what we want to do between then and Wednesday morning. I can go and help her with last minute things at her school, and we can talk there. Thank you, Dad…Kate." She stopped suddenly. "But I was going to help Dr. Parish, through next week. I can't just walk out on her."

"We've already spoken to Lanie to let her know what we were considering. She said to tell you to get on the plane and not look back…and that she's jealous. She said you can always come back if you miss the dead bodies, but she won't look for it to happen any time in the foreseeable future." Kate chuckled and added, "I think, if we bought her a ticket, she might wheedle her way into some vacation time and leave the dead bodies to someone else."

On Wednesday morning, Castle's redheads sat with the travel agent and planned two weeks of very appealing vacation time; and they would be leaving the Monday after graduation. Alexis had passed her exams with grades that continued to justify her valedictorian status, so the stress of both school and internship was dissipating quickly.

On Wednesday evening, as the family was clearing the dinner dishes, Castle's phone rang.

"Meredith?" He listened briefly before saying, "No. I won't. You know how to call your daughter, and that was the agreement you made with her last time you were here. You'll have to tell her yourself."

Alexis looked sad as her phone rang, and she answered it with a resigned look on her face. "Hi Mom."

"Hi Sweetie," Meredith answered. "I'm afraid I won't be able to be there on Friday after all. I'm so sorry."

"Mom, it's my one and only high school graduation, and I'm valedictorian. Do you know what that means to me?"

"I'm sorry, Honey, but I just can't be there."

"Okay. At least you called ahead before you missed this milestone. Have fun with whatever it is that was more important. Bye."

When she ended the call, she looked toward Kate. "Can you still come on Friday?" she asked hopefully.

Kate put her arms around her stepdaughter and held her close, "Of course I'll be there. I arranged for that night off ages ago."

"Thank you," Alexis answered quietly. "I don't know why I'm not more important to my mother, but I'm really glad I got to have you long enough to know how a mother is supposed to act. I like being adopted into your life."

"Hey, you adopted me into yours. We're even. I don't know what I'd do without you anymore."

Alexis squeezed her a little tighter. "Let's not try to find out, okay?"

"Good plan." Kate kissed her on the head. "Let's not. Now tell me about what you and Martha decided to do on your trip."

"Tell us both," Castle said, "Mother, would you like to throw in your two cents worth?"

Alexis sat between Kate and Rick on the sofa with Martha in an arm chair that she pulled up across from them, and the two women told them about their plans.

Alexis grew more animated as they laid out their trip. "Grams is a good travel companion," Alexis said in closing. "We may not have a conventional family," she observed, "but I couldn't ask for a better one." She stood and said, "Next time Mom calls and says she's missing a big milestone in my life, I'll just say, 'Okay' and let it go. I won't stop inviting her. I'll just stop expecting her to show up. I think I have everybody I need right here anyway." She took a deep breath, seeming to shake off her disappointment. "I'm going to go to bed and read for a little while. Oh, and I checked my grades today…both exams A plus scores."

A collective sound of pride surrounded Alexis, reinforcing her recent declaration, and she hugged them all before going up to her room.

"Katherine, I know my granddaughter loves me, and I've done what I could to be a female presence in her life; but I can't thank you enough for giving her what I couldn't, and for not trying to replace me in the process. Most women wouldn't want the mother-in-law around, but you never seemed to resent it."

"And, in spite of the rude noises he makes about it sometimes, your son doesn't, either."

"Maybe you can help him work on that," Martha told Kate as Castle was about to sit back down after hugging his child. Then she smacked her son playfully on the chest.

"Hey, that was child abuse. I didn't even say anything," Castle protested, but he couldn't stop a smile from escaping.

"Goodnight, Children," Martha said as she walked toward the stairs.

"'Night, Mother/Martha," she heard from her children simultaneously, and she smiled as she climbed the stairs.

Richard Castle took his wife in his arms and gave her the most loving kiss he could muster up.

"Wow. What brought that on? If I know what I did, maybe I can do it again now and then," Kate said with a smile.

"For being the reason I finally have the family I've always wanted."

"I'm not the reason, Rick. You already had a terrific family. You just allowed me to move in and be part of it. I should be thanking you. Maybe we were just supposed to find each other. Your fate ideas may finally be getting to me after all this time."

"Fate and being the owners of a magical place in the Hamptons? There may be hope for you yet, Kate Castle." He smiled as he tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear, just to be touching her, and then he was serious again. "You filled in the part of my family that was missing…the one that gave me someone who loves all of us unconditionally. Now and then, like tonight, the universe points it out again, just to be sure I appreciate its efforts…and I do."

"Fate and the universe. I'm considering the possibility."

"Come on. Bedtime. The next couple of days will be busy. We have a kid graduating."

xxxxx

Beckett and Castle closed down their day at work as quickly as they could and hurried home to get ready for a celebratory dinner, one where they would simply be the Castles. Jim met them at the restaurant. Since they had reservations for six, and Meredith wasn't going to be there, Alexis invited JD; and all of them thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

At the rehearsal on Thursday, Alexis also spoke to the woman in charge of the ceremony, explaining that her mother's ticket wouldn't be used and asking if she could add JD's name to her list of attendees instead; so there were still six people there to support her.

At Friday's graduation ceremony, Jim and Kate couldn't have been more proud if Alexis had been their own from birth. Martha was misty eyed, and they all thought Rick might explode with pride. After Alexis finished her valedictory address, ending with "Always." for her family, the diplomas were awarded. The entire family had mixed feelings, those of pride in her accomplishments and those acknowledging the impending loss of their child to the world. They had to accept that she was about to start shaping her own future, one that would take her out of the safe cocoon of their home and into an unpredictable life of her own. It was both the culmination of preparing her for what they knew would inevitably come one day and the awareness that, in the fall, she would be less a part of their everyday lives…a bittersweet evening, especially for Castle.

The school had planned an all night party for the seniors, an evening for them to spend with those they had known through high school, for them to enjoy one last evening of camaraderie before they went their separate ways. They hadn't been offered the option of bringing guests, so the family allowed Alexis some private moments with JD before they left her with her longtime friends and classmates. Then they all said their good-byes and expressed their pride in the young woman they all loved.

Castle had ordered a limo for the evening, saying it befitted the valedictorian status. They saw JD home first, then Jim; and then the rest of the family went back to the loft, bringing the things Alexis had sent with them. Castle tried out several possible places to display the tassel from Alexis's cap for her, and finally settled on one of the lamps. He and Kate both smiled at the symbol of her independence and held each other as they felt the weight of it.

Martha came back from the kitchen with a bottle of wine and three glasses. "A toast to the graduate and a sip of courage for when we have to send her out into the world."

They shared the toast and then sat down, had another glass, and talked about how proud they were of Alexis's accomplishments and her presentation that night.

"Well, I hope she has a good time tonight," Martha remarked, "But these aging joints and I are going to bed. I've had quite a workout in the last few days trying to prepare for being away for two weeks. And that was in no way a complaint, by the way. The grandchild and I will probably both sleep the entire first day at the hotel, and then we can go into full vacation mode. Goodnight, Darlings."

"I'm glad I know Alexis is at an indoor party. The rain has turned into a storm. It's getting ugly out there," Castle commented after his mother was upstairs.

"I thought you liked the thunder and lightning."

"I do. But I like watching it, not being out in it."

"We could turn off the lights, lie down with our heads at the foot of the bed, and watch the storm."

"That sounds like a fine idea, Mrs. Castle."

Just as he took her hand there was a loud roll of thunder, and something between them shifted. He had taken her hand, but she led him to their room; and when the next loud clap of thunder sounded, he was closing the door of their room by slamming into Kate against it. Their kisses and touches wavered between tentative and desperate, growing out of both their love for one another and the comfort they drew from that as they could foresee their lives without their daughter in their home. And the desire that, for them, always lived just below the surface was being pushed, fueled by another peal of thunder…as if they felt it rumble through the two of them, igniting something primal. Their actions were loving, but their lovemaking was intense and left them exhausted and clinging to one another.

"Was that comforting enough?" Kate managed between shallow, ragged breaths.

"Comforting? My god, Kate. That was almost like another first time for us."

"I know," she answered, trying to catch her breath. "I love you, Rick. I love you so much."

Still above her, resting his weight on his forearms, he responded on a ragged breath, "I love you, too. There aren't enough words to say how much."

"Do you still want to watch the storm?" she asked from beneath the warmth of his chest.

Reaching down and pulling the covers up around them, he told her, "I'm pretty sure we just created our own. I'm happy right where I am."

"Me, too. That was…probably indescribable."

"Probably, but now it's imaginable, and I'll never forget it."

"Me, either."

They held each other lovingly, sharing little kisses and touches, and drifted into sleep as gradually as the thunder moved off into the distance.

xxxxx

The next morning they were both up early. To have Friday off, Kate had traded one day of weekend duty with someone else and had to work that day; so Martha came downstairs to the smell of good coffee, a good, stick to the ribs breakfast…and a couple who looked particularly loving.

"Looks like the two of you might have done a little more celebrating after I went to bed," she observed, sitting down at the table.

"You do want us to share this delicious breakfast, don't you, Mother?"

"Officially minding my own business. I'd tease a little more, but it smells too good to take chances," she answered, taking her place at the table.

"Wise decision," Castle answered.

Kate started plating their food and delivered one to Martha.

"Thank you, Darling. My son wants to exact requirements before sharing his meal with me. It's nice to have a more understanding daughter," she said dramatically, and Kate laughed at both of them. "Sit down, Rick. I'll bring ours," she told him. "Just put our orange juice on the table."

Just after they started their meal, Alexis called Castle, asking him to come and pick her up early. "She said she wasn't sick, but she didn't sound quite like her normal self. I'm going to get her."

"Rick, if something terrible happened, one of the teachers would have called. Finish your breakfast. You're already dressed, and it won't take but a couple of minutes. Then go. I'll go in on my own today. You stay here with her."

He wolfed down his breakfast and hurried out to pick up his child. Martha said she would wait until he came back with Alexis and call Kate when they knew why she wanted to come home. With that assurance, Kate went to work.

Castle called later sounding amused when he told his wife, "One of her teachers explained that they put out more punch early this morning, and someone spiked it. Apparently several students who weren't used to alcohol weren't feeling well. It seems they didn't realize what they were drinking. Our child says she doesn't think she was a fun drunk, that she just wanted to sleep. I took her upstairs to sleep it off; so by the time you get home, Alexis may be nursing her first hangover."

Kate laughed. "Poor kid. She should have at least had the opportunity to get there because she intended to take the chance. I'll speak quietly when I get home."

"I'm sure that will be appreciated," he mischievously answered sotto voce.

When Kate got home, Rick was dispensing his hangover remedy, and Alexis was sitting at the breakfast bar with her elbows on the counter and her forehead resting on her hands. Kate walked over and kissed her head lightly. "By tomorrow it's going to be better," she said softly.

"Are you sure? Is getting drunk really worth this?"

"It has been now and then. Not too often, though."

"This isn't nearly as funny as it is in the movies."

"No, it isn't." Kate chuckled. "I'm sure all three of us can attest to that."

"Thank you for speaking softly. Dad seems to think it's funny to make a loud noise now and then."

"Rick! She didn't do this intentionally. Don't punish her."

"Not punishing her. Just having a little fun. It doesn't constitute torture."

"Easy for him to say," his daughter grumbled.

"We've all been through the same thing, Honey," Kate told her. "And we're all still here. It's kind of like a rite of passage."

"Well, wherever we're passing to, I don't think I want to go there." Alexis folded her arms on the countertop, dropped her head to her arms as dramatically as her grandmother might, then groaned, obviously regretting that move.

xxxxx

A little after Alexis and Martha went to bed for the night, Castle's burner phone rang. "It's Jordan Shaw, he said quietly, taking Kate's hand and walking her into the study with him. He closed the door and put the phone on speaker and answered.

"Who am I speaking to?" Jordan asked.

"It's Castle. Kate and I are alone."

"Just being cautious. I'll tell you what I can," Jordan began, getting straight to the point. "I'm in a secure location, but I don't want to take too much time. We took your files to the judge, and he agreed there was enough for a warrant for the senator's financial records. We've already found a number of bank accounts, and we're working our way through a few other things we suspect might lead back to him and his finances. We've also followed up on the autopsy from Rochester and a couple of other things he might be able to cover up or destroy if he thinks anyone is looking for them. If he tries to destroy anything we need now, he's too late. You can call him, but be sure to record everything that's said. We need documentation of everything we can get. If he slips up, we don't want to miss any of it. If anything new crosses your paths…"

"We'll call you," Kate promised.

"I don't want to get your hopes too high, but we already have a couple of new leads. It's going well so far, but working behind the scenes makes it more time consuming. We have a CIA contact, maybe two. The one you mentioned, Agent Danberg, looked like exactly the kind of man we want to work with. Another CIA asset, a man who's known as a ghost and apparently knows about everything that's going on anywhere, seems to have taken an interest in the Bracken case. He's contacted Agent Danberg and promised to provide him with anything he can find. Danberg was noncommittal because he wasn't sure who he was talking to, and the man is such a hidden figure I don't even have a name. It makes us nervous that he's aware of our investigation, but we're waiting to see what, if anything, comes from that direction. From what I understand, though, if Mr. Ghost has decided Bracken is the enemy and there's anything out there to prove it, the senator might as well surrender now."

"Then we'll all hope Mr. Ghost has made that decision," Castle said.

"I have to go. Just wanted to clear you to make your phone call. I don't want you to have to do it, but we need to keep both of you alive. Are all your insurance policies in place?"

"We sent someone to deliver them to a courier service yesterday."

"Someone you're sure …"

"Someone I've been sure I can trust for a long time."

"Good. I'll be in touch when I can."

"Thank you, Jordan," Kate answered, and the call ended.

"Well, that's encouraging, at least on the surface," Castle offered.

"Yeah. At least on the surface," Kate agreed. "I want to be excited, but we've already hit so many dead ends that had looked promising at the outset. I'm afraid to get my hopes up."

"It's hard to leave all of our work in someone else's hands, but we need to keep you safe long enough to put Bracken out of business. Do you want to do this now?"

"Let's wait until Monday, after Martha and Alexis are gone. No possibility of their overhearing a name.

xxxxx

Monday morning rolled around, and the two resident redheads at the loft were enthusically moving their luggage next to the front door. Castle had ordered a town car to take them to the airport for their early flight, and Darrell was going to come up and help with the bags. When he arrived, he and Castle took the luggage to the car and loaded it into the trunk before the hugs and kisses ensued. Then Martha and Alexis were off to London for a day of rest and a couple of nights of shows, with the rest of their trip through parts of Europe ahead of them. Castle and Beckett were again off to work.

Later in the morning, Beckett slipped the captain a note that said, "Jordan called." Then she asked Gates if they could leave a couple of hours early to take care of a personal matter. While she was there, she asked if they could do the same the next day, promising to make up the time for both before the end of the week. She pointed out that they were down to paperwork on the last case anyway, and that she could have it done before they left.

After letting the boys know they were leaving, the couple went home to call the senator while he was still likely to be in his office.


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Once they were home, Castle asked, "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'm going to get, I guess. Since we don't know what happened to Smith or where Bracken may be looking for the files, we don't have much choice."

He went and got her script from the hidden closet shelves, and handed it to her. He had also brought the recorder Jordan had left them and set it up exactly the way she and Avery had shown them.

Kate again read over the script they had prepared so she wouldn't forget anything; then she took a deep breath and said, "Here goes." Nodding to Castle to be ready to start the recording, she picked up her burner phone and dialed.

"Senator Bracken's office," the secretary answered.

"This is Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD. I need to speak to Senator Bracken. It's rather important."

"Is this an emergency, ma'am? He has a meeting in a few minutes."

"It isn't an emergency, but it does relate to an urgent matter. I think he'll be willing to speak with me. I'll be brief."

After a couple of minutes on hold, the senator's voice answered smoothly, "Detective Beckett, how can I help you?"

"It's the other way 'round, Senator. Mr. Smith is no longer in the area, and he sent me the files. Is there another number you might prefer that I call?"

He quickly gave her a number, and she called him back.

"I'm calling with a new deal, Senator. I know you had my mother killed, and I know you tried to do the same to me…"

"Detective, if you could prove anything of that sort, I'm sure you'd have thrown me to the wolves already."

"My point is that I'm bone weary of worrying about being shot or whatever the murder method du jour might be. Whether what I have would send you away for life or not, there's certainly enough in these files to send your career into a death spiral within the space of one day's news cycle. If you didn't know what these files would expose…blackmail, drug connections, framing a suspect for murder, indications of murder for hire…you would never have made the first deal with Roy, and you wouldn't have had Maddox looking for Smith to find them."

"I'm listening," Bracken answered dourly.

"I'm smart enough not to have the files at home or with anyone who's close to me, so don't bother trying there. The files are secure, but copies have been sent to random people we trust to hold them unopened…people who don't know what they have. If anything happens to me or to any of my family or friends, those people will mail the copies to others who will make them very public. It won't take much for that to happen… car accident, a fall down the stairs, mugging, assault, disappearance, home invasion, cameras or listening devices, unusual illness, sudden unexpected financial difficulties, threats, bogus charges brought against any of us, or needless to say, injury or death. I've seen a lot in my line of work, and I'm certain I know most of the methods you might use."

"You know I can't control all of those things," the senator blustered.

"Then you'd better hope we're all lucky. May I assume that I can live my life without looking over my shoulder now?"

"You may live your life any way you choose."

"No. That isn't good enough, Senator. I need to hear you say that my family, friends, and I will be safe. If I don't know that will happen, I can make one phone call, set things in motion, and take my chances. Do you intend to accept my terms?"

"I will. You do seem to have the upper hand for the moment."

"And?"

"And you and those important to you will be safe."

"I assure you that everything I currently have access to will be kept quiet unless something happens that will automatically trigger the mailings. Don't push me." With that, she hung up. "Did you get the recording?"

"Yes. Well done. He didn't deny your accusations, just said you can't prove them. And he agreed to your terms, no matter how reluctantly. He's been treated to Smith's methods, I see," Castle said approvingly. "Drop the bomb and hang up. Bracken must be seething while he tries to figure out how to get around you."

"I hope so. It's definitely his turn. And I hope Jordan can start connecting dots fast, because we just poked the bear pretty hard. I'm sure he's already plotting."

"Or he will be as soon as his brain stops trying to explode. I wish I could see his face."

"I'm glad he can't see mine. I don't feel nearly as confident as I think I sounded." She wrapped her arms around her husband's waist and he pulled her close.

"Have I told you lately how important it makes me feel to know that I'm the one you allow to see you feeling insecure?" He pressed a soft kiss on her head.

"You're my safe place, Rick. I don't have to put on a brave face with you. That means you're every bit as important to me as you feel…maybe more. It feels pretty special that I can do that for you, too."

"We're going be okay, Kate. I can't see the universe working so hard to get us together just so it can rip us apart. We're meant to have a long life together. It does look like the universe means for us to see that Bracken is stopped before we can relax and enjoy it, but we're going to get there. We'll be okay."

xxxxx

All day at work they were uneasy about their call to Bracken the night before. Not intending to allow it to stop them, though, the Castles left the precinct early enough to miss the afternoon rush traffic. They were taking time to themselves to celebrate the anniversary of the day they both finally dropped all pretense and committed to trying to make a life together work. Their one little bag was already in the Mercedes, so all they had to do was drop Kate's car off in the parking garage and pick up the Mercedes for their overnight trip to the Hamptons.

When they arrived at the house, they again went directly to the beach, breathing in the calming effects of the wind and the water. Standing with their arms around one another, they finally began to relax.

"Let's not think about anybody but us tonight," Rick suggested. "The boys can take on anything that comes in tonight. Mother called, so we know she and Alexis are safely in their hotel in London; and there's nothing we can do about anybody else anyhow. Just us tonight?"

"Yeah," Kate answered quietly, snuggling closer to her husband. "Just us."

They took a short walk down the beach and back, finding a couple of shells that had washed in with the waves. She picked them up, and Rick brushed them off and put them in his pocket. When they were back at the house, they took their bag to their room, and Kate pulled out the little keepsake box they had bought on her second trip to the beach house, the one they had bought to house the shells and a couple of small souvenirs from the first time they were there together. She cleaned the bits of remaining sand off the shells they had just found and wrapped them in tissue to set them apart as anniversary shells, leaving the box open for them to dry until morning.

"There was a time I thought I'd never see you sentimental about anything," Rick said gently.

"You gave me a place for it to be okay to be sentimental. It was always there, but I kept it hidden. I thought it made me look…I don't know, weak, I guess."

"Too girly to be a cop?"

"Maybe," she answered with a teasing bump against his shoulder. "But you've seen how many things I've kept from before you knew how much you meant to me."

"Finding those was one of the best surprises I've ever had." Picking up one of the shells from their first trip to the Hamptons, Rick smiled, remembering how they talked through a lot of the things that had kept them apart and agreed that they should be together…how loving Kate had been. "You know, enough anniversaries and walks on the beach, and we could have one of those lamps made…the ones with shells displayed in glass. We could put it next to our bed. There are craftsmen around here who could make something nice, show them off well. Then every time we're here, we can see our memories."

"I can close my eyes and see them every time we're here anyway. I remember the walks, talking the way we should have before, sitting on our bench listening to the ocean, watching you write, taking care of each other…feeling so in love I thought my heart might burst.

"I felt like half a person when you went back to work."

"Me. too. We're kind of hopeless, aren't we?"

"Only if you count being completely in love as hopeless."

"Not hopeless, then." She looked thoughtful for a moment and said teasingly, "I do seem to remember we didn't make love that first weekend. Are we going to observe that part of the anniversary, too?"

"Not the chance of a snowball in Hades if I have any say in it," he answered and pulled her into his arms for a kiss meant to convince her she should want to alter that part of the anniversary, too.

She giggled and kissed him back, "Are we going out for dinner, ordering in, or cooking?" she asked.

"Why don't we go out? No kitchen cleanup. We can stop for breakfast on the way back tomorrow morning. Nothing to clean up except the coffee stuff. Neither one of us should be behind the wheel before we have coffee."

"Good plan."

They went to dinner and visited a few shops that were still open, buying a couple of small items to add to the anniversary corner of the keepsake box. Then they went home, showered, and indulged in their variation of their first weekend together.

Morning came too soon for their liking, announced obnoxiously by the alarm clock. Preferring time for their anniversary indulgences the night before, they had allowed themselves only enough time to carry out their morning plan and get back to the city in time for work.

Kate groaned in protest, kissed her husband, turned off the alarm, and dragged herself out of bed. "I'll start the coffee. You start the shower."

Rick's response wasn't much more than a muffled "Mmfft" against his pillow, but he did sit up as if he intended to move.

After a shower, they had their coffee, cleaned up after themselves, and stopped for breakfast at one of their favorite early morning places. A couple of hours later, they were back at the precinct with their other two partners, catching up on the case that came in after they left the day before.

Watching Beckett and Castle sitting on the edge of her desk pouring over the information on the murder board, Ryan said quietly to his partner, "Mom and Dad look happy this morning,"

"Lanie said they went to the Hamptons overnight," Esposito reported. "I get the feeling that place means a lot to them, but that's all I can get out of my girl. She won't give up anything but that…if she even knows. You know how Beckett is about her private life."

"Whatever it is, I'm glad they're happy. They've been through a lot," Ryan answered.

Beckett turned to the boys and asked, "Did you say you have the girlfriend coming in this morning?"

"Yeah. We talked to the wife last night," Esposito answered with a smirk. "Kind of messy. They didn't know about each other. The girlfriend said she was out of town yesterday when we called. One of the victim's friends at work gave us her number. He's the one who introduced them."

"Should be interesting," Castle agreed with a little smirk of his own.

When the girlfriend couldn't produce any evidence of having been out of the city, especially to have been as far away as the midwest, they checked a little deeper and discovered she had never left town. She had found out that her boyfriend was married and accidentally killed him when she confronted him in a fit of rage. By closing time, their suspect was in holding.

"Well, that was easy," Ryan said.

"Almost too easy," Beckett answered. "Leave your notes, guys. Since we left you to handle everything yesterday, we'll get the paperwork done. I'll send it to your email for revisions when you get back tomorrow."

"We?" Esposito asked skeptically. "Castle is going to help?"

"Yeah, if he knows what's good for him," Beckett answered with a grin.

"Guess I'm helping, then," Castle answered. "Cause I do know what's good for me." He added a little wiggle of the eyebrows for effect.

"Castle!" Beckett protested and swatted his chest.

The boys just laughed and said goodnight.

Again, Beckett dictated from the notes and Castle typed. They teased each other as they worked and finished everybody's reports, making up Beckett's time off from Monday.

xxxxx

Castle called in a dinner order on the way home, and they arrived about ten minutes before the food. As soon as they arrived at home, Castle did his regular sweep of the loft.

"I know, I know," he said softly as he kissed Kate's cheek. "We've talked about it, but I'd rather lean toward paranoid and safe than just paranoid."

As he walked through the living room, there was a beep. They quietly and carefully checked, and they found a listening device under the coffee table. There was one in the kitchen, one in the study, and another in the master bedroom. They weren't entirely surprised to find the others, but the last one left them livid.

"I left something in the car," Castle said suddenly. "Be right back." He took his burner phone from his pocket and showed Beckett so she would understand, then he walked back to the parking area, dialing Jordan on the way to ask how she wanted them to handle it. He followed through with his trip to the car, and removed the first small object he saw from the glove compartment; then he closed the door, folded the paper, and slipped it in his pocket. "Got it," he announced as he re-entered the loft.

Kate had just paid for their dinner, and the delivery guy was leaving when Castle returned. "What did you forget?" she asked, playing along as she closed the door behind him.

"This," he answered with a tight smile, showing her a completely insignificant glossy brochure they had picked up in one of the shops they visited the night before.

"Oh. Well, heaven forbid you should be without that until morning," she answered for the benefit of the bug.

As much as they both wanted to shout at whoever was on the other end of the bugs and then drive to DC to throttle Bracken, they focused on getting the most information they could instead. So they were working around the bug problem until they could make some decisions.

They sat at the dining table and talked about whatever benign things they could think of, but they didn't eat much. The situation had left them angry enough that neither of them had much of an appetite.

As they stored the leftovers, Castle said, "It's been a long day. I'm gonna take a shower. Want to join me?"

"You know I'll conserve water with you any time," she answered.

They knew the bathroom was clear; so they closed the door behind them, turned on the shower, and turned on some music.

Once they were in the water, Kate asked, "Who did you call? Was it Jordan?"

"Yeah. She said she'd have our security system and the building's system checked to see if either one has been hacked. That may be how they knew the loft would be empty yesterday. If we can work around the bugs through tomorrow, they'll have time to do that. Then she'll send somebody tomorrow to see if there's anything they can learn while the devices are still working. After that we can "find" them, and somebody will come to the precinct posing as a possible witness to pick them up. They'll trace them back to the manufacturer and follow whatever trail they can find."

"We already know exactly where the trail will lead."

"And we have to decide what we do about that."

"We'll find a place to talk tomorrow."

"You really went to the car and got that worthless piece of paper?"

"If they were watching last night, they could be watching today. I didn't want to look suspicious." When she smiled and looked amused, he answered, "Okay, so maybe I look a little neurotic, but you love me anyway."

"Yeah, I do," she answered softly before she kissed his wet chest. And he gave her a self-satisfied smile.

They finished their shower dried their hair, and dressed for bed. But as Beckett reached for the doorknob, she stopped and whispered, "Castle, our bedroom is bugged. How do we sleep in there?"

"We don't do anything but sleep. That's a given," he whispered back.

"I feel violated."

"Me, too. I didn't see that coming, even from Bracken. But if another day will help Jordan and Avery find something that helps, we can manage, right?"

"I guess so," she huffed. "I hope they find something good."

"Okay. Showtime," Castle whispered and opened the door.

"We started the day before dawn. I'm exhausted," Kate said, walking back into the bedroom.

"Me, too," he agreed, dropping to sit on the bed and flopping backward.

"Get on your own side," she demanded. "I need mine."

"How about I stay in the middle and we snuggle?"

"That works," she answered and made a point of making a contented sound as he really did pull her to snuggle against his side.

"I enjoyed our trip yesterday. It was a nice break," he said sincerely.

"I did, too."

Unwilling to share more private moments with whoever was listening, he pulled the covers over their heads for a moment, kissed her goodnight quietly, and whispered, "I love you." And she smiled against his lips and whispered it back. Then he pulled the covers back to where they would normally be and they lay with their heads on the same pillow, feeling exposed as they held each other. It took longer than usual to fall asleep, but they did eventually.

xxxxx

Having been uneasy during the workday again, Castle and Beckett walked to a little park before they went home; and Kate called Jordan Shaw from where they sat on an unoccupied bench outside the fence.

When she answered, Kate asked, "Are you where you can talk?"

"Yes, but not for long," she answered.

"Where do we stand on security systems and listening devices?"

"Both your security system and the building's CCTV were being monitored from elsewhere. Avery has determined who did it; but it's someone hired to do the job, not the man we want. The good news is that it gives us cause for a warrant that will cover phone calls and payments that could lead us back to him. Avery was also able to install some safeguards for you that should make it more difficult for them to do it again. You can remove the bugs you found at home and let the senator know you found them. Give him this one chance to understand because, once that information hits the press, he won't hesitate to go after you. Put the fear in him, Beckett. Let him know you mean business. He doesn't want those files to go public. You know we've got your back if he makes a media claim of blackmail, but it's best for all of us if we can keep it quiet until we have more to work with."

"Thank you," Castle said from over Kate's shoulder where he had been listening.

"No problem," she assured them. She gave them the name their fake witness would use when she came to pick up the listening devices the next day, and then said, "Gotta go."

After the call, Beckett and Castle sat for a few more minutes just to have time away from bugs and involvement in plots and schemes and worries.

"Tell me again about our long life together, Castle."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and rested his forehead against hers. "Close your eyes and imagine it, Kate. We're going to have a normal life one day, and we're going to have at least one little Castle baby. We're going to watch Alexis grow into a confident, successful woman with a family of her own…have family gatherings at the beach house. And year by year we'll get a little older and grayer until the gatherings include our grandchildren. We'll eventually get reeeeally old, and be doddering around; but we'll still find a way to do romantic things, even though we'll still annoy each other. And we'll still be in love, probably more than we are now."

"I'd settle for just a normal life right now," she said, stroking her hand over his cheek, "But I'm looking forward to the rest, too. You paint a fine verbal picture, Writer-Man."

"The nature of the beast," he answered with his smirky smile. "Ready to go home?"

She nodded, gave him a little kiss, and stood; and they walked hand in hand back to the car and drove home to face another confrontational phone call with the senator.

Removing the bug carefully from under the shelf of the bedside table, Kate took it to the study and put it on Castle's desk while he removed all the others. Speaking directly into it, she said, "Whoever is listening should take this message to the man who hired you. I told him not to push me, and I meant it. Tell him that I've made the first phone call. If that person doesn't hear from me by nine tonight, I can't stop the mailings; so I'll need him to call me personally before then. I'm sure he knows how to contact me."


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

"Beckett," A nervous Kate answered out of habit when her burner phone rang. There was only half an hour left before the deadline she had set for Bracken, and she and Castle had discussed what they should do if he didn't call. They were sure he would, probably late enough to make them worry; but if he didn't, they would have to back up the threat…and then probably use Castle's fake ID's and escape plan…and disappear until Jordan and Avery had time to complete their investigation. But that was far from the desired outcome.

"Detective Beckett," Senator Bracken's practiced campaign voice answered.

"I could say that I'm disappointed or surprised at your lack of integrity, but I'm not," she told him. "Except for the listening device in our bedroom. That's low even from you. Were you hoping for informational pillow talk, or should we add pervert to murderer, blackmailer, drug dealer, and practitioner of prosecutorial misconduct?"

"Sometimes the operatives like to entertain themselves and don't tell me," he told her flippantly. "Come now, Detective. Surely you didn't expect me to do nothing at all to help myself?"

"You don't seem to be taking me seriously, Senator. You should think twice before you try anything else because I won't stop the process again. You should also be reminded that you aren't working with stupid people. We found those devices within five minutes after we got back from the Hamptons and tolerated them until we could get whatever information we could find from them. Within a day after agreeing to my terms, you hacked security systems here, had us under surveillance, and broke into our home to plant listening devices. Everyone close to us knows to be looking for them now, too; and I'll be checking our desks, cars and common spaces at the precinct from now on. If anybody finds even one, it's over."

"I think you're bluffing. I don't think you have anything at all."

"If you want to push me, go ahead. Just don't expect any further patience from my side. The affidavits from the three cops, along with their receipts for the money orders they sent to your bank account should be pretty convincing. I can give you the account number if you'd like. The death of your ADA two days after he took the affidavits and offered those men protection in return for their testimony against you will be interesting to the public, too. And I'm sure you know there's more. Pay close attention this time, Bracken. If I see any sign of what you've just done or any other problem that looks like you've had a hand in it, the news reports that end your career will reach you at the same time they reach the rest of the general public. You won't even see it coming. This one warning is because I know you find integrity challenging. But don't do anything else this stupid." At that point, she ended the call.

"You okay?" Castle asked after turning off the recorder.

"I will be," she answered, taking a deep breath and looking shaky. "Give me a minute."

Putting his arm comfortingly around her shoulders, he asked, "What do you think he'll do?"

"I don't know, but I think he challenged me about bluffing to see if he could shake me." She pulled away and started pacing to relieve some of the nervous energy. "He'll still have us monitored however he can, but I think I gave him enough information from the files that he knows I've at least seen them. I doubt he'll take the chance of coming after me again, at least, not right away. Shooting me twice in barely a year would be much too obvious…cause too much media attention. And using another method or making it look like an accident would have him taking the chance that I wasn't bluffing about triggering an automatic response."

"I don't think he will, either.

"But we know we can't trust him, and we know he won't wait forever. We still can't relax." Stopping and leaning against her husband, she said on an exhale, "I'm so tired of fighting him. Even when I didn't know who he was, I still felt like I was fighting him."

"But you have help now. Jordan Shaw has a small, quiet team fighting with us. Try to remember that."

"I'm trying. Thank you for sticking with me through all of it. I'm trying hard to believe in our long life together; but after everything that's happened, it's hard to believe he won't find a way to take it away from us."

"We're going to have it, Kate. I can feel it. The kind of gut feeling that you'd pay attention to if we were on a case.

Melting into him and wrapping her arms around his neck, she admitted, "I want that so much, Rick. I want our little Castle baby, and our grandchildren. And maybe when we retire we could live at the beach house most of the time. And we could have the grandchildren visit so their parents can have some time to themselves. And we can spoil them rotten while we have them…and then give them back."

He held her close, and he could feel her smile where her face was tucked at his neck. "You have an evil mind, wife," he answered with a chuckle.

"Tell me you wouldn't help," she challenged

"You'd have trouble keeping up with me," he assured her, leaving a little kiss on her hair.

"And then we'd get even older, and you'd have your walker and I'd have my cane..."

"Hey, how come I need the walker?"

"Cause you're older than I am," she answered, lifting her head to give him a teasing grin and a quick kiss.

"Okay. I'll give you that one," he answered indulgently.

"Do you think Jordan's team will find enough to take him down?" she asked quietly, nuzzling her forehead back against his neck.

"I have a good feeling about it. But how long it will take is another story."

Looking at the tumbler which was housing the four soggy listening devices Castle had drowned after they sent the message for Bracken, she asked, "Are we a hundred per cent sure all the Bracken bugs are dead?"

"You saw me check them earlier. Not a peep out of them. As dead as the proverbial door nail."

"Then I guess we should let them dry out before somebody picks them up at the precinct tomorrow."

"Probably. Want to pour us some wine while I take care of that?" He planted a quick kiss on her forehead before she moved away to get wine glasses, then Castle poured the water into the sink and set the devices on a towel.

"It would be much easier to have just called tech to take care of them, but then we'd have too much to explain," she said as she poured the wine.

"Well, this seems to have done the job, and any identifying marks should still be intact.

When he returned, they took their wine to the sofa, sat close together, and sipped it in comfortable silence.

Kate was the one who finally spoke. "Are you exhausted, too? I am. All this worrying and secret keeping is wearing me down."

"Yeah. Why don't we get ready for bed? If we aren't sleepy, we can read…or lie there close to each other and enjoy the company...whatever you want."

"Let's do that," she agreed, and took his hand to walk to their room. "Even if we're reading, I'll enjoy the company."

Having the loft free of other people offered Mr. and Mrs. Castle ample opportunity to make love whenever, wherever, and however they wanted, and they took full advantage. They missed their family but loved their temporary freedom.

It was nearly time for Martha and Alexis to return from their European trip. Farraday retired, and took Castle up on his offer to close The Old Haunt for a couple of hours for a retirement party. The next day Kate took Farraday's place as lieutenant. The Bracken situation hadn't shown signs of new problems, and Kate's work situation hadn't changed enough yet to be difficult for them. She had more responsibility in relation to the other detectives, but the good rapport she had already built with them over the years seemed to be holding out. The good will left from interactions with the other teams while she was stuck on desk duty seemed to be paying off as well, manifesting itself in the form of others seeking her out now and then asking questions, requesting assistance, or asking an opinion. The worst part of her new rank was the additional paperwork that loomed in the background. She and Castle had recently worked out a system for combining their efforts when her paperwork was getting too deep, and he had actually been helping voluntarily more often recently. Of course, compared to what he had done to help in the past, more often still didn't qualify as frequent. Gates was obviously keeping a sharp eye on the new change of rank dynamic within the bullpen, and she seemed to be satisfied.

Anxious to see the rest of her family again, Kate had arranged to go in a couple of hours early on the afternoon Martha and Alexis would be getting home. She wanted to be able to leave early enough to go to with Castle to pick them up.

Castle insisted on meeting Alexis and Martha at the airport, rush hour traffic or not. He had arranged for a car so he and Kate wouldn't have to worry about parking, and he had Michael drop them off at arrivals.

After checking the display to see where the luggage for the European flight would be sent, they headed for the baggage carousels.

"Can't wait to wrap your arms around your little girl again, can you?" Kate asked with a soft smile.

"That obvious? What am I going to do when she's living in the dorm this fall and gone all the time?"

"We'll have to learn to cope…and visit, and bother her a lot?"

"You'd help me with that?" he asked with a grin. "Then she might be mad with both of us."

"We'll invite JD, too, sometimes. Maybe that will ease the interference."

"Conniving with me. I like it."

"Partners, remember?"

"We're a little early. Let's find a place to sit where we can see them when they get here."

They sat and talked while they watched for the rest of their family, and stood to meet them as soon as they appeared.

"Dad!" Alexis squealed as he wrapped her in a bear hug.

Kate went for Martha, and then they exchanged family members and hugged some more.

"I think we're blocking traffic," Kate pointed out, pulling Castle to one side.

"Sorry," he apologized to the people around him, and then he took his mother's carry-on bag and pulled her with him toward the baggage carousel with an arm around her shoulders. Kate was doing the same with Alexis. Martha's luggage was easy to spot. It was as distinctively colorful as her clothing. Alexis had chosen a much more conservative pattern and color than her grandmother's, but the subdued pattern was still distinctive, so it didn't take long to spot their bags. Castle called Michael, and by the time they had retrieved all the luggage and had taken it to the curb, Michael was waiting beside the car to help load it into the trunk.

On the way home, the couple was bombarded with stories of train stations and airports and the trip home…the annoying man across the aisle, the adorable baby in the waiting area in London, the architecture in a couple of the train stations as they travelled around. Castle asked questions and joked about some of their stories, and they were nearly home before they knew it.

"Would you like to stop for dinner before we go home or order in once we're there?"

"I want a shower and my favorite pajamas," Alexis answered.

"I second that," Martha agreed.

"Delivery it is, then," Castle was saying as Michael pulled up to the curb in front of their building. Castle got out and helped unload the bags, and Michael helped take them to the elevator.

Europe was great, but it's nice to be home. I missed you guys," Alexis said. "We kept seeing things I knew you'd enjoy."

"Come on. I'll help with your bags and your dad can help Martha," Kate answered. "We missed you, too."

While the two travelers showered, Castle ordered food, then kissed his wife. "Less freedom for our libidos now."

"They'll get some exercise anyway," Kate promised. "That's what doors are for."

Dinner gave the family time to hear travel stories and catch up on the news about Kate's advancement in rank and responsibilities and Castle's writing and the deadlines approaching. Everybody conscientiously ignored any talk of secrets or FBI contact. They'd get to that another time. Homecoming was for enjoying, and they did just that.

Martha went back to work in earnest at her school. She had a month before classes started, and she discovered she had chosen her staff well. She'd had three phone calls while she was away, to ask questions or to verify what she wanted them to do, and she had checked in a couple of times herself; but they had handled things admirably. On her return, she asked questions and inspected, went through student lists and classes, sifted through bills that had and hadn't been paid, discussed marketing for the fall, and generally showed herself to be much more in tune with the business end of the process than even those who knew her had expected.

She had talked to her son about what she was doing, but one morning when he had stayed home to write, he took a break and stopped by the school to ask if she'd like to have lunch. He knew how hard she had been working and thought she might need a break, too. When he arrived, he saw her deeply involved in a discussion with the office staff and intended to simply wait for a break in the conversation, but he ended up listening to a productive discussion between them. She was both listening to their suggestions and countering with suggestions of her own, then someone came in with questions about the stage area and she was off with them. There were two others who caught her with concerns before she returned to the office, and she seemed to be fielding the constant pull in several directions with aplomb. Castle was thoroughly impressed.

"Mother, you seem to be in demand," he said as she returned to the office area.

It was the first time he had seen her focus weaken. "Richard, don't sneak up on me like that. Not that it isn't lovely to see you, Darling, but why are you here? I thought you stayed home to write today."

"I needed a break and thought you might need one, too. How would you feel about lunch with your only child? Do you have time for that? You look busy."

"I am busy. But I do need a break. Let me get my purse. Tell Delia where we'll be. I'll be right back." She disappeared into her office, and Castle spoke to her secretary; and when she returned, he smiled and gallantly offered her his arm as they walked toward the double doors at the front of the building. "To what do I owe this chivalry?" she asked, looking pleased.

"I'm impressed, Mother. I was here longer than you realized, and you were handling every distraction and still managing to keep your eyes on the big picture."

"You haven't actually had to stage a play?" she reminded him. "Everybody wants or needs you for something. It's a series of distractions from beginning to end. If you lose focus, you're dead meat. That's where it comes from. New situation, same method of dealing with it. I've seen you and Katherine work a case that way. Where do you think you learned it? You used to hang around when I was working and offer critiques on the directors…pros and cons of their abilities and how well they could keep the performance on track. I used to love discussing all that with you. And your opinions were usually spot on, even when you were barely in junior high and constantly making mischief."

"I remember that. It made me feel good that you seemed to take me seriously. I always wondered if you were just humoring me."

"No. I was impressed that you could see those things. I was proud of you."

He patted the hand his mother had placed at his elbow when he offered his arm and answered, "I'm impressed and proud of you, too, Mother. I think you may make this school a success."

Martha stopped and looked at him with such love that he was afraid he might embarrass himself with a sheen of tears in his eyes, right there on a Manhattan street outside the restaurant where they would have lunch.

"I can't tell you how much that means to me," she said softly and gave his arm a loving squeeze.

"Let's go and see Arturo. He asked about you the last time Kate and I were here. I'll even tell him I'm proud of you."

Their actual moment was over then, but the warmth of it remained throughout their meal. Then they parted and went back to working at their respective deadlines.

He talked to his wife about it that evening, and her answer was, "Never sell Martha Rodgers short. She's quite a woman."

It seemed that the last half of June was the time for settling into future responsibilities after a difficult spring. Castle's newest book was in the stores, and he was trying to meet deadlines for the first chapters of the next one. The recent Bracken demands had slowed him down, but he couldn't tell Gina that; so he was pushing himself to catch up.

Martha was preparing to open her school, and Beckett was proving herself in her new position.

Alexis went to see her college counselor and confirmed her classes for the fall semester. And JD took her on a tour of the campus, pointing out the buildings her classes would be in, and the ones his would be in…and the places convenient to both where they could meet for lunch or coffee between classes.

One night in mid-June, Jordan Shaw called again. "I wanted be sure you haven't had any new problems from the senator," she explained.

"So far we haven't seen anything else. It's probably plaguing him, though," Kate answered as she motioned for Castle to follow her into the study.

"I certainly hope so," Jordan answered.

"I know there are things you don't feel you can tell us, but is there anything you can?"

"In general, I can tell you that we're closing in on him. The information you gave us opened a doors for warrants and what we found opened the door for more. Someone helped him hide bank accounts well, and it was like navigating a labyrinth to find some of them, but we've found more than we expected. A couple of old accounts tie him to payments for things that you already know about, and there are other connections…and more recent activities. And Mr. Ghost has come through with a lot more than we had hoped for. None of us have met him, but he's provided us access to several off-shore accounts that were well hidden but traceable through shell companies. He's also made a few connections to some unsavory international activities…all of it coming back to Bracken, and all legally useable in court. If we had to provide evidence today, we could prove enough to put him behind bars; but we know there's more, and we also want to take down his network. The pieces are falling together into one big, ugly picture."

"You don't know how much we needed to hear that, Jordan. Encouragement is exactly what we need right now," Castle told Agent Shaw.

"We just need you to hang in there a little longer," Jordan told them. "I said more than I should have; but we trust both of you. We wouldn't be where we are without the information you gave us, and you two have been through enough to earn it. Take care of yourselves."

"You do the same. And give Avery our regards."

When the call ended, Kate put her phone back in her purse and threw her arms around her husband. "It looks like it's going to happen doesn't it? I want to know everything they have, but I don't want to put Jordan on the spot. I can hardly believe they've made that much progress."

"I'm impressed with your self-control. There was a time when you would have been quizzing her to within an inch of her life."

"Maybe you've taught me patience," she answered flirtatiously.

"Me? The nine year old on a sugar rush?" he teased.

"You're still him now and then, but I love him, too. He just requires a little more of that patience you mentioned. Not that there aren't things that require a lot of patience with me."

"I'm planning on getting lucky after the child goes to bed, so I'm not about to answer that."

"I always knew you were a smart man," his wife told him with a playful smile. "Let's go see what we can think of that will make Alexis sleepy."


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60

In the days after talking to Jordan Shaw, Kate and Castle gradually began to feel calmer, even with the specter of Bracken in the back of their minds. They checked with the close friends and family members who knew what was happening with the senator and found that nothing suspicious had crossed their paths either. It didn't result in complete peace of mind, but it did allow them to concentrate more on the cases in front of them without the distractions of the last few weeks; so life in general was easier.

Martha was working hard to be sure that her school opened as efficiently as possible.

Alexis was working with Lanie a couple of days a week and had agreed to go in when things were backing up to the point of emergency status. Otherwise, she was enjoying her summer…seeing her friends before they scattered to various campuses across the country and starting the shopping for clothes and supplies for college in the fall. Kate encouraged Castle to take Alexis to the Hamptons with him and have some time for just the two of them before she moved into the dorm. That was planned for July.

That week also provided Kate with her first big test as lieutenant. Information came directly from the captain this time.

"Lieutenant Beckett, my office," Gates called from her doorway. She looked deadly serious, and Beckett moved quickly to see what she needed; and immediately after they entered the office, Gates closed the door behind them.

As she handed Beckett a memo sheet with two addresses, she explained, "Multiple homicides, two separate homes. I'd recommend two teams. CSU and ME's are already on scene. It's going to be a tough one…two entire families, one home with three children, all about ten and under, the other with a couple of teenagers. You'll need to assign teams and coordinate the investigation."

"Yes, Sir."

"Keep me apprised, and let me know if you need anything. I don't have to tell you the press will be all over this. Don't give them any information until we have time to talk."

Kate nodded, took a deep breath as she left the captain's office and met Castle approaching her desk with their morning coffee.

"Do we have a body?" he asked.

"Looks like we have a lot of them."

"So it's bad?"

"Worse than that. Some of them are young children. Look, you don't have to go if you don't want to. Young kids…it's always hard."

"It's hard for you, too. I'm your partner. I'm gonna have your back."

"I need to coordinate with two teams. Two entire families, Castle. Somebody killed nine people last night. That's all we have so far. Will you get Karpowski for me? I'll round up the boys. I think I see them in the break room."

"Be right back."

She met with her own team and Karpowski in the break room and quickly explained the situation. "Two houses, one team in each. We can compare what we have when we get back, see what connections we can find. And, needless to say, we take care of notifications as soon as possible, and hopefully before the press gets the victims' names. Karpowski, here's the addresses. Get your team rolling as soon as you can. The press is bound to have caught wind of this already, and the captain said to give them nothing until we've talked."

"Got it," she answered, taking the addresses. "See you there."

Both teams mobilized and met at the scene, finding themselves in a lovely old area of well-kept brownstones…small trees growing seemingly impossibly from spaces in the sidewalks, flowers and green plants on some of the porches and steps, and a little park with a play area at one end of the street. It was a place where the garish flashing lights of the police cars and long stretches of strident yellow crime scene tape looked entirely out of place. The two homes were across the street from one another, and the first officers on scene had cordoned off the entire street area between them. The detectives drove past the impatient reporters and cameramen, who were being withheld from the crime scene, and one of the officers moved a barrier so they could park their cars close to the crime scene. Standing on the street between the buildings, the unusually large number of detectives saw little to indicate their reason for being there. The front doors of both houses were open, but nothing else on the outside looked out of place.

After looking around and asking a couple of questions to be sure that the area was properly secured and to look for anything that might be telling, Beckett told Karpowski, "We'll take the one on the right, you take the one on the left. Let me know if…" Her voice trailed away as she looked at the doorways they were about to enter.

"Yeah, I will," Karpowski answered with a sound of complete understanding, and their teams went to their assigned places, leaving two from each team to speak to the officers who had been first responders.

"Lt. Beckett," she said, introducing herself to a young officer, who looked a bit stressed. "And Richard Castle. Civilian consultant. He's with us." As Castle shook the young man's hand, Beckett asked, "Where is your partner?"

"Went to help with a rowdy reporter. I see him on his way back."

"You okay, Officer Maxton?"

"Yes, Ma'am," he answered respectfully. "Thanks for asking."

"It's always harder when there are kids," she responded. "This your first murder?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I don't know how somebody can do that to little kids."

"Me, either. Tell your partner I appreciate the good work the two of you did securing the area and helping your backup cordon off the press. My partners here are going to take down whatever information the two of you can give them as first on scene. Let me know if problems or questions come up."

The young man nodded as Beckett and Castle braced themselves and walked up the steps to enter the crime scene. After ascertaining which areas CSU had cleared, they made their way upstairs, finding three children, looking about three, seven and ten years old, all shot in the head, all still in their beds.

"I agree with Officer Maxton," Castle said sadly. "It looks like the kids were all asleep. They probably didn't see or hear a thing. How can anybody do this? Execute little kids?"

"I don't know, either, Castle," she answered, sounding as sad as he did. "Looks like somebody was looking for something. Even a quick glance tells me the master bedroom was turned inside out. Maybe the poor excuse for humanity who did this was afraid the kids would wake up and catch him."

Someone from CSU came into the room then and told them the living room was ready for them, so they went back downstairs; and instead of Lanie, they encountered Perlmutter. They hadn't seen him in a while, and he was in a worse mood than usual.

"Hello Detective Beckett. Castle, you're still here." The greeting to Castle was made with a sound of disgust.

"Yes, I am."

"Haven't they realized yet that they don't need you?"

"Even Gates can see that he helps," Beckett interrupted getting back to business. "What can you tell us so far?"

"Two victims, male and female caucasians, mid-thirties, gunshots to the back of the heads. Clean shots, exited through their foreheads. Looks like they were probably on their knees when the shots were fired. I can give you a more accurate answer after I examine them further. Lacerations and contusions on the hands, arms, and face.

Castle asked about time of death and followed with another question, and Perlmutter made a couple of snide remarks without actually answering him.

"Those are perfectly appropriate and necessary questions. What is wrong with you?" Beckett asked irritably.

Perlmutter grumbled something under his breath; and it sounded derogatory, even though the only thing they understood was "that man."

After tolerating all the increasingly rude and annoying barbs the ME had thrown at Castle over the years, something finally snapped, and Beckett answered, "Partly because he's a much kinder man than you are. Look at it this way, Sidney. You retire in two weeks, and you never have to see us again, which suits all three of us just fine." She paused for a moment before stating firmly, "And it's Lieutenant Beckett…coordinating the teams in both locations; and I need this information, no matter who asked for it. Look at where you are. There are five murder victims in this house, three of them children; and you're slowing down the investigation by sniping at us like you're in junior high. Have some respect, at least for the victims, and just do your job. The faster you answer the questions, the faster you get rid of us."

Perlmutter grudgingly answered the questions, estimating time of death as between two and four in the morning.

"Have you examined the children yet?" Beckett asked.

"Haven't been here that long. CSU had finished most of this room and told me to go ahead here."

A couple of minutes later, Perlmutter went upstairs; and Castle and Beckett took a closer look at the bodies of the adults and then at the room. The sofa and chair cushions in the family room were strewn across the floor, tables were overturned, bookshelves nearly emptied.

"Somebody wanted something badly," Beckett stated, looking around.

Ryan and Esposito came in with the information from Officer Maxton and his partner and a statement from the man who had called in the murders. They had asked one of the more experienced officers on site to canvass any of the neighbors who were at home or among the observers who were on their porches or at their windows…and to look for security cameras that might have caught something the night before. Beckett sent them to look around, and she and Castle went to see if they could find anything in the master bedroom or the office. The children's rooms had been searched but not ransacked as badly as other parts of the house.

A little more than the entire morning was spent in gathering what information and evidence they could find and trying to avoid the press and the curious. Beckett and Castle walked over to the brownstone across the street to see what Karpowski's team had encountered…other than a much more cooperative medical examiner. They found more of the same there, but the abuse to the adults was more severe, and the teenage daughter was lying on the stairs. The son was in his bed. It looked very much like conditions across the street. The biggest difference was the time of death, which was an hour earlier.

After the coroner's vans were backed up to the houses and the tarp barriers were set up to block removal of bodies from press and gawkers, the detectives conferred before deciding they had gleaned all the useful information they could for the time being.

"You guys in any mood for lunch?" Castle asked cautiously. "It's on me. It might help to refuel and decompress a little bit before we look at everything again."

"We need to get on this, though," Karpowski said reluctantly.

"Yeah," Esposito said, "But he's right. This one was ugly. We just need to get some food in us before we jump in full force."

Castle suggested, "We can stop at Tony's place, Kate. It's close to the precinct, and he'd have it ready for us when we get there. After you talk to the captain, I'll call him if it looks like it's in the cards. We can take it back with us."

Both teams nodded as Beckett dialed.

"It's Beckett, Captain. We've finished at the crime scene, at least for the time being. There's a good sized press contingent cordoned off at the end of the block here. Shall I give them a 'no statement yet' statement and ask that they hold any personal information they may think they have until notifications have been given?"

"That should be fine. I don't think anyone would object to that…other than the reporters."

"Castle and I plan to stop and pick up lunch for everybody on the way in. Any objections? We're likely to be at this non-stop once we're back."

"Give me enough of what you have that I can give at least a brief, factual statement to 1PP. I've had one phone call already. And don't take too much time. We don't want it to look like you're not getting right to work on it. Some of the neighbors will talk to the press, and it won't take long for the speculation to start. We need to be on top of this."

"We know the restaurant owner. We can call in the order so it's ready when we get there, and it's going to be a working lunch when we get back."

"Give me something I can relay to the chief's office, pick up your lunches, then get back here and get to work. As soon as you've brought me up to speed on everything, you need to notify the families."

"Yes, Sir."

"Let me know when you return. I'll be sure the conference room is available."

"We should be back in thirty minutes at most, the others less than that. We should have most of the CSU information and pictures by then." She turned to Castle. "Call Tony with lunch orders. Gates is going to be sure the conference room is open for us."

"Everybody's checking the menu on their phones already. I'll just order your usual.

"Are you talking to the press, Beckett?" Karpowski asked, looking in that direction.

"As little as possible, but I guess I need to. The captain cleared it."

She put pulled herself into her take charge persona and strode confidently toward the reporters and camera people. Before she was even close enough to answer them, there were reporters shouting questions. Without answering any of them, she walked close enough to be heard and simply stood and waited. Some of them got the message and stopped shouting; and when a few more took the hint, she said firmly but with civility, "I'll speak to you when you can hear me, not before. I won't say this but once." A couple of the reporters still tried to shout questions but were glared down by their peers.

Once she could be heard, she began. "I'm Lt. Katherine Beckett, NYPD homicide. Our investigation is just beginning, and I'm not at liberty to provide any further information at this time. The purpose of this communication is to ask that you allow us time to notify next of kin before you release any personal information you think you have to the public. We will appreciate your cooperation in showing that respect to the families of the victims. I'm sure other statements will be given soon. The shouted questions began again, but Beckett simply turned and walked back toward her car.

The others were already at their cars, and Castle was waiting with a comment. "The cameras got you coming and going. I'll bet they loved your walking away butt. I sure did."

"Castle!" She smacked him on the arm. To his credit, he had said it without his customary smirk, trying to maintain a professional and appropriately serious look for any of the gawkers who were still watching.

"Oh, come on. Everybody here knows us well enough to let that slide."

"Yeah, Beckett. We'd think he was sick if he didn't say something like that, and especially if he didn't watch."

"Oh. Orders are in and Tony said he'd have them waiting," Castle said, wisely changing the subject.

"Sorry. A little wired right now," Beckett answered. "Just try to stay professional long enough to get to Tony's and back to the precinct." she warned good-naturedly.

"Got it." He put his hand at the small of her back for a moment as they walked to the car…innocent in appearance, but supportive and comforting for both of them.

"Thanks, Maxton," Beckett said as they walked past the young officer.

"Just doing my job, Ma'am," he answered, but his face reflected some pride at the recognition.

As they got in Beckett's car, Castle smiled at her. "Remembering when you were fresh out of the academy?"

"Maybe. Most of the detectives were so jaded they didn't even see us. I remember the ones who took time to let us know we had done something well. It meant a lot."

"Well, I think you have a new fan, maybe two. You know he told his partner what you said earlier."

"Whatever."

"Encouraging young cops, Kate. You do these things and don't even realize…"

"Take down the pedestal before we get back, Castle. People I have to work with will be there."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"You sound like Maxton," she said as they got into their car.

"When you get to be Captain, are you going to demand to be called 'Sir'?"

"Do I look like a guy to you?"

"Not even a little bit. As a matter of fact…"

"Stop right there. When we're back, I don't want you going in with one of those looks on your face."

"What looks?"

"The ones where you're imagining me and things from my underwear drawer." She smiled as she turned left and pulled into a parking space about half a block from the restaurant.

"Spoilsport."

"Thanks, Rick," she said softly before they got out of the car.

"For what?"

"For giving me a little bright spot before we have to go back to facing the ugly truth again."

He reached over and took her hand, squeezing it briefly. "I needed it, too."

A reporter had followed them from the crime scene, and she and her cameraman ran up to them at the restaurant door asking, "Detective Beckett, can you tell us anything more about the murders this morning?"

"No comment," Beckett answered firmly as Castle opened the door for her. She kept walking, and the reporter tried to follow; but Castle stood in the doorway until she made it to the cashier, who handed her several bags and the receipt for Castle.

"For the record," Castle told the reporter before she reached the door again, "It's Lt. Beckett." Then he walked between the reporter and Beckett on the way to the car.

They ignored the reporter and drove back to the precinct, ignoring a second one who was waiting nearby.

"Conference room is available, Lieutenant," Gates said, emerging from her office with a legal pad as soon as she saw Beckett return. Everyone else just arrived.

"We brought you something, too, Captain. I hope you like Mexican," Castle told her.

"That was thoughtful of you. At this point, almost anything looks good."

She sat down with them, and all their meals were in front of them within minutes after Castle and Beckett set the bags down on the table. They all took full advantage of what they suspected might be their last real meal for the rest of the day.

"First order of business, next of kin," Beckett stated as she sat down.

"One of the neighbors had emergency contact information for our victims," Esposito reported between bites. "Parents of the wife and sister of the husband…both local."

"We'll get to work on ours," Karpowski answered. "Freedman, see what you can find, after you're finished." She was rewarded with a nod of agreement.

Jennings, Karpowski's partner, finished his food first and pushed his Styrofoam tray away. "Thanks, Castle. We all needed this. Good food, too. I'll be taking the family there."

Uncharacteristically for the precinct, Castle momentarily dropped any role except husband and draped his arm around his wife's shoulders, running his fingertips along her arm as he spoke. "I did it because Kate probably wouldn't eat otherwise. Figured it wouldn't hurt the rest of us, either." Then he seemed to remember where he was, removed his arm from Beckett's shoulders, and sat up straighter in his chair.

There were a couple of indulgent smiles from the others, and the captain said nothing. As the others finished their meals, they echoed appreciation in various forms and cleared the table for work.

Senator Bracken was likely to be no more than a peripheral concern for Beckett and Castle for at least a few days.


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61

The conference room table having been cleared of lunch, it was ready to be filled again with notes, crime scene photos, CSU reports, etc.

Beckett stopped briefly in the process. "Ryan, Blount, get the white boards from the bullpen...and pull up anything from CSU and print it. Since the families seem connected in this somehow, we might as well start the murder boards together."

Beckett again gave the captain an overview of the situation in general, this time in more detail. She then gave Karpowski the floor to report more of what her team had found at their crime scene. Esposito was also asked to report, and all of them offered relevant opinions along with their information. Then the captain asked questions that various members of the teams answered. They had all begun to refer to the families in the two homes as Beckett's family and Karpowski's family.

"Mr. Castle, you've been quiet. Any opinions or observations?"

"Only what the others have said or implied. The two crime scenes are too similar not to be connected somehow. Someone was looking for something in both places. He, or they, must have thought someone in Karpowski's family had it. Looks like they had some reason to believe they might find it with a member of the family across the street. There's always the possibility it might not have been found."

"Any indication of what they were looking for?"

"Not yet," Beckett answered. "We have statements from some of the neighbors, but most of them were at work. We're going back tonight when more of them should be at home. Right now, we need to find next of kin and make notifications. I did request that the press not release any names they might find until after the notifications are made."

"I saw your statement," Gates interrupted. "Well done."

"Thank you, Sir, but there wasn't much to it."

"It was handled with authority from our position and a degree of sympathy for theirs. They'll be willing to listen to what you have to say later…which is why you're making the statement on the case at the press conference this afternoon at four-thirty."

"Sir?" Beckett's response might as well have come out as, "Do I have to?"

"You heard me. The chief will open, I'll introduce, you'll explain. The murders of nine members of two families in a quiet neighborhood can't be left unmentioned. Part of your new duties, Lieutenant. You're running this investigation, and you'll be the voice speaking to its progress."

"Yes, Sir," Beckett answered with a look of resignation.

"Thank you ladies and gentlemen. Unless someone has other pertinent observations, I'll leave you to your work," Gates said, and waited a respectably long moment to allow for responses before she returned to her office.

"Congratulations, Beckett." Jennings teased after the captain was gone. "Looks like you get to be the media darling on this one."

"Shut up, Jennings," she answered, and everybody chuckled.

Ryan and Blount had unobtrusively rolled the two whiteboards into the conference room while Gates was being briefed, and after she left, they moved them to a better area for viewing.

"We should get the murder boards started…start coordinating information from both crime scenes," Beckett told them.

Blount and I printed a few copies of the CSU reports," Ryan offered, handing both Beckett and Karpowski a couple of copies for their teams.

"Looks like Karpowski's crime scene is where it all started," Beckett said, drawing a time line on her board while Karpowski did the same. "Victims at the first house died between one and three am, those at the second died between two and four. Assault at the first house was more severe, meaning that was probably the original target. So why did they move to the second?"

"And why were they at the first house at all? What were they looking for?" Blount asked.

"Where do the victims work? Do they have any known enemies, angry exes, arch rivals? Castle added.

"I'll look at workplaces for the Morgans," Esposito volunteered.

"And I'll do the same for the Feldmans. Neighbors we talked to knew the name of the companies they worked for but not much else," Jennings offered before the two men left the room. "There was one neighbor who said one of Feldman's best friends is out of town until day after tomorrow. We got his phone number, so I'll try to track him down as soon as we've notified the families."

About ten minutes later, Freedman came back with the contact information they needed for the Feldmans' families; and Beckett, Castle, Karpowski, and Jennings left to carry out the unenviable task of notifying the victims' next of kin, each speaking to members of the families whose home they had investigated.

"That's never an easy job," Castle said as they left the sister's house.

"It's never an easy job when only one death is involved, but those parents lost their children and their grandchildren, and the sister lost a sibling, a niece, and her nephews. I only know part of that kind of devastation."

Castle put his hand at her waist as they approached the car, a small gesture of comfort for both of them. When they were inside, she started the car, pulled out into traffic, and then took his hand and held it until they were back at the precinct.

The two sets of partners arrived back at the precinct around the same time, equally drained from their recent endeavors.

In the elevator on the way up, Jennings said, "You're back in time for the press conference with half an hour to spare, Beckett."

"Didn't I already tell you to shut up?" Beckett shot back with no real bite to it.

"I don't always listen well," he answered with a playful smile."

"Wow, Karpowski," Beckett teased. "If you don't do some retraining, you may have another Castle on your hands."

"Hey, what was that for? I've been on my best behavior this morning," Castle protested.

"Yeah. _This_ morning," Karpowski teased.

"Do they gang up on you, too, Jennings?"

"Been known to happen," he answered.

And then they were at their floor. Exiting the elevator toward the conference room, the mood immediately became more somber. They went back to the conference room to find that their partners had added to the information on the boards.

"I need to see Gates about the press conference…make sure what I say has her approval. The chief will probably want to pass approval, too. Not my favorite part of the job."

"I'll get you caught up afterward, Castle promised."

Karpowski's victims, the Feldmans, worked in different places. Mr. Feldman was marketing manager for a large toy company. Mrs. Feldman was a buyer for a small department store. Beckett's victims, the Morgans, had an internet business which they ran from home, planning and maintaining websites for a variety of small businesses.

"Neighbors tonight. We'll talk to the co-workers tomorrow," Karpowski told her."

"We'll go back to the neighbors, too," Ryan said. "We'll leave while you do your press thing. By the time we get there, some of them should be home from work."

"Did you find any security cameras that looked promising?" Beckett asked.

"A few." Esposito answered. "Almost all those houses had them. We even found a couple on the side streets and some around the park, but only a couple of those houses had people at home."

"You want us on that before or after we talk to the neighbors?" Blount asked.

"How about you and Ryan stay here and Castle can help interview the neighbors. I'll come back and help you after the reporters try to get me to say something I don't intend to say. Speaking of which, I need to make some notes and get approval from the captain."

"Better you than me," Karpowski answered with the attitude of one who has happily escaped a misfortune.

"Better watch your back, Karpowski," Beckett answered faux threateningly as she returned to her desk to jot down a short statement for the captain. There was a chorus of chortling in her wake.

After a quick trip to the ladies' room to be sure she was presentable, Beckett returned to the bullpen, Gates joined her, and they both walked to the elevator in command mode.

Watching from the door of the conference room, Castle, Esposito, and Ryan looked proud.

"She's so got this," Esposito said.

"That's two damned impressive women," Castle said as the elevator doors closed. Present female company is pretty impressive, too," he added, turning to look toward Karpowski.

"Yeah, Castle," she said, pointing across the room, "If that other impressive woman ever gets sick of you, my desk is right over there."

"So, time to go?" Freedman asked, laughing.

"Yep. Let's go talk to some neighbors."

Just before the press conference started, the team members going to interview the neighbors left the precinct as unobtrusively as possible and spent the rest of the evening collecting whatever bits and pieces of information they could find.

Shortly after they left, the Chief of Police opened the statements to the press, giving a very brief assessment of the situation and introducing Captain Gates as captain of the twelfth precinct. Gates stated the area where the crime had been committed, the time her precinct had been involved, and that two homicide teams, led by Lt. Beckett and Detective Roslyn Karpowski, both seasoned homicide detectives, were investigating.

After a few more words of explanation, she said, "I'll defer now to Lt. Katherine Beckett, who is coordinating the investigation."

Beckett took her place at the microphones and began. "First I would like to thank the very large percentage of the press corps who showed the restraint, respect, and strength of conscience to hold back the names of the victims until next of kin could be notified. This is not something that family members should learn from a news report.

"That said, I ask your understanding again. It's much too early in the investigation to give you definitive answers; so with slight exception, you will hear an accounting of the facts. No questions will be accepted at this time. Updates will be given at the chief's discretion. We received a call early this morning reporting homicides in two homes in the same neighborhood. After further investigation, it was determined that all members of the household in both homes were deceased…Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Feldman and their two teenaged children, ages fourteen and sixteen, and Mr. and Mrs. Brian Morgan and their three children, ages ranging from three to ten. On the surface, it appears that all of the homicides are related. Our initial impression, and it is exactly that, an educated impression, is that the two families were specifically targeted. However, at this very early stage of the investigation, neither a reason nor a suspect is obvious. Our hearts go out to the surviving family members for the overwhelming loss they have suffered."

Some of the reporters started to shout questions, but the chief interrupted with the reminder that no questions would be taken. He promised updates as soon as possible, and he escorted Beckett and the captain back inside.

"I don't have much time, but I'd like to pay my respects to the other detectives if they're available," he said. "I don't know about you, but the death of children was always the hardest to accept."

"Yes, Sir," Beckett answered as they exited the elevator. "For us, too. Ryan from my team and Blount from Karpowski's team are here scouring CCTV footage from the neighborhood."

"Any luck?"

She explained what they had found before she left. "The others are all back at the crime scene talking to neighbors who weren't home when we were there this morning. Tomorrow morning we'll speak to co-workers and anyone of interest after the canvass tonight."

"And you're wishing you were there with them?"

"Sorry, but yes, Sir."

"It's acceptable to want to be there, Lieutenant," Gates assured her. "It means you're anxious to do your job."

The chief smiled. "Let me speak to the detectives who are here. That's a tedious job they're doing, but it often helps close a case."

"I'm back," Beckett said, entering the room. We have com…"

"Finished with the show?" Ryan asked, never looking up from the screen. The tease in his voice was unmistakable, and Blount snickered.

"We have company, gentlemen. I need your full attention."

Ryan and Blount looked up when they heard Beckett's all business tone; and seeing who stood beside her in full uniform, they were on their feet and apologizing immediately.

"Sorry, Sir," Ryan said. "No disrespect intended toward either you or the case."

"Not from me, either," Blount agreed.

"None taken," the chief assured them and extended his arm to shake hands with both men. "I won't keep you from your work. Just wanted to thank you for your efforts. Please pass that along to the other detectives when they return." He clapped each of them easily on the upper arm and left.

Outside the door of the conference room, unaware of their visitor, Lupinski left the break room with his coffee. Seeing their newly minted lieutenant in the doorway of the conference room, he called, "Hey, Beckett. Everybody says if you guys need any help, we got your backs. Killing little kids crosses the line. Anything you need, just say the word. I got elected to tell you." He added the last sentence with a grin.

"Thanks, Lupinski. Good to know." Beckett gave him an appreciative smile.

He raised his mug in a coffee toast and turned to go back to his end of the bullpen just as the chief left the conference room and walked toward the surprised detective. "Lupinski, is it? Is that what I heard?" he asked, again offering his hand.

"Yes, Sir," Lupinski answered, putting his coffee down to shake the chief's offered hand.

As he shook Lupinski's hand, Chief of Police Dawson asked, "Mind if I walk back with you? Don't forget your coffee. I think I remember that the precinct runs on that stuff."

"Yes, Sir," he answered, "You do remember correctly."

"It's good to see the kind of cooperative spirit you just offered your lieutenant."

"She'd do the same for us."

People looked up at the sound of a new voice near them, and started to stand when they realized who the voice belonged to.

The chief waved them back. "Don't stand. I ran into your ambassador to the lieutenant a minute ago and wanted to thank you." He said a few words of appreciation to the others in the bullpen for their willingness to help where it's needed. "I wish I saw that in every precinct."

Various sounds of "Thank you" and "Goodbye" followed Chief Dawson as he left the bullpen, and Captain Gates joined him to walk him to the elevator.

"Thank you, Captain Gates. The esprit de corps here is inspiring. And you and your lieutenant presented yourselves well. I'm impressed."

"Thank you, Sir. Some of the credit for the cooperative work environment should probably go to my predecessor. I'm pleased to have preserved it. As for my lieutenant, I think she has command potential…someone to keep an eye on."

After a few more words, the chief left, and the two men in the conference room pulled themselves back together and got to work again.

"Is this traffic cam footage?" Beckett asked.

"Yep. All sides of the neighborhood. We found what we think is the SUV they were driving. We got a plate number, but it was reported stolen earlier last night. We'll talk to the owner first thing in the morning, but all we're likely to get from this is where they went…if we're lucky. If the owner is lucky, he might get the vehicle back eventually."

The rest of the detectives returned to the precinct around nine.

"Anything new?" Beckett asked hopefully.

"The wife of the neighbor who was out of town was home when we got there and was shocked by the news," Esposito answered. "She said they had been on a camping trip with both of the murdered families the week before and was worried about the effect the loss would have on her children…and understandably worried that someone might be coming for her family."

Castle took it from there. "She said her husband and Mr. Feldman spent some time together the night before they returned, talking away from the rest of the group. Ordinarily Mr. Morgan would have been with them, but he was helping his wife settle their three young children in bed for the night. She referred to the men as the Three Musketeers…said her husband and Feldman looked serious, but she didn't question what they talked about."

A couple of the neighbors said Mr. Feldman wasn't quite himself recently, seemed to have been stressed; but no one seemed to know why," Jennings added.

"You should be getting more camera footage from the neighbors. Everybody was willing to talk to us, but they're all scared," Karpowski told them. "Did you find anything on the camera footage?"

We already got the footage from the house with the cameras on one of the side streets. One of them caught two men putting on and removing masks as they got out of their car and back in. It's not clear enough for facial recognition, but we sent it to the techs to see if they can clean it up. We're trying to track the vehicle now to see if we can find anything useful," Ryan answered.

"We don't have that much to work with yet, and we aren't likely to get anything from the lab before tomorrow at the earliest," Karpowski observed. "Why don't we let the guys see if they can find anything on the traffic cams and take shifts so we all get a little sleep. Today has been a long one."

"I was thinking the same thing," Beckett answered.

"And the friend who's out of town should be home. Maybe he knows something he doesn't know he knows," Castle suggested. When Beckett raised her eyebrows in response, he said, "You know what I mean."

"Sadly, I do," she teased, bumping his shoulder with hers and smiling at him. "All our messages to him have gone to voice mail. I wish he'd call."

"Other than the traffic cam footage and getting the new information on the murder board, there really isn't much more we can do tonight," Castle said. "I need to hug my daughter."

"Me, too," Beckett agreed.

"I need to hug all three of mine," Jennings answered. "They're about the same ages as the Morgan children. I'm glad I didn't have to see that."

"Must have been a tough day for you," Castle sympathized.

"Yeah, it was," Jennings conceded. "If you guys don't mind, I'm gonna see if I can get home before they're all asleep. Go home and hug your daughter, Castle." He stood and gave Castle a brotherly slap on the arm as he went to his desk before leaving.

"Beckett, you should go home first," Karpowski insisted. "If the chief decides he wants a news conference in the morning, you need to be alert for it."

"But…"

"You're good, Beckett, but we can manage without you for a while. Get a few hours in your own bed and come back so we can do the same. You know it may be the last night we have that luxury until we close this case. Besides, you two have a daughter to hug."

"Okay," Beckett agreed reluctantly. "We should get some labs and reports in tomorrow, maybe something from tech, and we might learn something from the workplaces. We'll all be back in the morning and put together a plan before some of us talk to the co-workers and bosses. Ryan and Blount, give it until midnight. Whatever you have or haven't found, give it to somebody else and go home. Get some sleep. Esposito, you take the first shift here with Karpowski. Freedman, you go home now, too. The ones going home should be back here around two-thirty. Ryan and Blount, between six and seven. Somebody call me if anything important comes up."

There were various rumbles of agreement as some of them went to gather their things for their trips home.

"Thanks Roslyn," Beckett said before she left with Castle. "I really do need to hug the kid."

"Just be back on time, lieutenant," she teased. "See you in the wee hours."

xxxxx

As they walked into the loft, both Castle and Beckett were looking for Alexis.

Martha was in the kitchen. She took one look at them and simply said, "She's in her room."

Castle was up the stairs in no time, but Martha slowed Kate down with a motherly hug.

Kate showed no problem accepting it, and a few tears were finally allowed to escape. "Martha, it was awful. They were all so young. One of them was only three, just a baby, and he was beautiful…a little boy with brown hair that was a little messy from sleep. He looked like Rick's baby pictures...except for the bullet hole in his tiny little forehead. If we had a little boy… I couldn't help but imagine… It haunted me all day. What kind of monster does it take to do that?"

Martha held her tighter and murmured consoling words. "I can't imagine having to see all that, Katherine. You were very impressive today as Lt. Beckett, but you're home now. Let yourself grieve for those children while you're here. You can put your façade back on when you leave tomorrow, but right now go and hug your child and know she's safe."

Martha kissed her daughter-in-law on the head before Kate lifted it from Martha's shoulder and wiped away the tears she couldn't hold back. "I'm sorry, Martha. I shouldn't have put that image in your head."

"Darling, you can't carry everything around in there on your own," Martha answered, tapping Kate's forehead. "Now get upstairs before Richard hugs that child hard enough you need to resuscitate her."

Kate started toward the stairs then turned back and gave Martha another hug. "Thank you," she said before almost sprinting up the stairs.

"Kate. Thank goodness. Dad has hugged me tight enough I can barely breathe."

"Well don't consider me your savior," Kate answered with a grin, grabbing Alexis in a bear hug and taking over where Castle left off. "I've wanted to hug you all day."

"It must have been bad for both of you to be like this," Alexis answered, holding Kate a little tighter.

"It was hard for both of us, but probably worse for your dad. He can remember you at all those ages."

"Grams and I didn't expect to see you tonight. We thought you'd be going non-stop on this case for days."

"Since we have two teams and not a lot of information to work with right now, we're sleeping in shifts. I'm going back in at two-thirty. Karpowski is going home then. It may be non-stop after tonight."

"Then you two should stop squeezing the breath out of me and get some sleep. That isn't much time," Alexis said, pulling away.

Castle and Kate both kissed Alexis on the head and agreed that she had a point.

As they passed her on the stairs, Martha recommended that they help each other forget. Touching Kate's arm, she said softly, "Tell him, Darling. He may feel the same way. You can help each other."

Kate trailed a hand appreciatively over Martha's arm as they parted.

"Tell me what?" Castle asked as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"How I felt about the three year old."

"Other than overwhelmingly sad and horrified that anyone could do that?" He wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they walked toward their bedroom, and she slipped her arm around his waist.

"Yeah."

Not wanting to separate long enough to walk forward through the study door, Castle turned sideways and pulled them through in a silly little sideways shuffle, making Kate smile.

"What else was there?" he asked as they reached the bedroom door.

"He looked like your baby pictures. He looked like I've imagined our little boy would look, but he…"

Kate was suddenly engulfed in her husband's arms and readily met his embrace with her own. "I had the same thought," he told her, "and it affected me the same way. But he wasn't ours, Kate. Ours is in our future."

"I know, but he was still just a baby, and he was... I didn't want to know the color of his eyes. If I knew they were blue, I would have very unprofessionally lost it. And the other two hadn't even lived long enough to finish elementary school."

"I know. I know." He held her tighter for a long moment before asking, "Do you imagine our children often?"

She nodded against his shoulder. "Not all the time, but sometimes…more often than I used to."

"Does that mean we should consider trying to have one? I'm ready when you are."

"Soon? Before the end of the year?"

He kissed her gently and lovingly. "Nothing would make me happier."

"Me, either."

"We could practice before we sleep. Make each other forget anything else for a little while."

"Shower first?" she asked flirtatiously. "We could practice there then just collapse into bed for a few hours."

"We have a plan," he said with a grin, pulling her through the bedroom door sideways again to make her laugh.

They showered, practiced, and slept until two. Then Castle started the coffeemaker…a schedule does have priorities…and they dressed for work. After filling travel mugs, they left just in time to get back to the precinct by two-thirty."


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62

"Thank God!" Karpowski said wearily when Castle and Beckett walked in. "We've looked at this screen until our eyes are crossed. I can't wait to get reacquainted with my bed."

"Me, either," Esposito agreed, pushing his chair back and stretching.

"Did you find anything new?" Beckett asked.

"We used the traffic cams, and we think we managed to track the SUV to Queens. If that's the right SUV, they parked it, and it looks like they picked up another car. Probably stole it," Esposito answered. "Where they were in the frame, we couldn't see enough to be a hundred percent sure it was the same two guys, though. And we could only make out a couple of letters on the plate."

"We sent that to tech, too," Karpowski reported. "We're hoping they can find something helpful. We were just about to start on the neighbors' CCTV footage from that night. it's all yours...with our blessings. This is about all we have to work with until we get back ballistics, labs…"

"Yeah, I know," Beckett sighed.

"We've got it. Go home and get some sleep," Castle told them.

"Think we can trust them...leave these two in a room alone for the rest of the night?" Karpowski teased.

"Go home, Roslyn," Beckett answered good naturedly.

"Yeah. And I'd add _shut up_ and go home. I don't need that kind of picture in my head right before I try to sleep," Esposito agreed. He gave a dramatic little shudder to make his point. Then both tired detectives left for their homes and beds.

Castle and Beckett put down their travel mugs and settled into the chairs vacated by the others. Then they started the unappealing task of going through hours of uneventful camera footage, looking for something more useful than a dog sniffing around one of the little trees or the occasional single car driving through. About six-thirty, they found movement in something a fourth neighbor had sent. Two men in ski masks came from around the corner and walked up the steps to the Feldmans' house. One shot the lock and then eased the front door open and slipped inside.

"They must have had a supressor," Castle said, sitting up straighter. "Otherwise, that kind of sound should wake somebody up…the homeowners at least, if not a neighbor, too."

"Probably." Beckett was taking notes now. "Time stamp when they reached the door was twelve forty-two. Fast forward until there's something new."

"Look. Lights coming on in the front room upstairs. That was the master bedroom, wasn't it? One of them must know how to get around an alarm system. You know all these houses have them," Castle commented.

They carried on a running commentary of where lights were on and off and what they suspected was happening based on the crime scene and the CSU and ME reports.

"The timestamp was about an hour and a half later when the two men walked across the street to the Morgans' house. I'd say the same thing happened there, but we're not going to see it from this camera angle," Beckett complained.

"We'll see if they come back this way and then look for another angle. It'll give us an accurate time if nothing else. We have addresses to match to these cameras, right?"

Beckett checked. "We do. Where's the diagram of the block?" Castle rummaged through a few papers and found it. "We need a camera on Feldman's side of the street."

"These addresses," Castle said, turning the page toward her. Then he hit fast forward again. "There. They're coming back…looks like they're arguing."

"And they're waving both hands around. Doesn't look like they found anything."

"So maybe when we get back there, we can find something?"

Beckett looked at him and smiled as she nodded. "Maybe we can."

Castle put his arm around her shoulders and leaned in to kiss her temple. "You know," he said very softly in her ear, "As satisfying as it is to have found something, the snuggly, naked sleeping last night was a whole lot more appealing."

"Yeah, it was. That already seems like days ago." She turned to look at him and said, "I love you."

"I'll never get tired of hearing that. I love you, too."

He leaned in and kissed her long and slow. When she returned the favor and her hand went to the back of his neck, they heard throat clearing at the door and looked up in surprise.

"Sorry, Captain. We didn't realize anyone else was near the room," Castle said, moving his arm away.

"I certainly hope not. At ease, Lieutenant. A case like this… A reasonable amount of comfort in a private place is understandable. Just don't make a habit of it."

"We didn't spend the last four hours like this," Castle assured her with a little smile, not looking too sorry about it.

Gates actually smiled back before sitting down with them and asking, "Anything worth seeing yet?"

They told her what Esposito and Karpowski had found and sent to tech, and what they had found just before she came in."

"So the making out was a little celebration?"

Beckett dropped her head to her hands for a moment, dragged her hands down her face, and said from behind her fingers, "Yes, Sir. That's about right."

Castle reached for her and pulled her head close enough to kiss quickly. "We're married, Kate, and we didn't do anything wrong. It was just a little moment before everybody gets back and we have to face another long, demanding day." Then he let her go and said, "Captain Gates, you're in early today."

"Couldn't sleep. This case is getting to me, too. I thought I'd come in and finish some reports I didn't get to yesterday with all the hullabaloo around us." She stood to leave and looked down at them much more gently than usual. "This job takes a toll on us. I'm glad the two of you have each other. It helps." Then the moment was gone. "Keep me posted," she ordered over her shoulder as she left.

Ryan and Blount were back just before seven to take over the computer search again. Castle and Beckett filled them in on what had been found and what they were still looking for. Then Castle went for coffee, and Beckett went to the gym for some yoga time to alert her senses before Castle returned with her morning caffeine fix. He came back with coffee and pastries for four and gained everybody's good will.

While the other two worked and Beckett checked her computer for reports of any kind, Castle took out his laptop and looked up the toy company. Beckett soon returned to the conference room disappointedly reportless.

"Hey, there's an article here that says there are rumors of a problem with a toy in the new Christmas line-up," Castle reported. "But there's nothing specific. Sounds kind of vague, though. Maybe a little shady. Could even be something thrown out there by a rival."

"You think it could have anything to do with the murders?" Ryan asked.

"I don't know. But suppose there really is a problem. Feldman was in charge of marketing. What if he found out about the problem and didn't want to market it unless it was solved?"

"That would slow down the Christmas advertising. That's the biggest time of the year for toys, isn't it? And wouldn't the big push be starting pretty soon?" Beckett asked. "What if Feldman leaked the rumor?"

"Or what if he was a whistle blower?" Blount suggested.

"Something to keep in mind," Castle agreed.

Everybody else was back by 7:30. They were all brought up to speed and sat down with their coffee to plan their day.

"We'll talk to people at the Feldmans' workplaces today. But we're going to take time first thing to finish up the paperwork on the case we closed the night before we were pulled into this one. Then that's not hanging over our heads," Karpowski told them. "It shouldn't take too long."

Beckett suggested, "Since we have this _extremely_ vague _somewhat possible_ lead connected to the toy company, why don't we start there this morning, and you can check with the department store where his wife worked when you finish the paperwork. Maybe by the time we're back, we'll have heard from somebody with lab results, tech results, prints… I'd be happy with anything that looks helpful."

"No problem," Karpowski answered. "This is really one case. Let's use whoever is available for whatever we need."

Arriving at the offices for Top of the Line Toys, Beckett told Esposito to talk to the office staff and she and Castle would talk to the execs. They all walked up to the security desk, showed their badges, said who they needed to see, and asked not to be announced. When they reached the top floor, they went to the receptionist's desk and announced themselves again, asking to speak to everyone on the staff, all the way up to the CEO, Trent Tattinger, about the murders that included their marketing director.

"Of course, Lt. Beckett. We're all horrified at what happened. Let me get you Mr. Tattinger's secretary. We'll need to clear this through his office, but I'm sure he'll want us to do anything we can to help. Mr. Feldman was a good man. We all liked him. He did his job well and treated all of us with respect. I'll be right back."

The CEO's secretary came to meet them quickly, saying much the same thing as the receptionist. "Mr. Tattinger is probably here, but I haven't seen him yet. He has reports due this week, and sometimes he stays overnight to work on them. I want to let him know before you start speaking to everyone. Just a formality. That's all." She connected to his office phone, explained briefly, and told the detectives, "He said he'll be with you in about five minutes and that you should go ahead and talk to whoever you need to."

"Thank you, Jasmine," Castle said, looking at the nameplate on her desk. "Who's in the office over there?" he asked. "Looks like he's available."

"That's our CFO, Quinton Duggart."

"Might as well start there," Beckett said. "Esposito, why don't you start here, and speak to anyone who works on this floor. Jasmine, do the executives and their staff members interact with employees on the other floor? Do I understand the toy company only occupies the top two floors?"

"That's right. The company owns the building, but it leases everything else. Most of the toy production is outsourced now. There's a manufacturing center in New Jersey for the little bit that's still made here."

"Do any of the people on the floor below you have knowledge of what's discussed here…unless it's announced, of course?"

"HR is on the floor below us. They wouldn't know everything, but they interact more with the executives than anyone else, I guess."

"Thanks."

After they had spoken to the CFO, Tattinger appeared. "My apologies for making you wait," he said, shaking Castle and Beckett's hands. "I sometimes put in a night here when demands get heavy. Much easier than taking it all home, and the sofa is pretty comfortable. I was in the process of making myself presentable enough to face the troops. Come in." He ushered them into a relatively plush office and invited them to sit. "What's this about something terrible happening to Leon Feldman?"

"Leonard Feldman was murdered last night. I'm surprised you hadn't heard. The media coverage has been heavy since late yesterday afternoon. We're interviewing anyone who knew him or worked with him."

"I was here working on reports all day and late last night, and I didn't hear any news reports. I just kind of close out the world until I finish what I'm working on." He ran his hand through his hair, seeming upset. "Murdered? And Leon's murder got that kind of media attention?"

"It wasn't just Mr. Feldman." Castle explained. "His entire family was killed, too…his wife and both children."

The CEO accepted news of Feldman's death with the kind of response that would be reasonable for the unexpected death of a fellow employee, but when Feldman's wife and children were mentioned, he paled. Then Castle mentioned the other family, and Tattinger dropped to his chair. He seemed to play it off by asking, "Why would anybody kill two entire families?"

"That's why we're here, Sir. Trying to figure that out," Beckett answered.

"I have two children. I can't imagine…"

"We have a few more questions, and then we'll leave you to deal with your loss."

"Of course. What do you need to know?"

After speaking to everyone on the floor and leaving a trail of their cards behind in case someone thought of something later, they moved on to the floor below. Castle and Beckett went to Human Resources and asked if Feldman or anyone else had reported problems with other employees, made any unusual requests, or done anything out of the ordinary or out of character. Esposito had arranged to make an announcement to the rest of the workers as to why they were there, and he left a stack of his business cards with the same instructions as before. The team then returned to the precinct to compare notes.

The end result of their facts and impressions was that the CEO reacted more strongly to news of the families' deaths than they would have expected, and that he denied any truth to the rumor Castle found. The CFO denied any financial problems, and none of those in the upper echelon of the company knew of any reason for the murders. As far as they knew, the company was in good shape and Feldman had no enemies there. HR knew of nothing unusual, and none of the secretaries or assistants knew of any problems. A few said that Mr. Feldman hadn't been quite himself most of the week before he left for vacation, but they had no idea why.

"There was one guy…Feldman's assistant," Esposito said after everything had been laid out for both teams. "His back was turned to the others, and he looked like he wanted to say something, but not there. I gave him two cards and told him if he wanted to keep something quiet to palm one and drop the other one on his desk and to call me if he had something to say. Told him we could talk away from the office. I might have misread him, but I don't think so. Maybe he'll call later."

Beckett went to check, and some of the reports and labs were in. As they expected, the same gun killed all of the victims. Tech managed to clean up the CCTV pictures and sent them more recognizable prints of the hitmen, but facial recognition came through for only one of them.

"Lawrence Mitchell Hogan...goes by Larry," Jennings reported. A long-time ne'er do well, but there's nothing in his record like this."

"Does he have a brother? Now that you can see the faces better, they look like they might be related," Karpowski noted as she studied the picture. "Something around the eyes."

After a little further research, they found that there was indeed a brother, but the picture they found looked much different from their hitman.

"This guy had a receding chin and a bad overbite, but the upper part of the face does look similar." Castle said. "He could have had facial surgery and dental work to correct it. If the facial structure changed, could that explain why the system didn't pick him up?" he asked.

"Stuart Matthew Hogan…goes by Stu. More violent crimes than his brother, and that was escalating over the years. Looks like he has a mean streak." Beckett looked up from the printout of his file. "He disappeared about eight years ago, though. Nothing since. New identity, maybe?"

Early in the afternoon, Feldman's friend, the one who had been out of town, called Beckett.

"I have something to show you," he told her, "but I'm worried about my family. I don't want to take the chance of being seen going to you."

"We'll be in the neighborhood tonight anyway. Speaking to you will blend right into the general canvass. We'll talk then."

Ryan and Blount were relieved to reach the end of the camera footage around lunchtime. They decided to go out to lunch a couple of blocks away and stretch their legs. The boys and Blount and Freedman went back to the neighborhood that night with pictures of the two assassins and started a new canvass to see if anyone had seen them.

Feldman's friend, Ed Pratt, invited Beckett and Castle in and told them Feldman was afraid. He gave Pratt an envelope to give to the police if anything happened to him; and he told him about a safety issue with a new toy. "There were cases of overheating causing fire during the testing. Two incidents had caused burns, one was severe burns. He said this toy was going to be the next parents-fighting-in-the-store-aisles-to-get-it product. He found out the company would be in big financial trouble if Christmas sales aren't good, and they couldn't afford to lose that product; so Tattinger and the CFO had paid the lab manager well to create a false report. The idea was to market the toy and keep working to correct it before sales were actually underway...but it was going on the shelves one way or another. Leon found out somehow and didn't want to do it. The CEO threatened his job, and Leon felt like his safety was at risk, too. I didn't tell my wife because I didn't want her to worry; but now she's scared to death, and my kids have lost their best friends. I don't mind telling you that I'm scared, too. I feel like I need to take them out of town until you find who did this."

"I understand," Castle answered. "That would be okay, wouldn't it, Beckett?"

"Under these circumstances, yes...as long as we know how to reach you if we have further questions," she answered. "Do you have somewhere to go…a place to stay?"

"We have friends upstate, former neighbors, who have plenty of room. I can call them."

"Let us know if you decide to leave, and we can help you if you want to leave inconspicuously," Beckett promised.

Pratt walked over to a small table and took a manila envelope out of a drawer. Just as he was handing it to Beckett, they heard the pounding of small feet rapidly approaching from farther back in the house, and two little boys who looked about six and ten came to a stop at the doorway."

The older one looked upset and asked, "Dad, why are you giving the police our vacation pictures?"

Mr. Pratt smiled at his sons. "It isn't our pictures. It's just the same kind of envelope. The pictures are on the bookshelf in the den. This is something of Uncle Leon's that might help them find who hurt him.

Castle knelt in front of the two little boys and spoke to them seriously. "But don't tell anybody, not anybody at all. We don't want the men who hurt him to know about this until we're ready to arrest them. We want to put them in jail where they can't hurt anybody else; and if they find out, they might get away. Can you keep it a secret for us until then?"

Both boys nodded solemnly as their mother joined them. She said, "Apologies," and herded them back into the den.

"Sorry. We all sent Brian the pictures we took, and he made copies of everything for all of us. It's the last good memories the kids made with their friends. We're all torn between being too sad to look at them without crying and wanting to look at the good memories over and over."

"Thank you for this," Beckett said. "We appreciate your help, and we're sorry for your loss."

Castle folded the envelope to fit the inner pocket of his jacket and slipped it inside so it would be out of sight before they left the house. Joining Ryan and Esposito outside, they met the others across the street, and determined that they had done all they could.

"Feldman's assistant called me," Esposito told them before they got into their cars. "He wants to talk at a bar in the village, and we're going to meet him there in about half an hour."

Everyone except Ryan and Esposito reconvened in the precinct's conference room around eight-thirty and compared notes as to what the neighbors had said.

Having exhausted everything they had found, Freedman mentioned, "One neighbor told Esposito he saw Morgan the afternoon of the murders, but I was talking with my guy and missed anything else he said. We need to ask Esposito when he gets back."

"We got some good information from Ed Pratt, the guy whose family vacationed with all the victims. Best information we've found so far; and if it's true, the CEO and CFO both lied to us about the company's finances. Somebody want to make copies?" Beckett asked. "All of you need to see this. We don't know how it connects to Larry and Stu, but I have a feeling it's there if we look in the right places."

"I'll make the copies," Jennings volunteered. "Be right back."

"While we wait for that and the information from Ryan and Esposito, I'll remind you that we need to stay on top of writing up witness/neighbor/co-worker/whatever statements," Beckett told them. "There are so many that we'll be doing paperwork for weeks if we don't." Most of it can be just a list of names under a label that says 'no useful information.' Start there and then write up details for the others any chance you get."

"Good advice, guys," Karpowski agreed.

"You need to see this. This could be motive," Jennings said to his team when he came back with the copies. "We just have to figure out how to connect the shooters to somebody at the company."

"Since they both lied to us, I'd say we start with Tattinger and the CFO," Beckett answered. "This includes Feldman's notarized statement and copies of the original safety information as well as the doctored report. It looks like Tattinger was going to pay off anybody with injuries and include a clause in the settlement demanding their silence about details of their injuries. Hmm… There's a stick drive here, too. I didn't see that before."

Ryan and Esposito returned then and reported on information from Feldman's assistant before the others caught them up on everything they had discussed in their absence.

Ryan started. "Feldman's assistant…his name's Ron…said Feldman had a meeting with the CEO and CFO the week before he left on vacation. Ron saw Feldman open the door to the conference room a crack, stop suddenly and listen, and said he looked upset. It looked like he checked his phone for something, and then he put it in his pocket and went inside. After a few minutes, Ron heard louder voices for a minute or so, said it sounded like a heated discussion of some kind."

Esposito took it from there. "Feldman left looking angry and worried; and Tattinger followed him to the door saying, 'You can't back out of this, and don't even think about reporting it. I know people.' Feldman told Ron he turned on his phone recorder before he went in and asked Ron to put the recording on a stick drive or CD or something. He needed help from Ron, who's apparently something of a computer guru, but he didn't want Ron to seem involved. Ron was told to use Feldman's computer to see if he could get into Tattinger's files and find the original copy of the test results."

"And we have both the original copy and the doctored one. Feldman had given Pratt all of it, and Pratt gave it to us tonight," Castle told the boys.

Beckett handed them their copies of the reports. The whole group listened to the recording while Ryan and Esposito read, hearing the discussion of the testing, the plans to market the toy anyway, the bribes to the testing facility to cover up the safety problem, and the very thinly veiled threats toward Feldman when he didn't want to cooperate.

"We need to find the Hogan brothers. Did you find a last known address?" Karpowski asked.

"We did," Freedman answered, "but the place is rented to somebody else now…somebody named…" He took the small notebook from his shirt pocket and flipped a couple of pages. Briggs. Gordon Briggs. The guy I talked to at the apartment building said Hogan didn't leave a forwarding address." We thought we'd go over there in the morning and see if anybody knows where Hogan went."

"It looks like we might have enough for search warrants for the two execs," Beckett told them. "Until we see if tech can help us with the traffic cam, we can't do much more with that. It's past ten, and we've been at this since seven-thirty this morning. All of you go home and get some sleep. We'll stay long enough for me fill out the paperwork for warrants and see if we can find a judge willing to sign them. Then maybe we can surprise the bigwigs tomorrow morning after Blount and Freedman go to check on Hogan.

"I don't mind helping with the warrant..." Karpowski started.

"I know you don't, but go home, Karpowski. I've had all of you going non-stop for almost fifteen hours…on about four hours of sleep last night. If you go home now, you can get a full night, and tomorrow will be much easier. I've done this often enough that it won't take me long, and then we'll go home, too.

"The rest of you go home. See you in the morning," Karpowski told the others. "Beckett, you and Castle have been here four hours longer than the rest of us. You take the paperwork for the CEO, and I'll take the CFO, then we can all go home."

"Markaway has always been a night owl. Want me to call him?" Castle asked. "I've never worried about calling him late, as long as it's before midnight. He's got a soft spot for kids. If the evidence for the warrant passes the sniff test, he'd probably be willing to wait up for us."

"Yeah, you can tell him what we have," Beckett answered. "If we're not going to get it past him, I doubt we'd get it past anybody else. We can at least go home knowing which way the wind is gonna blow it."

Karpowski left and returned with the forms they needed, and she and Beckett worked as Castle went outside the room and called Judge Markaway.

When Castle came back, Beckett was adding her signature to the page with a relieved flourish.

"Done," she said triumphantly, accepting the one Karpowsi had just finished. "What did he say?

"He said it's pushing the envelope, but he thinks it should hold up. We can stop by his place on the way home and he'll sign it. He's been following this case and is just as horrified as anybody else."

"Oh, and he said to tell you that you look good on TV." With a little grin, he added, "Apparently he has a soft spot for hot, tough, poker-playing female detectives, too."

Beckett swatted her husband on the arm, and Castle backed off, dramatically claiming, "Spousal abuse. I have witnesses."

There was snickering at the door as the other five detectives called out their varying forms of "Goodnight."

"Okay, let's go get our warrants." Beckett told Castle. "And thanks, Roslyn. You've been great about all this."

"All on the same team, Kate. I'm taking the lieutenant's test next time it's given, and I'm getting some good training watching you. In case you've wondered how we think you're doing, you're pulling an A plus so far. Now go get your signatures and go home."

Beckett smiled and slid the warrants into the file folder Karpowski had brought in with the forms. "Yeah. I guess I was wondering." The entire exchange was very matter of fact and cop like, but the sentiment was there with an appreciation from both sides. "You heard Future Lieutenant Karpowski, Castle. Let's go get those signatures and go home."

"I'm so ready," he answered. "Thanks, Karpowski…for all of that," he said as she went to get her things. Her answer was a hand waved over her shoulder in acknowledgement.

xxxxx

As Castle and Beckett drove to Judge Markaway's home, Beckett said, "I couldn't help think when Ed Pratt handed us that envelope, that we have five people in a similar place. It worries me sometimes."

"It isn't quite the same, Kate. Tattinger knew that Feldman had the information because he was in on the conversation. Feldman gathered the evidence _after_ that, knowing it could be tracked his computer. We were smarter. We had the information first and distributed the copies before Bracken knew we had it. We didn't give it to people who would automatically be associated with us, and we believe they won't look at what they have. It isn't the same. But I do wonder about it now and then anyway."

"It still worries me." She paused thoughtfully before going back to their present case. "Pratt was so afraid for his family. I almost wanted to sneak them off to the house in the Hamptons. Nobody would be looking for them there."

Castle chuckled. "It crossed my mind, too. I was glad they had a place to go where they'd feel safe." He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "We need the beach house for ourselves as soon as this case is over. Even if it's just for a day."

"With all this overtime, we'll probably have at least a day for that. Sounds nice."

They got the signatures they needed from the judge, talked to him for a few minutes and then went home.

When Martha saw them come in, she looked at Alexis and deadpanned conspiratorially, "They're back, Alexis. Head for the hills. Save yourself."

Alexis giggled and went to hug her parents. "You both look so worn down."

"Thanks, Pumpkin. You're looking lovely yourself," Castle answered sarcastically and grabbed her in a bear hug again.

"Daaaad."

"My turn," Kate insisted, rescuing the girl from her father's clutches and giving her a less breathtaking hug.

"Wine? Castle asked his wife.

"Definitely," Kate answered, trailing her hand over Martha's shoulders affectionately as she passed her on the way to the kitchen.

Martha caught Kate's hand and said "We made extra for dinner tonight in case you managed to get home. Top shelf in the fridge."

"Thank you both," Kate answered. Looking at her husband, she said, "I just realized we never had dinner. I'm falling down on my responsibility to the teams."

"Did you hear anybody mention dinner? All of us got involved in what needed to be done. "You heard Karpowski. Everybody thinks you're doing an outstanding job, and I haven't heard anybody complaining," Castle answered as he pulled the leftovers from the refrigerator.

Kate put the food on plates, and Castle put them in the microwave one at a time. "Now that I've remembered how long ago lunch was, I'm famished. Thanks for taking care of us," she said to Martha and Alexis.

Castle handed his wife her plate, and they took their dinner to the table, where Martha and Alexis joined them.

"Have you made any progress on the case?" Martha asked

"Enough that we have warrants for searches for a couple of people. We may have more by the end of the tomorrow. We got information tonight that could help us break the case," Beckett answered.

"From where?" Alexis wanted to know.

"From Mr. Feldman. He left it for a friend to give us if anything happened to him. He was stuck between his conscience and his job and his safety. Tough spot," Kate answered.

"So he's helping you solve his murder?"

"Looks like it."

"What's going on with you?" she asked Alexis.

I helped Dr. Parish with the Feldmans' autopsies…not the teenagers, though. "She said she'd handle that. And before you ask, I didn't see any of the Morgan kids, either. It's all so sad."

She paused for a moment and Martha told them, "JD is taking her to dinner and a movie tomorrow night. I like this boy, Richard."

"He said I need to get away from thinking about the case for a little while," Alexis explained.

"We like him, too, Pumpkin. He seems to be a good man. Good Lord, when did I start thinking of my daughter's boyfriend as a man? That requires admitting that my daughter is grown."

"I thought we'd already come to that conclusion, Dad."

"He keeps having relapses," Kate explained with a mischievous smile.

They talked a few more minutes about Martha's progress at the school, and then excused themselves for some sleep.

As they closed the bedroom door, Kate said, "I can do a shower and more snuggly, naked sleeping, but any thoughts of practicing tonight might be off the table."

Castle kissed her lovingly and answered, "Good. 'Cause I'm thinking even the shower sounds like too much work. Tomorrow could turn out to be another long one."

They showered together with no additional activities involved, collapsed into bed without even looking for pajamas, and almost immediately sunk into much needed sleep.


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Castle and Beckett had already eaten breakfast before Alexis came downstairs.

"'Morning, Sweetie," Kate said as she sipped her coffee. "I didn't think you had anywhere to be this morning. You're up early."

"I guess I just didn't need any more sleep. Is there more coffee?"

"Yes," Castle answered. "And it's all yours. We need to leave for the precinct so my awesome wife can continue to do the awesome job she's doing coordinating this investigation."

"He's a little biased," Kate answered, and drained the last of her morning caffeine from her cup.

"Not from what I hear. Word gets down to the morgue, too, you know. From what we hear, the NYPD women are loving that you and Gates and Karpowski are running something this high profile, and the men from the twelfth aren't having any of it if somebody has something negative to say about it. You're making a difference, Kate."

"I had no idea. Just doing my job. But thanks.

"I'm so proud of you."

Kate gave her a hug and walked toward the door.

Castle followed, kissing his daughter's forehead after he grabbed his jacket. "If it turns into another long day at the precinct, have fun with JD tonight. He's right. Get as far away from this case as you can. Be a kid and enjoy doing something just for fun."

"Love you," Alexis answered and heard a simultaneous "Love you, too" from the two people leaving the loft…and they didn't even seem to know they had done it. She shook her head and chuckled as the door clicked closed.

xxxxx

Karpowski was already there when the couple breezed in a little after seven. "Do we have warrants we can execute this morning?" she asked.

"Right here," Castle answered, dropping the folder on the conference room table with a flourish. Offices, homes, grounds, vehicles, computers, phone records, finances. We're golden."

"We hope so anyhow," Beckett amended. "Time to find a connection between the Hogans and the people at the toy company."

"We assume it's two Hogans, but we aren't absolutely certain yet," Karpowski reminded her.

"Right. We need to find them first…get the unidentified guy's prints and confirm."

"I checked the apartment building's office hours. The voice recording says the office opens at eight."

"Want to text Blount and Freedman and send them over there before they come in?"

"Ahead of you there, too, Lieutenant," Karpowski answered with a grin. "Already sent it."

Beckett smiled. "So the warrants…we need somebody from tech to be sure that part is handled the way it should be. There's a lot more of that at the office. I'll call them. My gut says The CFO was in on the cover-up but not the hit."

"Mine, too."

"Do we have anything else new to look at, Ms. Early Bird?" Castle asked.

"Not yet," Karpowski answered good naturedly. "We'll just have to keep checking the computer."

Ryan and Esposito came in not long after that, followed shortly by Jennings.

"Sleep is a wonderful thing," Esposito announced as they sat down with their coffee. Checking the folder on the table, he gave Ryan a satisfied look and said, "We have warrants."

"So how do we do this?" Jennings asked. "And where exactly?"

Beckett went over the plan again and they all nodded. Do we have a time planned?" Ryan asked.

"We were considering that just before you came in," Castle answered. "Thought we'd wait until we hear something from Freedman and Blount."

"They're checking on Hogan's old apartment?"

"Yep." Karpowski answered.

"If they find them, we need to get the Hogans off the streets first. They're armed and ruthless," Ryan chimed in.

"Yeah, Beckett agreed. "If they find anything, we need to start with the Hogans…and we need to handle it carefully. The toy company will have to come second."

"Tattinger thinks his lies have us fooled. He probably doesn't have a clue we're on to him," Jennings scowled with disgust.

"I keep thinking about the kids in this," Castle said sadly. "The ones who died…and the ones who lived but lost their best friends. Pratt said last night that Morgan had made copies of all the vacation pictures for the three families. You should have seen his son's face when Pratt handed us the manila envelope Feldman had left with him. The boy thought he was giving us the last pictures the kids had of their friends. His dad explained it was just the same kind of envelope."

"Wait," Esposito said, brows furrowed. "Morgan's next door neighbor said he saw Morgan coming home from Feldman's house after work the evening of the murders. Nothing unusual about his behavior, but he was carrying a letter sized manila envelope. Remember that? The neighbor said he waved with it as he went in the house."

Everybody was quiet, as if they were all processing that piece of information, trying to see a connection to something that was niggling at their minds.

Ryan found it first, sitting up and saying, "No. I don't even want to think it. That's when Stu, or whoever he is, was seen at the park in the neighborhood."

Realization seemed to flood all their minds at once, and Karpowski suggested, "If he saw the envelope, that may be why they went to the second house. It was about the size of what they were looking for, and he had just left Feldman's house with it."

"Those little kids could have been killed because Stu guessed it might be what he was looking for?" Kate's hands covered her face as she appeared to be coming to terms with that possibility. Karpowski responded nearly the same way, her fingers pinching at the bridge of her nose.

"God, that would make it so much worse to think about," Jennings answered.

"That could be why the CEO was so shocked about the families. He hired somebody to take out Feldman, and the man decided to execute nine people," Castle speculated.

About fifteen minutes later, they got pictures from tech with cleaner traffic cam captures. They had caught a reflection of both men in a darkened store window…definitely the same two men from the crime scene neighborhood. And the car they took from the scene now had only one unidentifiable letter on the plates. It didn't take long to identify the vehicle and the missing letter and put out an APB.

Shortly after that, Blount called in from near the apartment building. The man they had spoken to the day before was a temp and knew only what showed in the files. The office manager who had been there for years was back now. She identified the picture of the man they suspected was Stu Hogan as Briggs, whose name was now on the lease. She said Briggs now held the lease but said he only needed the place when he was in the city. He seemed to know Hogan well and said Hogan would still live there.

From that point, there was a flurry of activity. Castle took forms to Judge Markaway again for warrants for the Hogan and Briggs apartment, etc. and returned with them quickly. By then the stolen vehicle had been found about a block away from Hogan's apartment.

Both teams scattered themselves throughout the neighborhood near the apartment building. Ryan went to the apartment pretending to be just past tipsy, and he knocked on the door calling for Trudy. Larry Hogan answered the door and ordered him to leave.

"Came to see Trudy," he slurred slightly. "She gave me her address. Is she home?"

"She did a number on you, man. No Trudy here."

"You know where she lives? You didn't see Trudy." He laughed suggestively. "Anybody else here that might know where she lives?"

"No Trudy here. Nobody knows her," another voice called from within the apartment. "Now you gonna get lost on your own, or do we have to help you?"

Ryan answered, "Okay, okay. I'm going." He walked away with a little wobble in his gait until he was in the stairwell. Then he hurried down to let the others know both men were at home.

Beckett called the captain and asked for backup to be sent quietly. After explaining the situation to the office manager, she enlisted the woman's help in quietly evacuating those in the surrounding apartments. Before she and Castle and one of the uniformed backups stood next to the apartment door, she posted officers on the roof, and at the exits and stairwells. Ryan and Esposito eased into place on either side of the window to the fire escape. Jennings and Karpowski, guns drawn, were on the stairs that led up and down to the next floors, and the rest of Karpowski's team was on the ground below them.

Beckett knocked and announced herself. They all stood aside from the door as the expected gunfire blew through it, and a scuffling inside told them the occupants were probably heading for the fire escape. Larry was out the window first, and turned toward the stairs going down before he realized he was trapped. As soon as Stu came through, Esposito grabbed him to keep him from going back inside. There was an ensuing skirmish to subdue Hogan and take his weapon, Jennings coming down to assist. Stu struggled, but he dropped his gun in the process and finally complied. Larry had complied when he saw the firepower he faced, placing his gun on the fire escape and putting his hands on his head. The two officers on the roof with rifles kept them trained on the brothers until they were lying flat, face down on the fire escape. Those on the ground kept their guns in position as well, until the men were cuffed, arrested, Mirandized and seated in the back of separate squad cars for transport to the twelfth. The brothers' weapons were placed in evidence bags, and Karpowski took over the initial search of the premises while Beckett's team went to do the same at the toy company.

Reaching the security desk at the toy company, Beckett again asked not to be announced and left Esposito to be sure her instructions were followed. They went back to Jasmine at the reception desk and asked to see Tattinger and the CFO, Quinton Duggart. Once both of the men appeared, the warrants were presented and their phones were confiscated. Ryan escorted them to the conference room, explaining that their computers and anything with digital records would be taken. Both were angry and demanded to call their lawyers. They were given phones to use and allowed to call the attorneys but not allowed out of the room until the search was complete. Pertinent items were bagged to be logged as evidence, and then Tattinger and Duggart were taken in for questioning.

Tattinger was still lying, acting as if he thought someone would believe him. In the other interrogation room, hoping for a better outcome, Duggart's lawyer, had his client singing like a bird as soon as they realized he could be charged as an accessory to nine murders. He told them the entire plan to ignore the testing and put the toys on the market in spite of it, and gave them the passwords they'd need to get into his computer and find incriminating emails from Tattinger.

"I didn't know anything about Trent hiring somebody to kill Leon. He never said anything about that. That's just…" He sighed deeply and scrubbed his hands over his face before adding, "I didn't know. I honestly didn't know."

Duggart was taken to holding, and the team moved on to the Hogans. The fingerprints taken when the Hogans were booked for resisting arrest identified Briggs as Stu Hogan. Ballistics rushed the testing of Stu's gun, and his gun was the one that was used to kill both families. Stu had nothing to say except that he wanted a lawyer, but Larry was ready to make a deal for any leeway he could get. Beckett turned on the recorder and established that Hogan waived his right to an attorney. She made no promises, just told him that cooperation could work in his favor and that the DA would have to decide. He identified Tattinger as the one who hired his brother and admitted that he had introduced them."

"How did you know Tattinger?" Castle asked.

"I worked there for a while…night custodian on that floor. We'd talk now and then when he did one of his all night stays. He was mad at somebody once, and I told him my brother could take care of the guy if he wanted. I got fired about six months ago…got caught taking some game stuff home from the sample room. Tattinger called me a couple of weeks back and asked about my brother, and he offered me money, too; so I called Stu. I didn't kill anybody, just helped rough 'em up when they wouldn't tell us anything. We finally decided the second ones didn't know anything; but they knew we were there, and they knew why. Tattinger's orders were to do whatever we had to do to find those reports…and to be sure we didn't get caught. So Stu shot 'em. We never did find the papers."

"Why did you go after the second family?" Beckett asked.

"When we started beating his wife, Feldman finally told us he gave the information to a friend. When the girl came down the stairs to see what was going on, Stu shot her. After that, Feldman and his wife wouldn't tell us anything else. I guess they knew they were gonna die anyway. Then Stu went up to see if anybody else was there and shot the boy. He saw the guy across the street leave Feldman's place and take an envelope home that afternoon, and he figured that was what we were looking for. After a while, it looked like we weren't going to beat anything out of them; so Stu shot 'em then went upstairs and shot the kids."

"At any time during all that, did you ever ask your brother not to shoot anyone else? Did you feel any sympathy for the victims?"

"Nah. Any of them could have turned us in."

"Even the three year old…the youngest ones who were probably all asleep at the time?" Castle asked."

Hogan just shrugged.

State your response for the record," Beckett ordered.

"You gotta do what you gotta do," he answered.

Beckett closed the folder and turned off the recorder. "I'll let the DA know you cooperated, but I wouldn't count on much sympathy," she said as she and Castle left.

When they went back to Tattinger and his attorney, Beckett read him his Miranda rights, sat down across from him, and stated firmly, "You've been lying to us, Mr. Tattinger. We have a recording that Mr. Feldman made of the meeting where he refused to go along with your plan. Mr. Duggart has been very informative, and Larry Hogan has admitted to making the arrangements for you to employ his brother. Along with everything else, our search warrants give us access to your financial records. People are looking into that as we speak. We know that Briggs aka Stu Hogan's gun was used in all nine murders and that your final instruction to him was to do whatever he had to do to get the information back…and to be sure not to get caught. You hired him, so you're equally responsible for what he did." As she spoke, she laid the crime scene photos of the bodies one by one in front of Tattinger and his attorney, starting with Leon Feldman, followed by the other adults and progressing by age to the youngest. When she put down the last two photos, the CEO broke down.

Tattinger waved his lawyer off when he tried to stop him from talking. "Stop. It's over, John," he told him. Turning back to Beckett, he explained, "I thought Feldman started the rumors, and I only intended for Briggs to rough him up a little bit…scare him. Then when I knew he got to the test results and made copies… We were counting on that product to pull the company out of financial disaster. The company would have been ruined. I couldn't let that happen on my watch, and Duggart didn't want it happening on his watch, either. I talked him into going along with bribing the manager of the testing facility and hiding the problem. Quinton had nothing to do with anything beyond that. I got desperate and told Briggs to get rid of Feldman and bring back those copies." After hanging his head for a moment, looking haggard, he continued. "I don't know when I turned into somebody who could do even that, but please believe that nobody else was supposed to get hurt. All those children… God, I'm so sorry."

"I think we can safely say you and the company are both finished, Tattinger," Castle said unsympathetically. "Nobody is going to buy toys from a company whose CEO was willing to intentionally put dangerous products on the market or whose CEO was willing to engage in murder for hire to hide that, especially to this degree. It doesn't matter whether you intended these children to die or not. Nine people are dead because of you."

Castle and Beckett stood, and she opened the door and called LT to take Tattinger to be processed and sent to holding.

As Beckett gathered the photos and returned them to her file folder, the captain left the observation room and joined them. "Congratulations, Lieutenant. A firm victory for your teams, but I wish it didn't feel so hollow. I know those children's faces will haunt you for a while. They haunt me, and I've only seen the crime scene photos. When you have things tied up, bring me up to speed. I'll be in my office."

When he returned, LT informed her that uniformed officers were on the way in with the manager of the testing facility. That was the final piece of the puzzle, and a confession was easily obtained.

"Drinks after work?" Jennings asked when the two teams gathered in the conference room to box up records and clear the room for normal use.

"Sounds good. Where do you want to go?" Beckett asked.

"Let's treat Castle to a real cop bar…pay him back for all the coffee and meals," Blount suggested.

"I accept," Castle answered, looking pleased. "Is it okay if I bring my wife?" Everybody groaned and chuckled.

When they were back at their desks, the Captain called Beckett into her office again. "One more news conference, Lt. Beckett. Four-thirty again. That gives you about forty-five minutes to put together what you intend to say. Chief Dawson was pleased with your last contact with the press. Try to leave him feeling that way again."

Since Gates had a little quirk of a smile as she finished the last sentence, Beckett asked, "So you're saying there's no pressure?"

"This time I'm almost certain that questions will be allowed. I trust your judgment in deciding how to answer. As for reporters, the secret is to avoid letting any of them get under your skin…even if you want to take them down and handcuff them. Don't do that, either."

"I'll try. Shall I run my statement past you beforehand again?"

"I trust you. I believe Chief Dawson does, too, but I'm not sure about the publicity rep. Jot down some notes for her."

"I think Karpowski should be there, too, Sir. Her team worked as hard as mine, and we had nothing but cooperation from them."

"Karpowski will handle it well. I'll mention it to the chief. Tell her to be ready."

"Yes, Sir." Returning to her desk, Beckett told the others, "Be right back." Then she walked to Karpowski's desk and said, "You're going to be introduced at the press conference. It's in about forty minutes."

"What?"

"Forty minutes. They're allowing questions this time. You may have to answer a few."

"This is your doing, isn't it, Beckett?" Karpowski asked suspiciously.

"Told you to watch your back. And it's good lieutenant practice," Beckett answered, looking unapologetically entertained.

"Thanks a lot," was the unhappy answer.

"Actually it's because you did a great job and you deserve credit for it. Besides, the captain apparently thinks this is part of a lieutenant's duties. Can't hurt to show the chief you can do it."

Karpowski looked at her for a moment, then her grumbled cop response to the idea that Beckett really was doing this to enhance her move toward lieutenant was, "Fine. Forty minutes."

Jennings looked up with a grin and Karpowski glared at him. "Shut up, Jennings. Not. A. Word."

Beckett chuckled her way back to her desk, Karpowski calling out behind her, "Better watch your back, Beckett."

"What was that about?" Castle asked, looking amused as his wife returned to her desk.

"I'm introducing Karpowski at the news conference, and she knows she might have to answer a question or two," she responded with a grin.

Castle chuckled. "How long have you known Roslyn? I never asked, but you seem to get along well. "

"We went through the academy together, both of us determined to prove that women could be an asset to the department. We didn't hang out a lot, but I didn't hang out with anybody a lot back then. We worked together well, though. Both of us put in our time in vice and were glad to be rid of it. We built a healthy respect for each other. She made detective about a year after I did, and I have no doubt she'll make a good lieutenant."

"And like the captain is giving you the opportunity to prove yourself, you're trying to pass it along?"

"Just doing the right thing," she answered, jotting down notes for the publicity representative.

Softly, so it belonged to only the two of them, he answered, "I love you, Katherine Beckett Castle. And I'm _so_ proud of you."

"She smiled at him, somehow managing to look both mischievous and loving, and whispered, "Right back at you, Stud."

The boys looked up curiously when there was a sudden burst of laughter from Castle; but all they got from him was, "Sorry. One of those things where you had to be there."

That was followed by another little chortle and a smile Castle couldn't seem to lose. Beckett just displayed a self-satisfied smile, and there was another short bit of quiet, flirtatious conversation.

"Are you only going to use that name when we're in public and I can't follow up on it?"

"But your reaction is so much fun that way," she teased. "Maybe closer to home soon?"

"I'd like that."

"I'll see what I can do."

Ryan and Esposito were still paying attention as Castle and Beckett flirted. They watched as the blatant flirting stopped, but the married couple couldn't seem to shake the small smiles they wore.

"Wonder what that was?" Esposito asked.

"Dude, we probably don't want to know," Ryan said to his partner, and they went back to their paperwork.

Beckett finished her notes and was about to go back to her own paperwork, and Castle asked, "Want to trade places? I'll type."

"Really?"

"Sure. You dictate. We've got this."

That's what they were doing when Chief Dawson and his small entourage came in to join Gates and Beckett before the press conference. He met Karpowski and had no objections to presenting both detectives. He also made a point of meeting the rest of the team who had so quickly closed a case which caused such public concern. Beckett gave her notes to the publicity representative, who seemed satisfied; and they were told that Karpowski would participate in answering if there were questions after the statement.

Watching Karpowski leave with the other two women, Castle asked the others, "So, are we going to go and stand in the crowd and support them?"

"It's either that or more paperwork," Blount replied. "Lead the way, Castle."

The rest of the two teams got up, and all six men piled into the elevator together. Once at the ground floor, they did their best to leave the building inconspicuously and blend into the crowd of reporters, staying at the back edge of the group nearest the building.

Chief Dawson again opened the statements. "Although it was certainly not planned for that purpose, it's hard to ignore the fact that this case has been closed quickly by a precinct and two teams of detectives lead by some of the very capable women of the NYPD. All of us are grateful to the detectives, the ME's, and the lab and tech support teams who provided the information they needed. I'm well aware that you're not here to listen to me, so I'll put you out of your misery and defer to Captain Gates."

A ripple of quiet laughter went through the crowd as the captain moved to the podium.

"I won't tax your patience for long, either." She motioned for Beckett and Karpowski to join her. "You've already met Lt. Beckett. The woman beside her is Detective Roslyn Karpowski who leads the second of the two teams who handled this investigation. Both are experienced and accomplished homicide detectives. Any of us will accept questions about the case after the statements are complete, and we will answer as many as we deem reasonable without compromising our work." She looked to her side and said, "Lt. Beckett, Detective Karpowski." before she moved back to stand next to the chief.

Beckett and Karpowski moved forward, and Beckett spoke. "I'll begin with the information you want to hear. After that we will both be open to questions. This was a case of corporate financial difficulty, desperation, greed, an effort to escape responsibility, and terrible unintended consequences. We have made five arrests. Trent Tattinger, CEO of Top of the line Toys, Lawrence Hogan, and his brother Stuart Hogan have been charged with nine counts of murder. The toy company's CEO, Trent Tattinger; CFO, Quinton Duggart; and Irene Swanson, the manager of the testing facility used for their toys, have been charged with reckless endangerment. She then went on to briefly explain the situation that ended in the murders.

Questions were being shouted as soon as it appeared she was finished, but Beckett stood quietly for a noticeably long moment as she had when she made her first statement near the crime scene. She finally said, "If we can't understand the questions, we can't give you accurate answers. The questions we answer will be from those of you who are called on. If you'll be patient, we'll be here until you've had your chance."

The first person she acknowledged asked, "Are you saying that all the victims other than Mr. Feldman were collateral damage?"

"Sadly, that was the case," Beckett answered.

A couple of other questions about details of the case were asked, and Beckett had Karpowski field those. Then someone asked, "This is a kind of convoluted story. How did you figure it out so quickly?"

Beckett answered, "A lot of long hours, a lot of help from all those people the chief mentioned earlier, and a lot of help from Mr. Feldman."

The same reporter asked incredulously, "The victim helped you solve his murder?"

Beckett explained the information he left for them. "We had suspected most of it, but his information cemented the theories about the company he worked for. He left us the details and documentation." She looked over at Karpowski then, who picked up the rest.

"We knew the Hogans were responsible for the murders. After that it was a matter of finding them and figuring out how they were connected to Trent Tattinger."

The two detectives answered a few more questions about the case and the investigation before someone asked. "Those men over there who are trying to blend into the back of the crowd, are they the rest of your teams?"

"Yes, they are," Beckett answered, "And they deserve a lot of the credit for the success of the investigation." Karpowski nodded her agreement.

"How do they feel about taking orders from the only woman on their team?" someone else wanted to know.

"You'd have to ask them. We haven't heard any complaints."

"May I ask them?" was heard from the same reporter.

Captain Gates looked at Chief Dawson, who allowed it; and something that looked from the podium suspiciously like roshambo was going on in the back of the crowd. Esposito moved toward the front a few seconds later and said, "All of us wanted to answer, but I won." Standing where he could be heard, he stated clearly, "We don't care that our lead detectives are women because skill and competency don't have gender or ethnicity. We all intend to have our own teams eventually; and when we do, we and our teams will benefit from having worked with them. So, I guess respect is how we feel about it." Then, without any flourish, he went back to the others.

Another reporter asked, "Is that Richard Castle trying to hide over there with them? He's too tall to hide very well. Did he work on this case with you? And can we ask him some questions?"

Castle shook his head to refuse.

"He did," Beckett admitted. "I suspect his refusal is because the questions have already strayed far enough from the case. Given the nature of these crimes, personal questions don't feel appropriate. Are there other case related questions?"

Another few acceptable questions were asked of various people, and efforts toward another couple of personal questions were rebuffed. The chief then stepped in and closed the briefing before walking back into the building with the captain and her detectives…and her writer.

"Mr. Castle, I appreciate that you refused the publicity opportunity," Chief Dawson said.

"What I do here isn't for publicity. I've asked my publicist to downplay it because it could interfere with investigations. And gaining personal publicity around the deaths of those children would be unconscionable."

The chief just nodded appreciatively as he followed Gates to her office, and he told his small staff to wait where they were. "Out of curiosity, does Mr. Castle actually help much?" he asked her quietly.

"I tried hard to believe he was worthless at first. It annoyed me to have to deal with a civilian who has the mayor on speed dial to insure his presence here. But, honestly? It's too bad his writing is such a lucrative profession for him. He would have made an excellent detective. And I'll admit that he's grown on me. I know my detectives can do their jobs quite well without him, but their solve rate is a little higher when he's here. As often as he puts in as many hours as our detectives, it's amazing that he still gets any writing done."

"Hummph!" the chief answered, seeming surprised. "And we still aren't paying him anything for all the consulting time?"

"The fact that he met his wife here and is able to work with her regularly seems to be all the reward he needs." With a smile and a little shake of her head she added. "They seem to be a package deal. And the homicide division has adopted him as one of their own. Actually, I think he likes doing something that makes a difference. He's a good man."

"So, you recommend that we let him stay?" Chief Dawson asked with a chuckle.

"Yes, Sir." She laughed lightly at herself and, for Victoria Gates, looked a little sheepish after having just presented something of a Richard Castle commercial.

"I'd recommend giving these detectives a long weekend off. I have the feeling the city budget can't afford the kind of overtime they put in on this one."

"Yes, Sir. I know my part of it can't."

"Thank you for keeping me informed throughout. My phone was ringing constantly, and having answers to the questions was a necessity." He offered his hand and Gates shook it. "You and your staff have given us a good boost in public approval, Captain. Nice to get that now and then."

The chief waved to the bullpen in general as he left, then everyone settled back into their normal routines.

Another half an hour spent on paperwork left all of them close to finished. Gates called them into the conference room one more time and spoke to them about their long weekends.

"Good work, people. The chief was happy with us. Be here tomorrow to finish all your paperwork." Gates told them. "You all put in two full eight hour workdays in overtime on this case...Lt. Beckett and Mr. Castle gave us two and a half. You know how the budget goes, so you'll get one of them in your paycheck. The other will be comp time. You can choose to add either Friday or Monday to your weekend. I'd like you to split the extra days as close to half as possible so we aren't too short staffed on those days. You can work that out among yourselves, and Lt. Beckett will give me the list tomorrow. Unless we have an emergency, I'll avoid having any of you on call for those three days. Enjoy your evening." She turned and left then.

Days off were assigned, and Beckett put together the list and delivered it to Gates before they all quickly left to get the drinks they had discussed earlier.

xxxxx

As they walked into the bar near the twelfth, Beckett and Karpowski were teased about being too good to show up at a lowly cop bar now that they were celebrities, and the guys were razzed about sucking up to their bosses. But the bar was inhabited by cops from the twelfth, and underlying all of it was a respect for the job. The two teams had made their precinct look good to the general public, and that was good for all of them. Castle was welcomed, and he and Beckett dropped their guard a little bit, holding hands at times, one slipping an arm around the other, leaning against one another now and then…simply indulging themselves with their small, affectionate touches among people who were at minimum friendly acquaintances. It was a comfortable, relaxing evening for all of them.

After talking to some of the other patrons at the bar, Castle sidled up behind his wife later and asked, "You ready to go home yet?"

"Yeah. Let's go. This has been a day for the books." Then she quickly amended, "But not those books."

"No intention of using any part of this case there."

"I know that. More proof that I married a good man." She gave him a spontaneous quick kiss on the cheek. "Let's go home. Maybe we still have time to hug the kid before JD gets her."

"You love my kid. Proof that I married a good woman."

They both smiled and Castle went to thank the rest of their extended team for his drinks before they left. Once they were in the car, they allowed themselves the long slow kiss they had wanted since they left the precinct. Then they headed home in search of a kid to hug.


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 64

When Rick and Kate reached the loft after leaving the precinct, they arrived just in time to sufficiently hug a daughter before JD came to pick her up for their date. They even hugged a laughing JD after Alexis explained her need to escape.

After the teasing hug, Castle backed away and expressed his appreciation to JD for trying to get Alexis's mind away from their last case.

JD assured him, "I've seen how you and Mrs. Castle take care of each other, and I'm just trying to do the same for Alexis. She's already said she doesn't intend to settle for anything less than what the two of you have; so if I want a chance, I need to learn to give her that."

The conversation between the two men had been quiet, limited to the two of them as Alexis talked to Kate and Martha in the kitchen. She gave them their schedule for the date before they left, knowing her parents would worry more than usual for a little longer.

Castle shook JD's hand and said with a teasing smile, "You're a good man, JD. If it does work out for the two of you, I think you might pass inspection. Just try not to hurt her."

He nodded. "Yes, Sir."

Then Alexis joined them, looking suspicious. "Dad, what have you been up to?"

"It's all good," JD answered for him.

"See?" Castle charged, looking appropriately self-righteous for his daughter's benefit. "Misjudged again."

"Sorry, Dad," she apologized, then gave him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before she and JD left.

Young person hugging accomplished, Rick and Kate turned their attention to an unsuspecting Martha. Kate was first while Rick poured wine for the three of them. "Their entire families, Martha," she said as she hugged her mother-in-law. "The only vaguely good part of this is that those families didn't have to suffer the loss of the others. I married your son, but I can't imagine not having you and Alexis. I love all of you so much."

Martha held her close and assured her, "I'm not going anywhere, Darling; and I can't tell you what it means to me to hear that. Have you seen your father?"

"I called him on the way home," she said as she moved away.

"He must be so proud of you. I certainly am."

Castle handed Kate her wine. Then he pulled his mother close to him in a one-armed hug around her shoulders and kissed her temple before giving her her own glass. "You know I feel the same way no matter how I sound sometimes, right?" he asked with his arm still around her.

"I know," she responded, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Good," he answered with his teasing smirk. "'Cause you may not hear it again for a while."

"I know," she told him again, this time with a swift little backhanded swat to his chest.

Kate smiled as he pulled Martha a bit closer and gave her one more kiss.

"I'm glad this case is over, Martha said, leaning her head back against her son after the little reprimand. "It's taken a toll on both of you. You need a break."

"We have one," Rick told her. "Kate has to work tomorrow and Friday, and then we have a long weekend."

Martha moved away from Rick and looked at the couple. "You were going to leave with Alexis on Sunday anyway," she said to Rick. "You and Kate should take a day or two for yourselves. Alexis and I can go up on Sunday afternoon, and Kate and I can drive back on Monday night."

"Kate?" he asked, looking hopefully in her direction.

"Only if Alexis is okay with that."

Martha huffed a little laugh. "She might enjoy having a day or two with nobody squeezing the breath out of her as soon as the front door opens."

"We'll talk to her in the morning," Rick agreed. "The beach sounds great to me." In a total change of subject, he asked, "Kate, are you hungry?"

"No. I just need to sleep."

"Me, too. After giving his mother one more kiss on her cheek, he put his hand on Kate's back and guided her toward their room. "'Night, Mother," he said over his shoulder."

"Goodnight, Darlings."

"Shower or straight to bed?" Rick asked as they entered their room.

"Sleep," Kate answered, "No matter how good an idea a shower would be."

"Good choice. I'm ready to collapse."

They managed enough energy to brush their teeth and splash water on their faces before leaving their clothes in a few untidy heaps on the floor, practically falling into their bed and quickly into the arms of Morpheus. Later during the night, they woke and engaged in the life-affirming activity they hadn't had the energy for when they first came home.

xxxxx

Friday morning found both teams at the precinct finishing paperwork.

Karpowski was already there when Beckett and Castle arrived. "I came in early to double check everything we've done. I've told the guys we want all the i's dotted and all the t's crossed on this one. We don't want any of these people to get off on a technicality because of something we missed. And I know we have that meeting with the ADA today. You need to have everything ready for him. Most of what you need is here. I'll get the last little bit to you in about half an hour."

"Thanks, Karpowski. I appreciate that."

Karpowski went back to her desk with a little wave over her shoulder in response.

"So now we need to do your report?" Castle asked. "The boys shouldn't have a lot left to do. You have the lion's share of it now, right? Checking everything and putting it together in one report to merge all of it?"

"Yeah, but I need to be thorough and careful, too. Karpowski's right. No room for even tiny mistakes on this one. All those kids...for no reason." She shook herself a little as if trying to shake the thought away.

"Let me know when you're ready to dictate, and I'll type. Meanwhile I'm good for a coffee refill if you're interested."

"I think I sucked the travel mug dry on the way in. Definitely interested."

Castle left for the break room and was returning with two cups of coffee as Esposito left the elevator.

"One of those for me?" Esposito teased.

"Nope. Getting her caffeinated for you," Castle answered with a smile. "You do want her caffeinated, right?"

Ryan exited the stairwell just in time to hear that and Esposito's laugh. "You're a good man, Castle."

"I heard all that," Beckett said as they returned, her eyes still scanning Karpowski's report.

"Ears like a bat," Castle stage whispered as he set her coffee on the desk next to his wife and sat down.

The boys chortled at the two of them before they went for their own coffee and settled in to complete their work.

Beckett went through Karpowski's folder, familiarizing herself with it and making notes of anything she might want to reference when talking to the ADA. Then she made notes for her final report for the captain.

"Send me a copy of what you have so far," she told the boys. "I can work with that while you finish the rest."

Beckett worked, and Ryan and Esposito worked. Karpowski brought her minimally amended final report and the last of her team's notes. Beckett continued to note things that belonged in her own final report, and eventually Beckett dictated and Castle typed. Then they both edited here and there and proofed it one last time. After organizing all the paperwork in the file according to protocol, and to be as easily accessible as possible. Beckett took it to Captain Gates. Gates accepted the substantial file, went to get coffee, and immediately began to look for anything she might have missed earlier in the investigation.

Later, Gates called Beckett to her office. "This is everything the ADA could ask for, Lieutenant. We'll meet him in the conference room this afternoon at two-thirty. Unless something else is required after the meeting, you'll all be dismissed then. You've earned it. I'll admit that, having seen a few incidents where you...or you and Mr. Castle broke protocol, your new rank left me with small concerns. You handled this case well, though. It was high profile, and tested your mettle very early in the game; but you worked it carefully and as by the book as I could ask. I've already emailed the ADA a copy of your final report so he can be prepared. The meeting with him this afternoon should go well."

"I hope it does," Beckett answered.

A small smile appeared on the captain's face, and she said mischievously, "Too bad there isn't a female ADA available right now. We've done so well this far."

Beckett couldn't hold back a grin. "Yes, Sir. It is," she answered. There might have been a slight estrogen fog hanging in Gate's office as Beckett returned to her desk, still smiling. Pointing to the break room, she called Karpowski without even sitting down.

"What's the smile about?" Castle asked, unable to not want to be a part of whatever put the playful twinkle in his wife's eyes.

"I'll tell you later," she promised. "I need to talk to Roslyn for a minute."

The two women had the break room to themselves, but Beckett kept the captain's last comment to a near whisper anyway. There was a burst of laughter from Karpowski before they both left with coffee and smiles.

Castle caught the captain watching and smiling very much as his wife had. Curiosity was killing him when Beckett handed him a coffee made exactly the way he liked it…probably a consolation prize for not sharing the joke, he thought. Beckett did take him to lunch before the meeting with the ADA and explained, and his response was much the same as Karpowski's. And his continually growing appreciation of the real person inside the captain's outer image increased.

The meeting with the Assistant District Attorney went quite well, but he asked fewer questions than they had expected. When that was mentioned, he said that everything was laid out clearly enough that it wasn't necessary. He voiced a couple of small concerns, but neither of them had anything to do with proper conduct of the police work.

"Thank you, Captain," the ADA said as he left. "Lieutenant, Detective…very clean, concise presentation. If I have other questions, I'll be in touch."

The other members of the teams involved in the case anxiously waited to see the ADA's demeanor as he exited the conference room. When they heard his parting remarks, Castle quickly searched for something on his phone. After showing it to the other men, who smiled in agreement, he made his way to the room where the three women were gathering their copies of the file, stepped inside, and pressed "play" on his phone. The theme from the old Wonder Woman television show played into the room and smiles appeared from all three women. Gates, in a move that seemed completely out of character, raised both hands and high-fived the other two women before leaving the room and walking into the hall in her normal, dignified manner.

The faces of the other men on the teams made it obvious that they knew what Castle had done…and approved. Their only indication of acknowledgment of Gates's appreciation was a dignified nod in their direction and the word, "Gentlemen." But it was accompanied with a little smile that reached her eyes.

Almost back at her office, Gates turned and said, "You're all dismissed. Go home. Karpowski, you and your team can start enjoying your extended weekend." Then she went and sat down at her desk as if none of the previous hour and a half had happened.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not waiting around for anything else to keep us here," Esposito stated, as he reached to turn off his computer. "This week was intense."

"Me, either. I'm taking Jenny out for dinner tonight to make up for all the attention she didn't get the rest of this week.

Karpowski's team voiced similar opinions, and all of them were leaving the precinct in a matter of minutes. Beckett's team worked the next day, which was easier knowing they had Monday off.

As they all prepared to leave that afternoon, Ryan said, "Jenny and I are getting out of town for the weekend. A bed and breakfast we've been to before. It's in a nice, quiet little town upstate."

"Lanie has the weekend off, too. We're staying here and playing the weekend by ear," Esposito said.

"The beach for us," Castle answered. "See you Tuesday."

The boys were already in the elevator as Beckett reached to get her purse from the desk drawer. Castle waved the other two detectives on without them, and he and Beckett took their time and breathed a collective sigh of relief at reaching the end of a long, stressful week.

xxxxx

The loft was quiet as the couple returned to pick up their bags, but Alexis came down the stairs to meet them when the front door closed.

"Are you sure you're okay with our leaving now?" Kate asked her. "You and your dad were supposed to have time to yourselves."

Not until Sunday," Alexis answered. "And I like having you with us, Kate. I've never felt like you were taking my dad away from me…except maybe right at first…before I really knew you."

"Okay, if you're sure."

"I'm sure I'll be more fun after a couple of days to decompress," Castle promised.

"I love you both," Alexis told them. "Go decompress. I'm trying hard not to know what that means." Castle pulled her into a big hug and kissed the top of her head, then Kate took her turn. "See you Sunday," Alexis told them.

"Love you," both Kate and Castle said together as they left, and Alexis went back upstairs smiling.

xxxxx

After the week they'd just had, even the trip out of the city in Friday evening rush hour traffic seemed relaxing to the couple. They were driving the SUV, which Castle had stocked with soft drinks, water, and snacks before they left home. They started the trip by sitting quietly and holding hands as they inched through the heavy traffic. Eventually, Castle lifted Kate's hand to kiss it and said, 'It's nice to have you to myself."

"Not the best place, but I agree," she answered and pulled his hand to her lips for a kiss. "I'll be glad when we're out of the city."

From there conversation ebbed and flowed until they finally reached the beach house. It was already dark when they pulled up in front of the house; but by unspoken agreement, they dropped their bags at the door and made their way straight through the house and down to the beach, kicking off their shoes on the back porch. The moon gave them enough light to find their way; and the breeze, the smell of the ocean, and the feel of the sand welcomed them back to the sense of peace they always found there. Something they sorely needed right then. They stood at the edge of the water, arms around one another, and absorbed the tranquility of the place for a while before walking back to the house and taking their bags to their room.

"Shower in the morning?" Kate asked, dropping her small bag next to the dresser.

"Works for me, Castle answered from where they had both quickly collapsed flat on their backs, legs still dangling to the floor.

Looking toward her husband, she said softly, "I don't tell you often enough how much better my life is with you in it."

He turned his head toward hers and kissed her forehead. "Same here."

"It has nothing to do with money or beach houses…just you."

That earned her enough movement from her tired husband to have him lift himself on one elbow and lean forward to give her a kiss full on the lips. "Knowing that means the world to me," he answered. "Before you, I had a series of relationships where I felt like I was someone to claim and show off at social events. I'm sure that, without the money, they would never have happened at all. Sometimes I think I could lose everything and it wouldn't matter to you. "

"Only sometimes? It should be always, Rick. Whatever happens, we'll work it out. The perks are nice, but you're what I want."

"Come on. Let's get ready for bed. You can cuddle up to me and make me feel even more special." That was followed with his smirky smile, and he kissed her again, making her feel pretty special, too.

A few minutes later, clothes were on the floor, and they were snuggled close under the covers. And a few goodnight kisses were the only thing left between the two of them and sleep.

Castle woke alone the next morning. Kate's side of the bed still held a hint of her warmth, though; so he knew she hadn't been gone long. He got up, made a quick trip to the bathroom, pulled on some pajama pants, and went downstairs.

"'Morning," his wife said without even turning around. "I was going to bring you coffee. It's ready."

He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her shoulder near the curve of her neck, and she leaned her head to the side to give him easy access.

"Mmm… If you want your coffee, you might have to stop that."

"We can always make more coffee," he answered before turning her toward him for a more thorough good morning kiss.

She joined the spirit of the kiss, but when he pulled back, she reached for his coffee. "It's still hot. Want to drink it out on the porch?"

He accepted his mug, took a sip, and answered, "Sure." Then he realized she was wearing a long, flowing, gauzy print "something" he'd never seen before. "Pretty," he said. "I like it."

"Alexis and I found it while we were shopping the last time we were both here. I had forgotten about it." She ran one finger down the center of his bare chest and said, "I like what you're wearing, too, and planted a kiss where her finger had started its path. Then she picked up her coffee, and they went and sat on the rattan loveseat on the porch, leaning toward each other, shoulders touching.

They leisurely sipped coffee and enjoyed the peace and quiet for a while before Castle put his arm around Kate's shoulders and kissed her head when she leaned it against him.

"Do you realize that, if we start trying in the fall, by this time next year we could be sitting out here holding our baby? A brand new little life that we created because we love each other."

She sat up to look at him and asked, "You're sure you still want to start all over again when you just got the first one in college?"

"Only with you. But yes, I'm sure. Are you having second thoughts?"

"No. Just making sure you aren't." She paused and snuggled against him again. "It surprises me that I'm so sure, because it also scares me to death. But, yes. I want our baby."

"You'd be back on desk duty," he pointed out.

"This time it would be worth it."

"If you ever decide you want to just stay home and be a mom, you always have that option, you know. Or you could take extended maternity leave. Whatever you want, Kate. It's your choice."

"You wouldn't mind if I kept working, though?"

"As long as the job puts you in less danger. I want our child to have both parents. I want to do this _with_ you."

"The next move in rank is captain. In my experience, 'the higher the rank, the less the danger' seems to be the norm."

"I can be a stay-at-home dad again if I need to. And I wouldn't mind. But I'd miss working with you."

"I'd miss you, too. You don't know how much of a difference you make in my day. I'm sure I'm an awful grouch when you're off on book tours. I've heard Ryan and Esposito whisper to each other, 'When is Castle getting back?' Undoubtedly because of my ill humor while you're gone."

Castle looked pleased at that admission. "We'll work it out when we need to."

"Okay," she answered with a sound of trust that they could. Then she turned her face to his for a long, lingering kiss. "Let's get dressed and go to breakfast at Bernie's. I don't want to cook this morning."

"Me, either. We can have breakfast and wander around for a while."

"So…do I get to claim you and show you off?" she asked mischievously.

"Oh, I see now. All this time I've only been arm candy?"

"Never, Rick. Always more than that." There was a flirtatious pause before she added, "But you do make fine arm candy."

"How about we show each other off this morning…and both know it's more than that?"

She grinned at him happily and answered, "Good plan. Shower first, Mr. Castle?"

"Mrs. Castle, I thought you'd never ask."

After a playful and extremely satisfying shower, they dressed, visited with Bernie and his wife during a late breakfast, then took in some of the tourist shops just for fun. Both of them laughed at a ridiculous crab made of sea shells, sporting glass jeweled eyes…as well T-shirts with terrible puns and other odds and ends. They window shopped and browsed through an art gallery; and then they saw a shop that sold baby furniture, and Castle dragged her in. They told the saleswoman they were just looking out of curiosity, but Kate was paying close attention to everything Castle pointed out. Then they went home, holding hands and feeling very close and loving.

As he pulled the car up in front of the house, Castle said, "I think some practice should happen tonight."

She leaned over and placed her hand lovingly on his cheek to pull his face toward her and kiss him, and answered, "We have tomorrow morning, too."

They walked back to the house, arms around each other, and spent the rest of the day talking, relaxing, imagining plans that included a baby Castle, and concentrating only on each other.


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65

 **AN:** Again, I've drawn some of this chapter from an episode, "In the Belly of the Beast." I take no credit for the dialogue or situations from the episode. Some changes will be made to work better in this AU setting. Thanks for your patience with that in this chapter and the next one.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A contented and well-practiced husband and wife woke up on Sunday morning to sunlight in their room with the sound of the surf outside, and were in no hurry to leave their bed. They took turns in the bathroom and quickly returned to their cozy nest of pillows and soft covers, playfully kissing and touching, talking and teasing, until they were hungry enough to get up. After putting on sufficient clothing not to embarrass themselves in the event of an early arrival of family, they went downstairs to start breakfast. The coffee machine had been programmed the night before to have their coffee ready, but they had successfully dawdled long enough that the warming feature on the fine machine was only a few minutes from shutting itself off.

"Just in time," Castle said as Kate handed him empty mugs. "Another ten minutes and it would have been cooling down."

"Our timing is impeccable," Kate answered flirtatiously.

"It certainly was last night…both times," her husband answered, putting the mugs down on the countertop.

"Yeah it was," she agreed, and giggled like a teenager as Castle grabbed her and nibbled little kisses randomly along her neck and shoulders.

"You won't get any breakfast this way," she warned, the warning rendered much less effective by the giggling.

"Worse things have happened," he answered, and blew a raspberry on the curve of her neck. "That was for being too practical. This weekend is for fun."

"I'm likely to be a lot more fun later if you feed me now," she answered, wiggling her eyebrows as she turned and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Mmm-hmmm."

"Coffee first?"

"Definitely. You do want me caffeinated, don't you?" Her narrowed eyes left no doubt that she was referencing his remark to the boys earlier in the week.

"Yes. Yes, I do. You handle annoyance much better that way."

She laughed. "Better stop before you're farther behind, Babe."

After a very thorough kiss, they both caught their breath as Kate turned to fill their mugs, and Castle pulled himself together enough to open the refrigerator and give his wife a list of available breakfast items. They decided, prepared breakfast, and went to enjoy it at the small table on the porch.

"I love it out here. It's almost like eating on the beach…without the grit."

"I'm never going to live down that hot dog in the sand story, am I?"

"Probably not," she answered with the grin he always enjoyed, the teasing one that left her tongue peeking from between her teeth.

"Hey, I was eight, I loved hot dogs, and it was the last one," he protested, but he couldn't help grinning back at her.

"Did you and your mom get to the beach often when you were a boy?"

"Usually it was the Jersey shore for the afternoon, and only once in a while. It was a real luxury for us then. For me it wasn't just about the beach, it was because it was always just the two of us. She was relaxed, and I had her all to myself. You'd never believe it of today's Martha Rodgers, but she'd sit down in the sand with me and build sand castles. She'd make up stories about the people who lived in the castle, and I'd always make up people to attack it…and she'd help. It would be back to piles of sand before we left. The waves never got a chance to take it down. The first time, she said dramatically that it was _our_ castle, and the ocean didn't get to be in control of what happened to it."

"Martha sitting in the sand. Yep that's a little hard to picture, but that's a great memory to have."

"Of course she was much younger then."

"We were all much younger then," Kate teased. "As a matter of fact, some of us weren't even here yet."

Castle just stuck his tongue out at her.

"I like hearing about your childhood."

"Neither wife one nor wife two bothered to ask about it more than once in a long while."

"They didn't deserve you."

"You, on the other hand…"

"I probably don't deserve you, either, but I'm glad you're willing to overlook that," she said with smile.

"Fishing for compliments, Mrs. Castle?" he asked, running his bare foot up her calf and tickling the back of her thigh with his toes. Then he put his foot back on the floor and sounded more serious than before. "We deserve each other because we're good for each other, and we make each other happy. You've made my family everything I ever wanted it to be. We've put this family together around four adults and one teenager, all of us with emotional baggage of some kind; but we've made it work. _We_ did that, Kate, and we're all so much better for it. Our family is full of so much love." He looked a bit overwhelmed at what he was feeling and seemed to run out of words at that point, so he simply reached across the table and took her hand in his.

Kate didn't have the right words, either, so she just nodded, and leaned forward to lift his hand to her lips and kiss it…one extra time for good measure.

"Come over here with me," he ordered gently, and she stood and walked over to sit in his lap with her arms around his neck and lean against him. They sat quietly for a few minutes, his arms holding her snugly. Then he kissed her head and pulled her closer.

"Upstairs?" he asked and placed another kiss on her head.

"Before Martha and Alexis get here? What if they get here before we're expecting them?"

"We're married. This is all legal, and everybody expects it of us…even if they don't want to have to think about it. If they get here too early, they know they're taking a chance on interrupting something." There was a little pause and he nuzzled his nose in her hair in a couple of places. "I need you, Kate…right now," he told her softly then cupped her jaw in his hand and raised her face to kiss her.

The emotional atmosphere had her returning his kiss and saying, "Whatever you need, Rick," before she stood, took his hand, and led him to their room.

He took charge and loved her slowly, gently, almost reverently.

Afterward, as they lay in each other's arms, Kate asked, "Where did all that come from? Not that I'm complaining," she added, planting a little kiss on his chest close to where her head rested.

"I don't know. The memories of Mother, knowing she's getting older, the family we've built, knowing you want to keep building it with me, the way we trust each other, maybe some residual effect of that last case…knowing you'll go home tomorrow and I won't see you for a week. I guess it all hit me at once…that and how…profoundly I love you."

"Words coming back now?" she asked, planting another little kiss near the last one.

"Not the right ones. I suddenly became a writer without words, and I needed to tell you somehow." He smoothed his hand over her back and shoulders. Did the message get through?"

"No doubt in my mind. Did you get the right answer?"

"Yeah. No doubts here, either."

They stayed there together, both feeling unquestionably loved, until they finally admitted to themselves that they had to shower and dress for the day. They expected Martha and Alexis around one, and at the last minute, Jim had managed Monday off and would be there not long after the other two arrived. Their entire family would have time with them, which they both enjoyed. And then three of the adults would go back to the city on Monday evening to give Castle and Alexis some dad/daughter time together before she moved into the dorm at Columbia in the fall. During the rest of the weekend, there was one on one time for varying pairs of family members to sit on the porch, have a short shopping trip together, walk on the beach, play cards, swim in the pool, play in the waves, etc. All of them enjoyed it and took full advantage of the relaxing atmosphere.

Recognizing that Rick and Kate might want some time alone before she left that evening, Jim insisted on taking Martha and Alexis for a late lunch on Monday. The couple realized what he was doing and took full advantage while they were gone. The loving still retained a lot of the gentle reverence from the day before, the appreciation of the kind of love they had found in each other.

"That was a beautiful way to say goodbye for a week," Kate said softly, looking up at him through her eyelashes. "You make me feel..."

He leaned to kiss her before she finished. "You make me feel the same way, but don't try to find a name for it. I don't think there's one to be found."

"You might be right," she agreed.

"So we just know and revel in it?" he asked with the smile that belonged only to her.

"Yeah. We can do that." She gave her husband the smile that belonged only to him in return.

They allowed themselves a little time before they cleaned up and dressed again, trying not to make the others uncomfortable by being too obvious. When the trio of the others returned, they found Rick and Kate on the loveseat on the back porch and went to join them. It was decided that Jim would drive everyone back to the city. That would leave two cars in case Rick and Alexis wanted to be able to go their separate ways for some reason. Kate would get a driver to bring her back on her day off the following week to drive the second car back…and soak in another breath or two of serenity before going back to murder and mayhem and the ensuing paperwork.

Around five-thirty, Jim and Rick had all the luggage in the car, and Rick and Kate were still hanging back just inside the front door.

"I'll miss you," he said quietly.

"I'll miss you, too, but you should have this time with Alexis. You'll both enjoy it."

"It won't be the way it was when it was just the two of us, though," he said, looking resigned. "I'll be missing you. She'll be missing JD…"

"Well, if either of you can't stand it without us, both of you know how to drive home. And neither JD nor I will complain."

"She'll be missing you, too, you know. She loves you and the place you've filled in her life."

"I know that, but there's a place only you can fill, and every now and then she probably still needs that, too…and I want her to have it. You never complain when I want some time with my dad."

He pulled her close against him and said, "I guess I have to let you go before they start suspecting we're up to something again. They've all been amazingly understanding."

She gave him one more kiss and left the house to meet the others at the car. "I love you," she said before he opened the car door for her.

"Love you, too," he answered and gave her one more respectable little peck on the lips before closing the door behind her. He and Alexis waved as the car left, and then they went back into the house.

"I'll miss her, too, Dad."

He nodded his acknowledgment and asked, "What do you say we go to some of our old haunts from when you were little, have a late dinner, and finish at the ice cream store? Then we'll be well fed, and we can sleep in tomorrow morning. We'll decide what else we want to do after breakfast."

"Sounds good. Can we walk on the beach for a while right now?"

"I would love that," he answered, swinging an arm up over her shoulders and walking out the back door with her.

Tuesday morning threw Beckett back into the rat race. She appeared at the precinct with a travel mug of coffee from home, but she had stopped at a little bakery and brought breakfast goodies to thank both teams for their hard work before they went back to working separately. Thanks to Castle's bringing pastries the week before, she now knew all their preferences; so everybody was happy.

"Beckett, Karpowski. My office for a minute," Gates called from her door. Both women went immediately, Beckett telling the boys, "Those bear claws better still be there when I get back."

"We'll see," Esposito said, picking up his morning treat. Ryan just smiled evilly at her from around the big bite he had just taken of his chocolate frosted doughnut. She gave them her best glare before turning toward the captain's office.

"I received a letter from the Deputy Chief this morning commending us for the work on the case last week. Your names as well as those of your team members are mentioned, and it will go into all your files. The commendation is well deserved."

"Thank you, Sir," was heard from the other two women.

"The deputy Chief seemed impressed with the precinct in general. I hope there was a letter for you as well," Beckett told her.

"There was. Thank you. It seems our precinct presented itself well. Please take these copies to share with your team members. Some recognition goes a long way in the morale department."

The detective and the lieutenant both nodded and returned to their teams to pass along the letters. As they were handed copies while Beckett explained, Ryan said to Esposito, "Guess it's a good thing we saved the bear claws. Otherwise we might never have seen these. Thanks, Beckett."

The cases that crossed their paths that week left them feeling like they were hardly earning their pay. The first was a drive-by shooting…thrill seekers looking for easy targets just to see if they could get away with it. A sixty-five year old man and his wife were killed as they left a movie theater. With the number of people leaving and the number of shots fired, it was amazing they were the only casualties. But the couple in the car were careless enough to be caught on traffic cams and CCTVs in the neighborhood, leaving the detectives with full facial recognition and plate numbers. It took no time to find them. The only problem they had to deal with was the well-heeled father of the young woman driving the car. He couldn't understand why his spoiled, twenty year old daughter would be charged when all she did was drive the car…and slow down and laugh while her boyfriend killed two people. The girl and her boyfriend were eventually charged with domestic terrorism and murder one and handed over to Homeland Security. With all the evidence, the father's fancy lawyer didn't have a chance of even making a deal.

The next case was a man who killed his wife for her life insurance so he could leave town and marry his mistress…and had been none too bright about it. The mistress was also charged with aiding and abetting.

Beckett was on call on Saturday, but Ryan and Esposito had Sunday; so Darrell was picking her up early on Sunday morning and driving her to the beach house. Taking the car service there was nice. She talked to Darrell for a while, and then she fell asleep as they travelled, waking about fifteen minutes before they arrived at the house. Darrell sent Castle a text when they reached the first traffic light in the area to let him know where they were.

As Kate took out her compact and hair brush to check her hair and makeup, Darrell said, "Miss Kate, you know he won't care about that."

Kate smiled. "Doesn't mean I won't keep making the effort, though."

Castle was coming down the steps to meet them as Darrell pulled up in front of the house, and he opened the door for Kate before Darrell had a chance to open his own door. Darrell just smiled to himself and got Kate's purse from the back seat as Castle took her into his arms. He handed it to her as the couple parted.

"Alexis probably has the food on the table by now. Stay for breakfast, Darrell. We got a little carried away. There's plenty."

"I couldn't do that, Sir."

"Of course you could. We even have homemade cinnamon buns…fresh from the oven. I'll never tell. Come on."

Darrell still hesitated, but Castle insisted. "You have to eat somewhere. We already have it set up on the back porch, and it gives you a little break before you have to drive back. Alexis would love to have you, too. You take good care of us. We should return the favor now and then."

"Cinnamon buns are a weakness," Darrell admitted, still seeming to be fighting with himself.

"We got him," Castle said triumphantly to Kate, and they both began to push him toward the house.

Alexis was surprised that he agreed, but she was just as pleased as her parents to see him and went to get an extra place setting. She had been around him since she was in junior high when he first joined the company.

"I lured him in with the cinnamon buns," Castle explained, and Alexis grinned and passed them to their driver.

During their conversation, they discovered that Darrell was getting married in the fall, and he realized that Alexis would be starting college.

"How are the wedding plans going?" Castle asked. "Have you set a date?"

"Still looking for a place," Darrell answered, but we're ready to set a date when we find one."

Castle nodded in understanding. "Looks like the fall holds a lot of new possibilities," he said, squeezing Kate's hand under the table and thinking of their fall intentions.

After Darrell left, the family took the breakfast dishes back into the house and cleaned up in the kitchen. Then they took a long walk on the beach before they loaded the SUV to head home. You two take the SUV," Alexis said. "I'm going to take the Mercedes and stop by to see JD for a few minutes before I go home. I'll be back for dinner."

"See you at home then," Castle said, hugging her and kissing her on the head. "I'll put your bags in your room when we get there.

"Okay. Love you, Dad." She gave him a big hug.

"Love you, too, Pumpkin." He returned the hug, leaning his cheek against the top of her shiny, red hair.

"Good week?" Kate asked after Alexis left.

"Great week," he answered with a satisfied smile. "We relived some old memories, and I think she enjoyed them as much as I did." He paused and planted a little kiss on her lips. "I think we did need that time before she starts school in the fall. You're a smart woman, Mrs. Castle."

"I know," she answered with her teasing, tongue between her teeth grin. "You might want to do it again before she actually moves out…maybe in smaller doses so it doesn't have to seem forced."

"I thought the same thing. We haven't had a good laser tag battle in a long time."

"One without me this time. I can invent a girl's night out with Lanie or something."

"You're one of a kind, Kate Beckett Castle. And I'm so glad you decided to be mine."

"Same here, Babe. Come on. Let's get our one-of-a-kind selves in the car and head home. I can't wait to have you back every day."

"I'm looking forward to that, too.

"Let's go. You can tell me about the memories you relived…if you want to share them with anybody other than Alexis."

"Definitely one of a kind." They stood on the front porch as he locked the door; then he draped an arm around her shoulders, she put her arm around his waist, and they walked to the SUV to leave the calm of the beach house behind until their next opportunity to come back.

"I have Thursday off this week, but I'm on call Friday and Saturday and work on Sunday. Maybe we can plan something together on Thursday," she offered as they walked.

"I'd like that," he said, and kissed her quickly when he opened the car door for her.

After he had started the SUV and they were on the road, she said, "Tell me about your adventures this week.

Castle talked, and Kate nodded, and laughed, and asked questions; and between his story telling prowess and her listening skills and responses, by the time they got home they almost felt she had been there that week.

"It sounds wonderful, Rick."

"It was, but we both still missed you."

Over the next couple of days, Martha and Alexis both announced that they had plans almost all day on Thursday. By Wednesday morning, Castle was suggesting that he and Kate make no plans for Thursday, that they just stay home and do what they pleased…suggesting they could still go out if the spirit moved them. Kate had no problem with having the whole place to themselves all day with nothing to do. While they were in the city with work to do, that was still a rare happening for them.

On Thursday, Kate had just plopped down on the sofa after calling the day a little piece of heaven, expounding on the fact that it was nearly two and they were still in their pajamas reading the paper with absolutely nothing else to do. They were heading for their room, just having thought of something they'd like to do, when Kate's cell phone rang.

Groaning when she saw the captain's name on the caller ID, she held it up where Castle could see it and answered, "Beckett."

"How soon can you get here?" Gates asked without prelude.

"Sir, I'm actually not on call today."

"I'm aware of that, but something has come up, and it can't wait."

"Well, I can be there in twenty minutes."

"One more thing, Lieutenant. Come alone. Do not bring Mr. Castle."

"Why not?"

"It has been requested that he not be aware of the work."

During this part of the conversation, Castle was motioning toward the bedroom, encouraging his wife to end the conversation and follow him.

"Then I can't agree to it. There was a time when we weren't entirely honest with each other, and it nearly cost us our relationship. If I have to make a choice, I'll lose my job before I knowingly strain my marriage. He works with us all the time and can be trusted."

"Lieutenant, I'm in a difficult position on this."

"If he isn't aware, I can't be involved."

"Give me a minute," the captain sighed.

Castle was impressed that Kate stood so firm for them. He knew she felt that way, but she had just shoved back at a superior officer to assure him of it. He made one more gesture toward their room before realizing it sounded serious.

When Gates returned to their conversation, she asked, "How soon can you and Mr. Castle be here?"

"We can still be there in twenty minutes."

Her husband looked perturbed when Kate closed the call. "So what's Gates up to, aside from sabotaging our domestic bliss? I don't suppose I could convince you to…"

"No. Whatever it is sounded important, but she didn't want me to bring you. I think I surprised her on that score."

"You stood up for me," he said, sounding pleased.

"You deserve that…both as my partner and my husband. We need to get dressed."

"Fine. We'll go see what's going on." Looking a bit twitchy in his aroused state, he added, "If I can stay focused."

Twenty minutes later, they were entering the twelfth precinct with no idea of what was about to hit them.


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter 66

 **AN:** Again, this chapter relies very heavily on the episode, which is attributed directly to the original writers. More elements of change will be present in the next chapter, I promise.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Beckett and Castle passed an important looking man entering the precinct elevator as they exited it.

"Yo, Beckett, I thought you were off," Esposito called out.

"Was that the deputy commissioner?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah. There's been more brass through here than a marching band," Esposito answered.

Looking a bit annoyed, Ryan explained, "It's all need to know, and we didn't make the list. But, whatever's happening is going down in that conference room."

At that point, looking as though she expected something that would constitute at least a small altercation, Gates called Beckett and Castle into the conference room for introductions.

"Lieutenant Beckett, Mr. Castle, Captain Fowler, head of Narcotics."

"Thank you for coming, Lieutenant. Mr. Castle, I'd rather you wait outside."

"No," Beckett demanded firmly. "He stays. Whatever you brought me here for seems serious, and that affects both of us. He's worked with us for several years and has insights as good as any detective here. He stays or I don't."

"That's true, Captain Fowler," Gates defended. "They were both involved in two federal operations that I'm aware of, one under my watch; and I still don't know the particulars of either of them. They both know how to keep classified information to themselves."

Captain Fowler obviously wasn't happy with the new development. He all but rolled his eyes at having to put up with what he had earlier described to Gates as a civilian meddler. But, being forced to tolerate it, he began to present his case for needing to work with Beckett, beginning with the caveat that nothing he said was to leave that room. Beckett and Castle both acknowledged that warning.

He pointed out pictures of six victims on a whiteboard, saying they were all mid to upper level drug dealers and had all been killed in the past few months after a new drug ring moved in and took over most of the heroin and cocaine trade. He said he was tasked by the commissioner to find out who they are and shut them down but that they seemed to be invisible. No banks for money trails, and the street dealers never meet the suppliers.

"So when you bust a dealer, he doesn't know who he's working for," Castle stated in understanding. Fowler was obviously annoyed that the civilian was meddling effectively, Beckett was holding back a smirk, and Gates looked resigned again. But out of need to continue, Fowler acknowledged that he was correct and continued.

"Exactly. So we're three months in, and the only name we have is the leader, Lazarus…not his real name, of course. Then yesterday an intercepted phone call led us to this woman, Elena Markov. Pointing out another photo, he explained, "She's copped to being a low-level courier in the ring. Russian mail order bride, divorced, freelance translator, learned to speak English better than we do. She's never been in trouble before, says she just wants her life back. Claims she had a chance to make more money if she made a phone call, then she got in and couldn't get out. She worked through texted orders, and delivered packages…never met anyone else. All of it anonymous. Long and short of it is they called yesterday and asked to meet her to offer her a promotion.

"Which would give you guys a chance to get eyes on someone," Beckett stated, understanding the situation in general.

"It's the break we've been waiting for, so we leveraged Elena to take the meet, but she tried to commit suicide."

"She's in ICU under police guard," Gates explained.

"Sir, I'm sorry to hear about all this, but what does it have to do with me?"

Castle already had it figured out. "You want Beckett undercover as Elena, don't you?"

Fowler again seemed annoyed that the worthless civilian had seen his plan coming, and he continued explaining to Beckett that she was the one person in the NYPD database who both matched Elena's age and general appearance and spoke fluent Russian. He said it was their one chance.

"So you want me to go in her place?" Beckett asked to confirm the captain's intent.

Fowler detailed the meeting at the Widmark Hotel, the precautions that would be in place, the reasons they didn't believe Lazarus would know Elena on sight. He even offered to fit her with a monitored microphone if she wanted it.

Looking over at his wife, Castle could see that Beckett was on the verge of agreeing, but he didn't entirely trust Captain Fowler some reason he couldn't quite identify. "If she does this, she should be fitted with a GPS as well."

"A GPS?!" Fowler finally exploded with the resentment that he was having to tolerate a writer of mystery novels poking his unwanted nose into something this big. "It's a simple meeting, for God's sake…in a hotel with backup at elevators and meeting sites."

"My wife was shot by a sniper while delivering the eulogy at her former captain's funeral. Anything can happen. GPS would be a requirement."

"Captain Gates, I will not have this civilian tell me how to do my job. I insist that he leave."

Before the captain could answer, Beckett told Fowler, "The more you want Castle gone, the more I think I need him to stay. If you want my cooperation, he gets yours."

"Fine," Fowler answered through gritted teeth, looking at what she was wearing. We can put the GPS…in the heel of your boot."

"Thank you," Gates answered. "If anything goes sideways, I don't want any part of losing one of the city's best detectives."

"One more thing," Castle insisted.

"What else, Mr. Castle?" Fowler asked testily.

"Is there any possibility that Vulcan Simmons could be Lazarus?"

"How do you know about Vulcan Simmons?"

"There's history with my wife. He would recognize her."

Fowler gave him a long, narrow-eyed look and carefully enunciated, "We have no reason to believe that Vulcan Simmons would be Lazarus."

"You need to be sure," Gates insisted.

"You heard me," Fowler answered with barely contained anger. "The meet is at five. We don't have much time, so I need an answer now."

"It should be fine, Castle," Beckett soothed.

"I'll set the arrangements in motion and get you fitted with the electronics." Fowler said, obviously relieved as he left.

"I don't like Captain Fowler's hard sell tactics," Gates told them. "This isn't your job, Lieutenant. You're homicide. If you're not comfortable with it, you can walk away. I'll take the heat."

"Thank you, Sir, but I can handle this."

"Then I'll leave the two of you alone until they're ready to review the plan with you."

"Since it's just a meeting, I should be back in time for dinner," Beckett said to her worried husband. "Maybe we can have a glass of wine together and salvage the rest of the day."

"As soon as I know you're okay, I'll decant something amazing," he promised.

"I'll look forward to it," she answered.

In another couple of minutes, someone came in to take care of the electronic tracking, and then Fowler was back for a final briefing. Their backup plans were explained again, Beckett was told to take the north elevator to the meeting in room 1123 and was reminded not to act like a cop…that Elena was a woman who was intimidated by these people. Her instructions were to stay calm, memorize names and faces, and that she should be out in no time. After a quick kiss and a whispered assurance to Castle, she left with Fowler.

However, once she was in the hotel elevator with the attendant, the uniformed man shoved a gun at her and commanded her not to move. She was somehow hustled out of the building without the back-up knowing, and when the elevator reached the eleventh floor, backup reported that she wasn't there.

Beckett, with her hands bound, was thrown into the back of a truck and driven away from the hotel. Using the microphone, she reported her observations on the truck, the plate number, driving time, impressions of what she could hear, and the direction she thought they were headed etc., obviously needing help.

The backup team went into action, but found no sign of her at the hotel. The elevator attendant was nowhere to be found, either, and was apparently not a member of the hotel staff. Back at the precinct, Castle met an angry and frustrated Fowler at Gates door, demanding angrily, "Where is Beckett?"

"You promised us you had her back. What happened?" Gates demanded, placing a placating hand on Castle's arm to encourage him to let her take charge.

Castle barely contained himself, but he allowed it.

"We were set up for a simple meeting, not an orchestrated kidnapping," Fowler snapped defensively.

"Yeah, because people who orchestrate their sales operations this well would never be expected to do anything surprising. Did you even cover all the hotel exits?" Castle mumbled just loud enough Fowler could hear.

"Whoever was in room 1123 didn't know about a meeting because there never was gonna be one," Gates answered with a mildly accusing tone.

"Look, we've issued a limited alert," Fowler told them.

"Limited?!" was heard from Gates and Castle in tandem, and her hand again descended to Castle's arm. Gates continued. "We need to call in the cavalry, here."

"We know they monitor police radios. Sending up a flare might make things worse," Fowler answered. He seemed to finally fully sense how badly the operation had gone.

"They either knew your girl rolled on them, or they made Beckett. Either way, she's dead if we don't find her immediately.

"I guess that GPS doesn't look so bad now, does it?" Castle gloated. Turning to the captain, he said, "We may need to call Jordan,"

"We have the life of one of our own at stake, here, Captain," Gates stated firmly. "Is there anything you haven't told us about Elena Markov?"

"Absolutely not. Everything about the story she told us checked out."

"I have a bad feeling about this, Fowler," Castle said. "There's something else you haven't told us, isn't there? I see it in your eyes. What else?" he demanded.

Fowler cringed a little at the accusation but didn't answer.

"Spill it, Fowler," Castle said, moving threateningly into his space. "My wife is in this mess because you screwed up."

Fowler took a deep breath and admitted, "There's a very small possibility Vulcan Simmons could be involved. We have no reason to think so, but he's probably been working under someone's protection for the past eight years or so. It's vaguely possible."

"And you didn't see fit to let us know that before this happened?" Castle shouted, pushing Fowler against Gate's desk. "I told you…"

"Mr. Castle, this won't accomplish anything, positive," she said, pulling him back. "Over there for now…please," she ordered, motioning him to a corner away from Captain Fowler.

Gates went to her desk, pulled out the phone she used to contact Jordan Shaw, dialed the number, then opened her door, calling Ryan and Esposito. "Gentlemen. My office, now!"

The boys had barely entered the room and closed the door when Gates's call was answered. "Thank God you're there, Jordan. We have a situation." She gave a brief description of the problem as Fowler listened in confusion. Then she called IA. "Lin, I need you here now. Jordan is on her way, but she has to set their contingent plan into motion first."

"What's going on?" Fowler wanted to know. He obviously sensed that the entire operation was quickly slipping out of his control, and he wasn't happy.

"What's going on is that Vulcan Simmons is in league up to his eyeballs with the man who had Lt. Beckett shot a couple of years ago. That man is still out there looking for a reason to try again, and you just gave it to him. Your lie not only endangered the life of a fine law officer, it's also interfered with a high profile FBI operation involving the same man. I've been ordered to detain you here until we can ascertain that your actions aren't part of the conspiracy being investigated. Lin Jackson from IA will keep you company in the conference room until our FBI contact arrives, and this time I'll have to insist that none of what _I've_ just said leaves this room. Because of your decision, they're having to put their operation into action earlier than intended. You'll be detained until Agent Shaw can speak to you; and considering the circumstances, I'd suggest you fully cooperate. This isn't looking good for you, Captain Fowler, regardless of whether it was intentional carelessness with a fellow officer's life or actual collusion to help take her down for profit. You had the opportunity to exercise some conscience in your command decision, and you chose to ignore it. It seems Mr. Castle's instincts are as good as you were told they are."

Fowler's bluster seemed to collapse at that point, and he cooperatively walked to the conference room with Gates to await the reckoning for his overzealous choice.

"Deep breaths, man," Esposito told Castle. "Tell us what happened so we can get on it."

Castle explained, and Ryan and Esposito had the urge to go to the conference room and take Fowler on, but Castle disagreed.

"GPS, guys...if Captain Idiot even bothered to turn it on. Fowler thought it was a stupid idea, so I don't know where that stands right now. If the truck can be intercepted before it reaches its destination, there's probably less danger for her. Just get on it. I don't have the authority, and the captain has her hands full right now. She expects you to take the initiative."

"You coming with us?"

"Not yet. If I leave this room right now, you may have to arrest me for Fowler's murder." Castle continued to pace Gate's office until she returned.

"Lin is here. I'm free to do my job," she reported.

"Ryan and Esposito checked on the GPS monitor. They called everything in so the FBI has the same information."

"Beckett reported in again," Gates told him. "She said that they're slowing down and she needed to get rid of the wire. They're bound to have at least her hands restrained. I hope she can manage that."

"She's pretty creative…and flexible. Maybe she can," he answered, staring out the window worriedly as he spoke. Realizing how that could be taken, he started, "I didn't…"

"You're under stress, Mr. Castle. I took that statement as respect for your wife's ability to use the skills she's developed over her years here." He nodded his appreciation before she added, "Jordan Shaw was in town today, and she should be here in about ten minutes. She's left Avery to coordinate the rescue so she can get here and assess the overall situation."

xxxxx

Beckett's captor checked for a wire before allowing her out of the truck. He somehow missed the GPS in her boot heel, probably because he was concentrating on how he planned to run the device suggestively up under her jacket as he completed his search. As he finished and found nothing, she managed to slide the wire under something in the floor of the truck with her foot before he spotted it.

He then put a bag over her head and took her inside a large house, the first floor of which was obviously being used as offices. Once inside, the bag was removed, and she was held hostage at gunpoint. Sticking to the persona of a frightened, low level courier, she asked questions about what would happen. Just before his cell phone rang to tell him to bring her in, the man with the gun told her she could drop the act; and then he ushered her into a room nearby.

In Russian, the man at the desk asked if she was…a friend; and, also in Russian, she answered, "I am a friend. A true friend."

"You are Elena Markov?" he asked.

"Yes."

The man smiled, said he was glad to finally meet her, and introduced himself as Mr. Jones. Her kidnapper was introduced as Mr. Harden.

"I'm sorry about the lengths we have to go to to have a meeting, but these are the times we live in," he apologized. After very little small talk, he got to the business at hand, saying that, rather than having her freelance, they wanted to offer her a permanent place in their organization. Handing her a small note showing the amount fifty thousand dollars, he assured her that would be her weekly pay.

She looked at it poker faced and proclaimed it a generous amount but insisted on knowing who she was working with. She gave meeting Lazarus as a prerequisite…a matter of trust.

Harden asked to speak to Jones before taking her to wait in one of the bedrooms upstairs while Lazarus was contacted; and taking advantage of their time in the hallway behind the closed door, Beckett grabbed the phone and called the precinct. Aside from asking them to trace the call, she told them Elena was much more important than they thought. When the two men returned, she was again standing innocently near the desk where they had left her.

Harden had expressed his opinion that something wasn't right about Elena Markov, that she didn't seem to know why she was there. Jones didn't seem concerned and suggested that Harden never liked adding new personnel, especially when it was someone with more rank than Harden's, but Harden still argued his point. He didn't trust her.

xxxxx

Castle, Esposito, and Ryan, frustrated that the phone's heavy security measures, followed Gates into the conference room to confront Fowler about anything else he may have chosen to keep to himself.

"Captain, why did Beckett tell us that Elena Markov was more than a courier?" Gates asked pointedly.

"I have no idea," Fowler answered.

"Is there anything else you haven't told us?" Castle asked impatiently.

"No." Turning to Gates and Lin Jackson, he asked, "Do I have to keep answering questions from him?" he asked.

"Since you've taken it upon yourself to virtually sign my wife's death warrant, I think I have a right to a few more bad answers," Castle snapped.

"Sounds fair to me," Lin Jackson answered.

Fowler grudgingly answered, "We didn't have time to look too deep, not with things moving this fast. We didn't even know about her until yesterday."

"Maybe you didn't know about her at all," Gates answered, sounding disgusted.

Ryan went to the door and spoke to someone who called him there. "I think we can fix that. The hospital called, and she's awake."

Their brief encounter with the hope of learning more about the woman was also dashed when the hospital security footage showed Elena leaving her hospital room alone. The police officer guarding her had been left behind on the floor, his throat cut using exactly the same method as all the drug dealers on the white board in the conference room. They now knew that Markov was a contract killer.

Jordan had joined the group just in time to gather that information, and Castle asked her, "Do we have any idea where Beckett is yet?"

"Yes, we still have the signal, but we still have to get there."

Ryan protested, "If they've taken Elena, that means Beckett's cover is blown. She's as good as dead."

"Or if Elena left entirely on her own and she knows how to contact them, it's no better," Gates answered.

"SWAT is on the way," Jordan assured them. "Avery is coordinating, but we had to gather the specific people we know we can trust, and we have to go in a quieter mode than usual…different vehicles, different appearance. These people know their security. If we go in as usual, they'd see us coming miles away. It's slowed us down, but we're underway."

xxxxx

Left to herself in her room, Beckett found paper and pen and wrote a letter to Castle, hiding it behind one of the heating grates before hearing another vehicle and voices outside. There was another woman being brought in with a black bag over her head. Then Harden came to take Beckett back to Jones.

Jones was surprised, but Lazarus agreed to meet with her if she agreed complete an assignment first…a take it or leave it deal.

"Deal," Beckett answered, now wearing a fully confidant demeanor. "What do I need to do?"

'Kill him," Jones said casually. "What you do best." And he dropped a picture of the intended victim on the desk in front of a shocked but still poker faced Beckett…immediately clarifying Elena Markov's place in the organization. "Make it clean," he added.


	67. Chapter 67

Chapter 67

AN: In the last chapter, I said I drew very heavily from the episode. Perhaps I should have said it was mostly a retelling, for which I take no credit. I did that because, when I re-watched the episode, I was surprised at how much I had forgotten and thought some of you might have, too. A good bit of the first third of this chapter falls into that same category, and mostly goes back to AU from there. Thanks for your patience with that.

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When Harden drove Beckett to their target's house, she sat in the car and annoyed him with a litany of questions about the intended victim…who he was, what he did for a living, whether he was alone, why he was targeted…and Harden became both impatient and more suspicious. When challenged, she passed it off convincingly as recon, needing to know if his profession would mean there were guns in the house, etc. "Curiosity keeps me alive," she told him firmly. "I don't work like this. This is sloppy."

Harden pushed to get the job done anyway, saying maybe Lazarus wanted to see how she could improvise, then he handed her a gun rather than a knife. "Lazarus doesn't want this one related to your other kills," he explained before he sent her into the house.

She was gone for a few minutes, and after Harden had seen evidence of gunfire from the house, he confronted Beckett when she returned to the car. "Show me," he demanded.

"What?! No! We don't have time for this," she answered.

When his demand continued, they went to the side door where their target could be seen lying on the carpet with blood all over his head and blood spattered on the refrigerator and the cabinet close by.

"I'm done auditioning," Beckett told him. "You tell Lazarus, he wants to play games then this deal's off."

"Looking surprised, Harden agreed it was time to go.

xxxxx

"A contract killer? That's who you sent Beckett to impersonate, and you didn't know?" Castle growled at Captain Fowler.

"Mr. Castle…" Gates started.

"She's pretending to be Elena when she doesn't know who Elena is. She can't keep that up forever without giving herself away, and now Markov is out there. You know what's going to happen when the real Elena shows up?"

"If anyone in this precinct can think on their feet well enough to handle this, it's Lt. Beckett," Gates assured him. "You said it yourself. She's flexible…and resourceful."

Castle nodded his acknowledgment as he took a deep breath and combed his fingers through his hair. He was quiet again, but he still periodically paced the room like a large, caged cat. After several of his passes across the room, Jordan Shaw took pity on him.

"SWAT is almost there, Castle, and the GPS signal is still strong. We can find her."

At that point, Gates's phone rang, and she answered it, immediately looking puzzled. "What? Where?" Closing the call, moving toward the door, and motioning for them to follow, she said, "We might have a break, gentlemen. Observation, interrogation room two."

A man named Evan Potter was in the interrogation room with an odd story about a cop entering his house and telling him if he wanted to live he had to do everything she said. The tale involved ketchup and beet juice from his kitchen and playing dead where he could be seen from the sliding glass door. And his instructions were to contact Gates as soon as he was sure he was safe.

Potter was an attorney, but his field had nothing to do with anything that might have him targeted by a drug ring. They were having a hard time finding a connection to explain the intended hit.

In the observation room, Ryan breathed a sigh. "At least we know Beckett's still alive."

"But for how long?" Castle asked dismally.

"Hey, she might be your wife, but she's also a damned good cop. Don't sell her short," Esposito reprimanded.

"And we're sure she knows who Elena Markov is now." Ryan smiled. "That was pretty creative of her. "

Castle did manage a little smile at that. 'Yeah, it was," he agreed.

xxxxx

When Beckett and Harden returned, Jones asked, "So how did it go?"

"The package was delivered with no issues," she answered.

"Good. Clean yourself up. Lazarus is ready to see you," Jones told her. When she returned from the rest room, he said, "This way," as he walked Beckett through a long hallway to a descending staircase.

"You keep him in the basement?" Beckett asked.

Jones smiled. "He likes it there. He thinks it suits him."

They passed through a very long, narrow room where tremendous amounts of money was being counted, and Beckett seemed surprised.

"What's the matter? You've never seen a counting room before?"

"Yeah, but never to this scale. I'm impressed you've been able to hide all this from the feds," she answered, sounding fascinated.

"You don't know the half of it," Jones bragged.

Hearing screaming from the room they were about to enter, Jones went in alone first. While she waited next to the last counting desk, Beckett could see lists and a check showing payments to a payee called Future Forward. Then Jones came back to escort her in.

As she stood at the door, she could only see the back of the mysterious Lazarus. And then, with a bloody cloth in hand and some sort of device still on the table, the man with a chillingly familiar low and resonant voice said without turning around, "I apologize for the delay. I had a business matter to attend to. I don't usually meet like this; but for you, I'll make an exception. Between our needs and your skill set, this could be a very profitable arrangement." He cleaned his hands and poured drinks before he turned and saw Beckett. Then he stated clearly, "You are not Elena Markov. I know you."

Beckett tried to bluff; but Simmons was certain, and he told Jones who she was…immediately reminding her of their last meeting. She tried to use the gun they had given her, but Jones stopped her, and she was again a hostage.

xxxxx

"SWAT just arrived," Jordan reported. They've parked away from the compound, and the team is approaching on foot. Since we don't know who we can trust in Scarsdale, we're going with the act-now-and-ask-forgiveness-later approach.

"Any word on Beckett yet?" Castle asked.

"The signal is still strong, but we have no way to know what's happening with her yet." There was a pause as Jordan listened. "Well, that's odd."

Castle stopped pacing. "What's odd?"

"Every security guard at every entrance to the compound is down…all still breathing but bound with zip ties and unconscious…like they've been drugged. If I didn't know that the CIA doesn't work here, I'd suspect a visit from Mr. Ghost."

"What's happening now?" He wanted every scrap of information he could have.

"They're entering silently," Jordan responded. "The higher the level of surprise, the less likely any outside contact can be made. We know where Beckett is. They're only one room away from her now.

Vulcan Simmons demanded to know who Beckett was working for and what they knew…insisted on knowing her mission. He had already held her head under ice water for long intervals a couple of times. After starting with demands, then adding taunts about her mother, and threats, she continued to defy him. He had advanced to offering her an easier, more dignified death, and the last interval in the water was frighteningly long, driven by Simmons's anger and determination; and while all three sets of eyes in the room were focused on the drama between Beckett and Simmons, two members of SWAT had entered the room quietly. By that time, Simmons had finally decided Beckett would never break, and the team had slipped in just in time to hear his comments, and to see Jones pull Beckett's head back out of the water, Beckett gasping for breath and looking half dead. They then heard Simmons order her death and tell them to scrub the compound and get out. Medics were quickly called for Beckett, and the room's other occupants were taken into custody and removed to holding areas.

"Castle, they've got her. It was a close call, but they've got her. Medics are with her now," Jordan told him.

"How bad?"

"She was water boarded…ice water, like Ryan a few years back. She's struggling, but she's alive."

Castle sat down, head in his hands, and tried to hide the tears of relief. "How long?" he asked.

"They're bringing her back by helicopter. Probably about an hour by the time they check her over. They wanted to take her to the hospital there, but…"

He nodded from his current position. "Not sure about who to trust there. I know." He left them alone after that.

Fowler was still there as members of the various departments and agencies engaged in the efficient flurry of activity that had obviously been mapped out well ahead of the moment they were in, everyone handling their jobs even better now that they knew Beckett was safe. He was also exposed to their respect for Castle, mentioning past work as if he were one of them. Fowler, on the other hand, was being effectively ignored. His place among them now lacked any semblance of the swagger and command attitude with which he had entered the precinct that afternoon.

IA and the FBI contingent, after questioning him thoroughly, had decided earlier that his worst crime was extremely bad judgment, and that they didn't have time to deal with him right then. IA would soon have their hands full with Bracken's moles in the precincts, a number of whom had already been identified. They kept Captain Fowler there for a while longer in case he might know anything else that could help them; but, for the time being, he would be left to his superiors. Once Beckett was recovered, though, he was effectively ejected from the conference room as FBI personnel increased in number and their activity picked up in intensity…as well as need to know. He didn't need to know about anything more than the small parts of the drug operation he heard mentioned. And he was dismissed with a stern warning that any leak of so much as an iota of information at this point would be worse for his career than the problems he had already caused.

Against medical advice, Beckett, having been effectively treated by the medics and having had time to rest and recover somewhat on the flight home, insisted on stopping at the precinct. She felt she needed to give at least a minimal report to Jordan Shaw and Gates before accepting any more medical attention.

One of the medics took her to the break room, and Gates saw that she had a couple of minutes with her husband before asking any her questions. Castle took her into his arms and held her gently with his cheek resting on the top of her head and her arms around his waist. Not a word was spoken between them. None were needed. After allowing themselves one reassuringly tender, lingering kiss, they went to sit at her desk and wait to talk to the others.

Captain Fowler was very clearly not a man given to wordy, heartfelt apologies, but he did stop to see Beckett before he left.

Castle saw him coming and stood to meet him at Beckett's desk to try to keep him away from her, finding himself unable to hold back the urge to protect her from someone who had been so cavalier about her safety. As Fowler approached, Castle shoved close into his space, saying, "Haven't you done enough?"

Fowler lost his balance momentarily, and in the effort to regain it, his hand hit the ceramic elephants on Beckett's desk, knocking them across the desk and sending them crashing into the floor on the opposite side near her chair before she could catch them.

Hearing the sound of splintering ceramic, Castle began to apologize immediately. "Kate, I'm so sorry. Those were your mother's."

Beckett seemed a bit dazed at the commotion around her. "Castle, you need to slow down and let me catch up. I'm okay…maybe not a hundred per cent, but okay. But I need…" Then she was coughing harshly again.

When the coughing settled, Fowler stumbled his way through a very brief and not too well worded apology to Beckett, including an assurance that Castle had every right to be angry; and then he left as rapidly as possible. His status as persona non grata at the twelfth was evident.

"Arrogant twit," Castle growled. "Not much with words, either."

"Well, at least he had the decency to try."

"Yeah, I guess," her husband mumbled grudgingly, still unimpressed.

Beckett somewhat dazedly turned her attention to her elephants, leaned down as if checking something, and stood as Gates called her. Once she had briefly explained her time at the compound and answered the questions she could, she mentioned the payee called Future Forward, and they discovered the Super PAC.

Castle sat with her for the few minutes it took her to give them an overview of what she knew and to answer their questions as best she could, and then he told her, "You've done what you needed to do. The medics recommended a follow up here."

"No, I just want to go home," she protested strongly. "I'm fine."

The others around them looked a bit uncomfortable at the pushback. Beckett wasn't known at the twelfth for easily giving in to medical attention.

"Not happening, Kate. We're going now. Your lungs, Sweetheart. You lost part of one of them in the shooting, and not to be careful now... it makes no sense to take that chance. You're going. No arguments."

Beckett looked resigned, sighed deeply, and stood, shivering as she did. Castle took off his jacket, put it around her, then added his arm around her shoulders, and said, "See you tomorrow," to the others as he guided his wife out of the room.

"Wow," Ryan said, his jaw slightly dropped. "Never thought I'd see her give in like that."

"Yeah. Our boy gets props for that one," Esposito agreed. "She even let him get away with 'Sweetheart' and laying down the law to her in public."

"I get the feeling there's stuff there we don't know, Dude."

"I'm pretty sure there's stuff there I don't even want to know," Esposito responded, and the two of them exchanged a fist bump at that remark.

xxxxx

Gates called ahead to the hospital, explaining in general terms both the security situation and the medical problem in hopes of facilitating a shorter, safer wait for her lieutenant; and not much later, Beckett was set up in one of the cubicles in the emergency room. Since it was the same hospital where she was treated for the gunshot, her records were already in the system, only requiring an update.

A nurse came in, asked questions related to the present, as well as her former, more extensive injuries, checked more recent records, and said she would inform Dr. Kovacs that Beckett was in the hospital again and of the current circumstances. But she explained that he was presently involved with the trauma team, working with an automobile injury victim. Then she handed Beckett a plastic cup and issued instructions. While Kate dealt with the nurse's questions and instructions, Castle filled out the paperwork the hospital required in spite of all the available records. He walked to the restroom around the corner with her and was glad to see someone from his usual security company appear, escorted by a nurse, before his wife returned.

"Josef. Good to see you," he said, extending his hand.

"You as well, my friend," Josef answered with his lilting accent, warmly accepting his handshake. "Your Kate has had another difficulty?"

"An understatement. I want you outside her door wherever she happens to be and with her any time she's being moved. I'll be inside."

"Josef," Beckett said when she came back into the hallway. "I'd rather you just come and visit at the loft, but it's good to see you again."

"And I will…after we're sure you are safe."

"Fair enough," she sighed as they all walked back to her cubicle.

An ER staff doctor who introduced himself as Dr. Garza did a preliminary exam of chest and lung sounds and ordered standard bloodwork for Beckett's circumstances. After disposing of his gloves, he stopped long enough to tell them, "I'll be back after we have the test results, and we'll discuss what needs to be done."

"Wonder how long that will be?" Kate grouched.

Castle smiled indulgently, knowing his wife's dislike of all things medical, and kissed her on the head before he sat down in the chair next to her bed to keep her company.

The phlebotomist came in almost immediately, drew blood, and left. Alone again, the couple sat holding hands for a few minutes, Kate leaning her head back and closing her eyes and Castle enjoying that she was safe enough now that he could watch her do that.

It had been a while, and both Castles were a little antsy, so Rick fired up his laptop and found a news program. To their dismay, they were met with the face of Senator William Bracken.

Bracken had chosen to return to New York City to make his announcement. His intent to run for the presidency was to be made more dramatic by proclaiming his plans from the same site where he had launched his first political campaign…the race for his New York Senate seat. It was meant to bring out his New York base and cement his solidarity with the people of the city...as well as to provide some showmanship. The news report switched from his picture and the news anchor's voice over to Bracken's smiling, confidant approach to the microphones, waving and nodding as he accepted the applause from the crowd gathered behind the reporters.

"Those of you who know me," he intoned importantly, "know that I've gotten where I am today by doing whatever it takes to get the job done. That is the kind of leadership this country needs, and that is why I am forming an exploratory committee for a run for the presidency of the United States." Cheering from the crowd followed his announcement, and then the screen shifted to the news anchor.

"Senator Bracken, an early front runner, is rumored to have significant funding already lined up from major contributors," she announced before moving on to another subject.

"Bracken is about to be rendered senseless," Castle whispered to his wife. "Jordan's people are working on the destruction of his disgusting career as we speak." He closed down his computer and rested his forehead on her shoulder, still speaking very quietly. "I want to believe you'll be safe now, but I can't yet. We still have to be careful. He's about to have nothing left to lose."

Kate nodded, took his hand in hers again, and answered softly, "I might still be a little scared."

"After today, I'd worry if you weren't," he answered. They kept their conversation quiet enough that no one around them would hear more than murmurs.

"Oh, I found one of those little micro cassettes in the broken pieces of the elephants. I wasn't quite myself then, and that was when Gates called us in. Maybe I'm still not quite myself. I don't know how I'd forgotten until now. Do you have anything at home to play it on?"

"Maybe in the storage room. I'll look after we get you home and settled."

Kate just nodded and closed her eyes again.

"Any idea what it could be?" he asked.

"No," she said, opening her eyes. "But if it's something Mom hid in those elephants, it's probably important. I've never heard anything rattle in them, though. It must have been wedged in tight."

xxxxx

Jordan Shaw, along with Gates, Ryan, and Esposito, were still looking at estimates of the unbelievable amounts of money found at the compound and being funnelled into Future Forward.

"I still can't believe this is right," Gates said. "Future Forward is actually a Super PAC…funded by enormous amounts of drug money."

"Yeah," Ryan stated as he entered the room and rejoined the conversation. "And that's a direct connection to Evan Potter."

"Our would be hit victim?" Esposito asked.

We finally figured out the hit. Potter did all the work to set up the Super PAC for a client of his…a wealthy hedge fund manager with significant connections…name's Jason Kochler."

"So we talk to Kochler," Shaw said, picking up her phone.

"Hard to do," Ryan answered. "Kochler died of a heart attack this morning."

"Well, that doesn't sound like a coincidence," Jordan observed; and she was on the phone in seconds, ordering that his body be immediately transferred to Dr. Parish at NYPD and placed under guard until further notice.

"So to recap, Fowler couldn't find the money because it's being used to build a massive political war chest," Gates said shaking her head in disbelief. "And if we didn't already know who's doing it?"

"It would be impossible to find out." Esposito answered. "If your guys hadn't found it, it would just have been gone. Federal tax and banking laws that regulate these kinds of Super PACs are pretty loose."

"For all practical purposes, this money was legally laundered, going through an anonymous shell corporation and a second secret Super PAC," Ryan explained.

Comments bounced back and forth between them, frustrating them more as they progressed through the conversation.

"Someone must be able to tell us something."

"Evan Potter?"

"No, he just set up the PAC for Kochler."

"But he didn't run it."

"How can anybody…even any organization, keep up with so many moving parts?"

"Can we beat this, Jordan?" Gates asked.

"We're going to at least make a big dent," she answered before pausing briefly. "And, if I were Bracken, I wouldn't count on much more of the public trust."

xxxxx

"When is that doctor coming back?" Kate whimpered between coughing jags. "I think he forgot us and went home. I did everything they wanted…answered their questions, peed in the cup, let them take enough blood for a vampire's dinner…" There was more coughing, but not as bad as the last attack. "I want to be home. With you. That's where we were supposed to be all day."

"That's what I want, too, but I want to go home knowing you're okay." After a quick kiss, he insisted, "And next time you have a whole day off, you're not answering your phone if anyone at the precinct calls…especially the captain."

She leaned her head back against the bed again and said, "Deal."

Then Dr. Garza was back, announcing, "You'll probably have some discomfort a little longer. Results in general look good, but I'd like to keep you here for observation and some treatment. I know you'd rather be at home; but I'm afraid the best I can do for you right now, staying within the bounds of reasonable medical care, is to provide you with a bit more comfort and privacy."

Castle saw little trails of tears slip from Kate's closed eyes, and he stood and leaned to kiss her forehead.

"I understand from both Dr. Kovaks and from your captain's call that there could be security issues. We've had hospital security close by, and I assume the large man outside the curtain is with you?"

"He is," Castle answered.

"We have a room ready for you, Mrs. Castle. As long as there are no complications, I don't foresee much more than an overnight stay. However, Dr. Kovacs will see you as soon as possible, and he'll have the final say."

Turning to the doctor, Castle said, "Take us to her room, and then I have a request. I'll pay for every cent of the inconvenience."

After a little more work at the computer on the part of one of the nurses, Kate was taken to her room with Castle and Josef at her side.

Once she was settled, Castle asked to speak to the doctor alone. "I know this isn't normal procedure, but what she's been through…what we've been through today isn't normal, either. I'd like to arrange for a larger bed…the hospital must have bariatric beds. In the course of working together, we've both been through enough difficult situations to be given to nightmares; and it would help us to be together. If she's going to have to wake up during the night for breathing treatments again, I want her feeling as safe and comfortable as possible between them. Charge me whatever it takes, but please let me do this for her."

The doctor seemed reluctant to consider the request as he looked at the woman who had clearly already been through hell and back once and was here because she had been given another taste of it that day…and at the anguish of the man who so obviously loved her. He hesitated for a moment as if he might refuse, but he then left the room to arrange for it. "I'm going to look into Mr. Castle's request," he told Kate. "When I get back, we have some things to discuss." He closed the door as he left.

"God, I hope that isn't as ominous as it sounded." Castle said in the doctor's wake. "I hope he comes right back."

"Me too," Kate answered, looking worried. "I've had about all the unwelcome surprises I can handle today."

Castle sat down in the chair next to the bed and took her hand. "Whatever it is, I'm here."

"I know that," she answered, stroking her hand over the back of his.

The doctor returned in a blessedly short time and launched into his information. "We need x-rays of your lungs, but it's going to require informed consent."

"Informed consent sounds serious. I've never been asked for that before. It's just an x-ray, isn't it?" Kate asked.

"Ordinarily, yes. But in this case, there's another consideration, confirmed by the standard testing for a woman your age."


	68. Chapter 68

Chapter 68

AN: One guest reviewer got a laugh at the end of the last chapter, saying what a perfect name for a doctor. It seems that garza translates from Italian as "gauze bandage". That was fun. I was clueless there.

Another guest, an ER nurse pointed out that they would have checked the baby ASAP rather than saying "Be right back and we'll talk." In Dr. Gauze's defense, you'll see here that he already had an OB on the way in. That translates from English to more English as poetic license. I needed a way to close the last chapter with a big hint and jump right into this one.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Were you aware of your pregnancy?" Dr. Garza asked, as the nurse replaced Kate's oxygen cannula.

"Pregnancy?" he heard in unison from two shocked Castles.

"I'll take that as a no," he answered with a chuckle.

Castle's palm was immediately on Kate's abdomen as he said with a sound of awe, "A baby?"

Almost simultaneously Kate's hand came to rest on his as she looked up at him asking, "I'm pregnant?" Then she turned a panicked look toward the doctor. "What happened today…did it hurt the baby? Will it be okay?"

"We'll take care of that examination any minute. An obstetrician is on the way, and you should have some answers in short order."

The obstetrician arrived a few minutes later with an ultrasound machine to check on the baby. With the internal ultrasound, they were even able to see a little flurry of movement they were told was the heartbeat. Then Kate was examined, and both she and the baby appeared to be fine. And she was assured that taking the birth control pills after she was pregnant shouldn't cause a problem.

Almost before they could even breathe a sigh of relief, the couple heard, "Mr. and Mrs. Castle," from a familiar voice at the door, and saw that Dr. Kovacs was there, smiling and extending his hand toward Castle.

"Good to see you, but bad circumstances…followed by good circumstances," Castle answered and shook his hand. "I'm sure that made no sense."

Dr. Kovaks was immediately more serious as he moved toward the bed to shake Kate's hand. "Mrs. Castle, I hear you've had a frightening day. Sit up and let me listen. Breathe as normally as you can." He assessed as she answered his questions and followed his instructions. Then he hung his stethoscope around his neck and said, "I understand congratulations are in order."

"Thank you," Kate answered quietly. "But Dr. Garza said there should be x-rays. Tell us what we need to know to decide."

"We need to know about your lungs to be sure there are no surprises. The pregnancy…"

"How pregnant?" Castle asked, unable to hold back any longer.

"There was a blood test called a quantitative hCG that indicates about six weeks."

Dr. Garza excused himself then, and Castle followed him to the door to thank him for his help and also for his understanding.

The doctor gave a professional nod in response and offered his congratulations before he left.

"Sorry. I won't interrupt again," Castle said as he returned.

"No problem. There's a lot going on here," Dr. Kovacs answered good naturedly. "The two of you don't make it easy on us. We don't like to order x-rays when there's a pregnancy; but with Mrs. Castle's health at issue as well, I think we should. We can never make promises, but at this stage, the risk should be small. The decision will have to be yours."

Kate reached for her husband's hand, and she looked at him questioningly. The two of them asked some clarifying questions, and they reluctantly agreed that taking a chance with Kate's health would also be risky for the baby.

"Someone will be here to take you to x-ray in a few minutes, then. I'll be back when we have the results."

As promised, a young woman in scrubs was there with a wheel chair a few minutes later, and Josef walked with them to wait during the x-ray. When they returned, the bed Castle requested had been delivered, and by the time the room cleared after all the activity and questioning that followed, they were assured that Kate was rapidly improving, oxygen levels were good, and nothing in the x-rays warranted undue concern. Kate was told she would have a breathing treatment shortly and was promised that she could sleep after that.

Both of them exhaling sighs of relief that they were finally alone, Castle removed his button down and his shoes and got into bed with his wife, holding her close for a long moment. He pulled the oxygen cannula down to rest around her shoulders and kissed her long and slow before he dutifully put it back.

"We're going to have a baby," he whispered playfully, as if she didn't know.

She smiled and whispered back, "I know. Then she moved the cannula again and kissed him lovingly.

"Thank you for arranging for this," she said. "I didn't think they'd allow it."

"Thank you for not trying to stop me. I needed it as much as you did." After a short pause, he added, "And the hefty donation I made after you were released last time probably helped convince somebody in charge."

Suddenly pulling a fistful of his T-shirt into her hand, she said, "Alexis. We didn't call Martha and Alexis. I didn't even think. Some Mom I'm going to be. And Dad..."

"I called while you were in x-ray," he said. "You haven't had a minute to think past the moment. Mother and Alexis know the medical reason we're here, and I promised to call first thing in the morning. Alexis is going to look for the old tape recorder. She sounded like she needed something to do for us. Your Dad is already asleep by now. We'll call all of them in the morning." Kissing her forehead, he said, "I didn't tell Mother and Alexis about the baby, though. We should do that together. She relaxed then, smoothing her husband's T-shirt over his chest and leaning against him again.

As she snuggled closer, Kate sighed contentedly, and he could feel the shape of her smile against his chest as she said softly, "We're pregnant. I didn't like the internal ultrasound, but we got to see a tiny little heartbeat. It was worth it."

"Yeah. We're pretty good at this," he answered, nuzzling her hair. "We hadn't even started trying yet. Guess you can throw away the pills now."

"I guess I can." Then she giggled. "Even after this hellish day and all the worry tonight, I can't stop smiling."

"Me, either. So you're happy?"

"I'm really scared, but I'm _so_ happy."

"What scares you?" he asked, planting a soft kiss on her head.

"You're such a good dad. What if I'm not as good a mom?" she asked. "I've already done so many things wrong."

"Why do you think you've done things wrong?"

"I didn't realize I was late and kept taking birth control. I've been drinking coffee by the gallon, like always…and wine almost every night. I went into an undercover assignment that went wrong and put this baby we both want so much at risk…"

"Stop right there. Did you know you were pregnant?

"No, but…"

"You're only two weeks late. I'm usually well aware of your cycles, and I didn't realize you were late, either. Would you have agreed to the assignment today if you'd known?"

"Of course not, but…"

"And when you found out, wasn't your first instinct to know how today could have affected the baby…and then to do your best to protect it?"

"Yes, but…"

"No buts, Kate. That sounds like pretty good mom material to me. And I was there at the precinct today. I didn't like it, but I agreed to the assignment, too. You aren't alone in feeling guilty."

"I can't help it. I already feel like a failure. And I'll worry about the x-ray until several doctors each tell me at least ten times that I don't need to."

He pulled her closer. "I will, too." Still trying to reinforce his point for her, though, he asked, "You haven't had any symptoms like morning sickness yet, have you?"

"No."

"Then don't be so hard on yourself. You didn't have the biggest tell-tale symptom, and we've had a lot of distractions lately…like that huge case that had two teams working almost non-stop. The doctors here have been encouraging, so let's be positive, at least for tonight. You can talk to Lanie tomorrow. You trust her. She'll be honest, and you're gonna want to tell her anyway. I imagine the celebratory squeal she'll make could wake even her clientele."

Kate nodded and smiled again; then she turned in his arms, moved so he was spooned close behind her, and pulled his hand to her abdomen again. "It's barely the size of a bean…or a peanut…but I love it already. I never thought I'd be that mom."

"I already love it, too," he said, nuzzling in her hair again. "It's _our_ peanut. And I've thought for a while now that you'd be that mom. You're gonna be an awesome mom."

She sighed again and leaned her head back against his shoulder.

"Sleep, Kate. You know somebody will be in here at least once, probably more than that, before morning to wake you up for something. Both of you need your rest."

"Both of us. Our baby is in here," she said dreamily, stroking her fingers across his. "We already made our little Castle."

Now it was his smile that could be felt against the curve of her neck. "Yeah, we did," he answered.

She turned her head, he leaned forward to meet her lips with his, and after one more long, loving kiss, he slid his other arm under her pillow, moving her further into his arms. Then they lay quietly as they gradually drifted into sleep, sharing the joy of knowing that they had created another family member to love.

xxxxx

Jordan Shaw had taken a break from the madness of the conference room operation center they had set up that afternoon, and she was sitting in Gates's office after closing a call with Avery.

Gates came in with two mugs of coffee, placed one on the small table next to Shaw, and then sat down at her desk. "Everything okay in Scarsdale?"

"Going almost too well. Using more non-descript than usual SUVs and trucks has paid off. It looks like the local authorities haven't noticed us yet. Most of our vehicles have already been moved into the compound as if it's part of their standard activity there, and in less than an hour, everything will be contained there as if nothing happened last night. There's still a lot to be done, but Avery has it all well in hand. CSU moved in as soon as SWAT cleared them; and as they release a room, records and equipment from it are being boxed and put in trucks to be returned to our office here. Avery says it's running smoothly." She took another sip of her coffee and added, "As much as I hate to admit it, especially after the danger it left Beckett in, if Fowler hadn't been such a jerk, we might have missed the location of this operation."

"And if Mr. Castle hadn't insisted on the GPS. Nothing else we tried could get through their security."

"There's a lot more to that man than there appears to be at first glance."

Gates chuckled. "You don't need to tell me that. From what I understand, Beckett didn't even want him here at first."

"How in the world do they work together and behave the way they do here?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen them together outside the precinct, just being themselves; and their natural state of being seems to be touching. Not sexual, just close. If they aren't touching, they're connected somehow, even across the room. But when they're here, they're professional. Nobody running a hand over a shoulder or dropping a kiss on the head as they pass or sitting too close… Where does all that go when they get here?"

"I've seen it, too, and I don't know. I just thank whatever powers that be that they don't make me deal with it."

They both chuckled and sat quietly enjoying their coffee until Gates broke the silence, getting back to business. "So Vulcan Simmons is Lazarus?"

"We don't think he is. The two men who arrested him got to Beckett just in time. I didn't tell Castle quite how close it was. They entered the room just in time to see Simmons ranting at Beckett and a man they called Jones pulling her head out of the ice water...and to hear Simmons order the same man to take her out and kill her. He said that Lazarus would want her dead after today, anyway."

"So that means Bracken…"

"We do have evidence that it's his drug operation, but Simmons runs it and reaps big rewards. We hadn't found that Scarsdale counting operation before today, though. We think it's new. Another one abruptly closed down recently before we had identified its location. All we had was mentions of it."

"So, do you think Simmons didn't know about the deal between Bracken and Beckett, or did he just not care?"

"We don't know. I didn't worry about the possibility of anything being mailed because we'll have taken Bracken out of commission before it could be delivered. Simmons and his cohorts are all being held separately."

"And Elena Markov?"

"She and the man Beckett called Harden were apprehended, both trying to escape from the compound. In a little less than twenty-four hours, everyone in custody will have contact with their lawyers, at least one of whom is likely to alert Bracken; so our timing on arresting the senator will be tight. He's scheduled a press conference at nine tomorrow morning." She paused and smiled. "My evil twin says we should arrest him there and make it as public as possible…even has a solid plan for that… but my rational side is still in control. We need to execute our warrants on as much as possible of everything he owns, rents, rides in, or whatever before he gets wind of it; and that needs to start now."

"What else do you need from me? I'm here for the duration," Gates assured her.

"There isn't time to move the whole operation back to our offices yet; but, as soon as we've arrested Bracken, we'll be moving out of your hair. Victoria, you may have to be responsible for arresting a couple of your superiors; and you and Lin Jackson and Eugene Brown in IA may have to arrest a couple of friends or acquaintances. Are you ready for that?"

"If they're dirty, I have no problem with it. Neither will Jackson or Brown."

"They're definitely dirty. We have documentation that they're all on Bracken's payroll. Following the money trail for Bracken and Simmons has called for the FBI, CIA, a couple of full time forensic accountants, and some excellent legal advice; but we're sure Bracken won't be able to get out of it. We had to dig deep for it, but it's there.

"Then tell me who and when."

"I will, and it won't be long." Jordan stood and raised her cup as if in a toast, saying, "Back to the fray. Warrants to deal with. Thanks for the coffee."

"I'll have people ready to move whenever you say."

xxxxx

Kate and Rick had a reasonable period of sleep before another breathing treatment and another blood draw in the early hours of the morning. Dr. Kovacs arrived a few minutes after seven, already in possession of the bloodwork results; and Castle left the bed to allow him room to check Kate's heart and lung sounds.

"I'm sure this will come as good news," the doctor told Kate. "You're free to go home. For a few days, work with the same breathing exercises you did after the surgery, and stay home and take it easy for the next couple of days. You should make an appointment with your OB as soon as possible. I'll get the release process started and see that your Captain has the necessary paperwork." Extending his hand, he added, "Congratulations to both of you."

"Thank you," Kate answered.

"We'll try not to darken your doorstep again," Castle promised. "Thank you for everything."

A nurse stopped in immediately after Dr. Kovaks left, saying. "Mr. Castle, your daughter stopped by late last night and brought this for you. She peeked in, but she didn't want to disturb you." Then she placed a small duffel bag in the chair next to the bed and left.

After opening the bag and looking inside, Castle announced triumphantly, "She found it," and pulled out an old tape recorder that used micro cassettes. "I hope she remembered the batteries."

"Come on, Castle. It's Alexis. You know there are batteries."

He took the tape Kate had given him from his pocket and popped it into the machine. After closing the door, he turned it on and waited for the tape to play, turning the volume down to keep the content of the recording to themselves. Both of them were dumbfounded at what they heard, and Kate was ready to leave on the spot.

"She brought us clean clothes, too, Kate. Clean up and change clothes first," Castle told her, then we'll go. I'll change while you freshen up. We need to get this to Jordan."

Kate was dressed and had their other clothes in the duffel bag faster than Castle thought possible and was rushing him to leave. She signed herself out of the hospital, and she and Castle caught a cab outside the building, going straight to the precinct.

Rushing out of the elevator on the homicide floor as she clutched the machine with the tape, she headed straight for the conference room, nearly running into Gates as she did.

"Captain, Jordan, you need to hear this," she said, displaying the detective demeanor that no one failed to recognize as something to pay attention to.

"My office," the captain answered. Castle and Josef were close behind her, Beckett motioned for the boys to join them, and Gates closed the door behind them.

"Yesterday a figurine that belonged to my mother fell off my desk and broke. I found this inside it, but there was nothing to play it on until this morning." When she started the tape, they all recognized the first voice.

BRACKEN: Raglan, Shut the door. You three got a lot of balls coming here.

"Is that…" Gates asked in surprise.

"Senator Bracken, back when he was still Assistant DA." Castle confirmed quickly.

MONTGOMERY: Look, we just want to make sure we're all on the same page.

For Jordan's benefit, Kate explained quietly, "And that's Roy Montgomery."

MONTGOMERY: You took us for a lot of money, Bracken. We want assurances.

BRACKEN: Hey, be happy I haven't busted the three of you for your little mafia extortion ring.

MONTGOMERY: Whoa. Relax.

BRACKEN: No, no. You want assurances? Here you go. I assure you that as easily as I pinned Bob Armen's murder on Pulgatti, I could just as easily put it on the cops who actually did the deed.

Gates said, "Bracken just admitted to blackmailing them?"

"He sure did," Castle answered. "And to framing Pulgatti for Armen's murder and hiding the police involvement."

MONTGOMERY: Pulgatti knows he's been framed. What if someone gets onto this?

BRACKEN: Then I'll handle them

MONTGOMERY: You? How?

BRACKEN: I know people, Roy. Dangerous people. Anyone gets too close, like that bitch lawyer, Johanna Beckett, who's been poking around…I'll have them killed. I've had people killed before."

"And he just admitted to contract murders…plural," Beckett pointed out. That long ago. How many people have he and Vulcan Simmons killed by now? There was another contract killer on the payroll at the compound when I was there, and Jones had no problem ordering hits, probably carried some out as well. And they were offering Elena Markov fifty thousand a week to be a permanent member of their staff."

"The evil twin wins, Victoria. Bracken's big press conference is in forty-five minutes, and we're giving the press a good show. We're arresting him there…in front of the cameras, God, and everybody. You want in, Beckett?"

To everyone's surprise, she looked at Castle as if she might refuse. "What would you want me to do?" she asked Jordan.

"What you've wanted to do your entire career…arrest him cuff him, and read him his rights." Seeing the look between Beckett and Castle, she said, "Outside with me for a minute, both of you?" and closed the captain's door after them, walking with them to Beckett's desk. Speaking quietly, she said, "Hesitancy isn't what I expected. Is there something we should know?" With no answer immediately forthcoming, she asked, "Are you pregnant?"

"I keep forgetting you're a profiler," Kate answered.

"It's the only reason I could see that would make you hesitate. And you immediately looked to Castle, so he had a heavy stake in the decision, too."

"We found out at the hospital last night. Our family doesn't even know yet. We were lucky, Jordan. The doctors say everything looks good. But I can't take any more chances," Beckett told her.

Castle said nothing, but he put an arm around his wife's waist sympathetically. "I'd love to see Bracken realize that both Beckett women had a hand in taking him down."

"We could have another tiny little Beckett woman in here that I need to take care of. My mother would want our baby safe, too."

"Castle, Beckett, I understand your concerns, but my team has had experience delivering at risk witnesses to the courts or the Marshall service safely over a lot of years, and we've never even had anyone hurt. We aren't Fowler. We can keep you safe."

"I believe that. After yesterday, though, I won't take that chance. But thank you for the offer. It means a lot."

"Tough decision, Beckett; but I understand it."

"Not as tough as I thought it would be."

Jordan smiled and said quietly, "I'm happy for both of you," and went back to Gates's office. "We need to coordinate these arrests, Captain," Jordan told Gates, closing the door after she said, 'Gentlemen, we'll be right back with the particulars."

"She's pregnant, isn't she?" the captain asked softly as they walked to the conference room.

"Found out at the hospital last night, but they were told everybody is fine."

"Thank God for that," Gates answered, looking relieved.

"Their family doesn't know yet, so…"

"It's their news to share…or not…until I have to demand desk duty."

Beckett uncharacteristically moved close to Castle in the bullpen, her hands on his chest and her forehead against his shoulder.

"It's generous of Jordan to make that offer…to go to that much trouble to give you the chance to arrest him instead of claiming all the glory for the FBI," Castle said gently as Beckett accepted his embrace.

"Yeah, it is," she answered. "But this way will be easier on all of us."

"Except you. I know you still want to be there."

"I do. But our little peanut is so much more important than Bracken seeing my face when he realizes his life as he knows it is over. His life is still over."

"I'm sorry you won't be a part of making it happen."

"But you didn't try to talk me out of it…you let it be my decision. Thank you for trusting me like that." She stood back from him and said, "And we were both a part of making it happen. We did it together, remember? All those late nights…hidden computers…?" There was a little pause, and then her hands were gently on his chest again. "Take me home now?"

"You call the car service and let me make sure Ryan and Esposito know we're leaving…and that somebody is keeping track of that cassette. We don't want it to fall out of the chain of custody."

Josef was standing a respectable distance away to give the couple some privacy as Jordan talked to them, but he moved in Beckett's direction as Castle went to speak to the boys and she called the car service.

"Hey, guys, I'm taking Beckett home," Castle announced when he opened the door of the captain's office. "She isn't supposed to be here, but we had to bring in that tape. The doctor told her to take a couple of days off, and Gates should already have the doctor's letter in her email. If we leave now, we should be home to watch Bracken's demise on TV."

"She's not going with Jordan?" Esposito blustered angrily. "You talked her out of it, didn't you?"

"No. It was her decision. And she went through hell yesterday, so I didn't try to change her mind."

"Take care of her," Ryan answered.

"I will. And please be sure either Jordan or Avery gets that tape for her. Don't let it out of your possession until then."

"Never considered doing anything else," Ryan agreed while Esposito still fumed. "I'll see to it," Ryan promised.

"See you in a couple of days."

When Castle returned to Beckett's desk, she looked at him and smiled. "Let's go home and tell Alexis and Martha. Then we'll watch Bracken's arrest and we can all cheer. We'll worry about anything else later."

"Good plan, Mom," he whispered, and she smiled even bigger. Turning to his friend, he said, "We're going home, Josef. You ready?"

"Kate Beckett, you look happy," Josef observed.

"The man who has plagued my family's life for so long is about to be arrested, and Jordan assures me that he's going to be in prison for the rest of his life."

"Enough to make one smile," he agreed, and walked with them to the elevator, standing in front of them when it opened and placing himself in front again before it stopped.

"I asked the service about sending Darrell or Michael. Darrell had just dropped someone off about three blocks from here, so the car shouldn't be too long," Beckett told the two men as the group entered the lobby. "I know they usually take the cars back and clean them before picking up anyone else, but I told their dispatcher we were more interested in time, so they sent him from there anyway." She rolled her eyes and said, "It's a good thing we're going home. I'm babbling now."

"We should wait here," Josef stated, watching the lobby; and Castle wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders, tucking her close and standing protectively beside her near the wall.

Less than five minutes later, Darrell drove up in a town car, and Josef ushered them out, getting Beckett in the car first. They went straight to the loft and into bear hugs from the two redheads who were waiting for them.

"Dad, where have you been?" Alexis scolded as Martha hugged him and then wrapped her arms around Kate. "I just got off the phone with the hospital, and they said Kate had signed herself out over an hour ago. I was about to call the precinct."

"Calm down and we'll explain. You'll understand then," Castle assured them.

"Tell us the rest of what happened yesterday," Martha insisted.

"I'll be in the study," Josef said. "You need time to tell your family about your Kate."

"I do, Josef. Thank you. We won't be long."

Josef nodded and closed the door behind him.

Castle gave them a quick explanation of Fowler's assignment gone awry and the resulting danger to Kate. "But there's more to tell. The best news first, though. The doctors said Kate should be fine, but she was told to take a couple of days off to recover. Do you want to tell them the rest?" he asked his wife.

"They said the baby is fine, too," Kate told them, smiling again.

"Baby?" Alexis repeated, looking confused.

"Baby!" Martha said, grabbing Alexis's arm in excitement with a look of full understanding.

"Baby!" Alexis squealed, in sudden realization. "You're going to have a baby? When?"

There were more hugs as Castle said, "It looks like it should be about the end of February."

"After everything that went wrong yesterday, we found out at the hospital last night," Kate explained.

"I finally get to be a big sister. How long before we know whether it's a boy or a girl?" Alexis asked.

"A lot longer than you're going to want to wait," Kate answered, tugging at a lock of her stepdaughter's hair teasingly.

"Tomorrow is longer than I want to wait," Alexis answered with a grin.

"You said something about the best news first. Is there more good news?" Martha asked.

"Turn on the TV, Castle told them. It should be anywhere you look any time now."

12


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Martha went to turn on the television, but the regular morning programming was still on, and Alexis was much more interested in the baby.

"Can I tell everybody?" Alexis asked.

"Not yet, Pumpkin. We want a little time to enjoy it ourselves first…and to think through when it's okay for it to be public knowledge. Captain Gates shouldn't find out second hand."

"If she hasn't already guessed," Kate chimed in. "She's pretty sharp. I think after yesterday she'd give me a pass on not mentioning it to her yet, though."

"Can I at least tell Josef? He should know because of his job, right?"

"We should probably let Kate tell her dad first, don't you think?"

"And Lanie," Kate added. "I'd never be forgiven if she ended up too far down the list." When Alexis's face fell, Kate suggested, "Tell you what. Your dad will call her, I'll tell her you have some news for her, and you can tell her. We'll make it a family project." Then she added shyly, "I want to tell my dad myself."

"Call him now," Castle encouraged. "He's going to want to see the press coverage. Then you can tell him about the baby."

"What's wrong with me? I meant to call him from the car on the way home and ask him to meet us here. Stupid, stupid, stupid." She took out her phone and tapped his number; and when he answered, she said, "Dad, wherever you are, turn on a TV. Drop what you're doing and go do it now. There should be headlines about breaking news really soon. I promise everybody will understand."

"Okay." The word was as much a question as an answer.

"After that, I need to tell you something else."

"You can't tell me now?" he asked, sounding amused.

"If there's time. Are you finding a television?"

"I'm in the conference room. Turning it on now. Nothing yet. Oh, wait. Breaking news. Here it is."

"It's on, Kate," Castle said, but she was already turning toward the screen to watch, her father on the phone with her. Castle wrapped his arms around her from behind, holding her close as they watched.

The announcer's voice was saying, "Something seems to be happening at a news conference called by Senator William Bracken, who just announced that he's considering a run for the presidency. An FBI contingent just arrived at the hotel and seems to be heading in the direction of the senator's meeting room."

"Katie, what's…"

"Just keep watching, Dad. Keep watching." Tears were building in her eyes, and Castle turned her in his arms, cradling her as gently as she cradled the phone that allowed her to share the moment with her father.

Truth be told, Castle's eyes were looking a little damp as well.

"Oh, look," Martha exclaimed. "It's that darling Jordan who came to dinner with us. Oh, my. She looks so serious…kind of threatening."

"FBI, Mother. Remember? She's supposed to look intimidating at an arrest."

Shaw and Avery walked confidently up to Senator Bracken as he had nearly finished answering a question in a way that made him sound like the salt of the earth. Jordan Shaw flashed her badge and identified herself and her partner.

"Agents Jordan Shaw and Shawn Avery, FBI." In a strong, clear voice she announced, "Senator William Bracken, you are under arrest for murder," It appeared that Jordan Shaw understood showmanship, too. When the room went silent in shock, Avery moved the senator's arms behind him and Shaw took her time cuffing him. In full voice, she stated firmly, "You are under arrest for the murders of Johanna Beckett, Diana Cavanaugh, Jennifer Stewart, Scott Murray, John Ragland, Gary McAllister, Jason Kochler, NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, and a list of others too numerous to mention here, but which will be provided for your attorney…for the attempted murders of Evan Potter, NYPD detectives Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito, and three attempts on the life of Lieutenant Katherine Beckett…as well as the malicious prosecution of Joseph Pulgatti…federal charges of kidnapping, drug trafficking…"

As the charges were detailed, Shaw and Avery walked the senator past the reporter and camera operators who followed them, trying to pick up every word. After the charges were listed, Avery read Bracken his Miranda rights; then the senator was seated in an FBI vehicle and driven away from the hotel.

By the time Bracken was in the SUV, not having said a word during the entire process, reporters were scrambling to assimilate all the information into statements or articles for their stations, newspapers, etc.

When the news segment started, Alexis had called Josef to join them, and he obviously understood the significance of the moment when he heard the name Beckett connected to the first murder mentioned.

"Katie?" Jim Beckett asked, his voice not quite steady. "Is this real? He won't find a way to get out of it?"

"Jordan says he won't, Dad, and I believe her. She's good. Thorough." Kate's voice wasn't entirely steady, either.

"The FBI wouldn't let you be there? They should have. You've worked so hard for this."

"They offered, but I decided against it."

"Why?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Because of the other thing I need to tell you." she answered. "You're going to have another grandchild. Will you come over now and help us celebrate everything?"

"Will I… What a silly question. I'm leaving as soon as I tell somebody to cancel my afternoon appointments. Rick, I know you're there. Is she okay?"

"She's as okay as can be expected. We have a lot to tell you about the last couple of days. We'll be looking for you."

Not unlike Alexis, Jim asked, "May I shout it through the office before I leave?" And he got the same answer Alexis did.

"What we just saw on TV should give me an out. I need to be with my daughter. Everybody will understand that. Leaving now."

Just before Jim ended the call, they heard someone excitedly call out, "Jim, did you hear the news report a minute ago?"

"Your dad sounded like he might be able to fly over here on his own power," Castle said, smiling and kissing the crown of Kate's head.

"Thank you for allowing me to intrude on your moment," Josef said, putting his hand gently on Kate's shoulder. "It wasn't meant for me, but I am truly honored to have been part of it…and happy for all of you. This will be a fortunate child to have such a family."

From within her husband's arms, Kate gave their friend a smile and said, "You needed to know you're protecting two."

A few minutes later, television stations were being changed to see what perspectives the coverage was presenting; and Kate whispered something to Castle and left the room to sit in the study where it was quiet.

Alexis peeked in a little after Kate left and asked, "Are you okay?"

The answer sounded a bit watery but confident. "I'm fine. It's just so much to take in. A little overwhelming."

"And you need your daddy?"

After a sniffly chuckle, she answered, "Yeah, I do." She patted the cushion beside her on the sofa and said, "Come here and sit with me."

"Are you sure?" Alexis asked. "It looked like you wanted some time to yourself." But she sat down anyhow.

Kate wrapped an arm around Alexis's shoulders and pulled her close. "I like your company, remember?" Alexis leaned her head on her stepmother's shoulder, and then the questions began.

"You really didn't know until last night?"

"I had no idea. We had actually talked about throwing away the pills sometime this fall, but…"

"Aren't you supposed to be throwing up every morning or something?"

"Apparently I'm one of the lucky few," Kate answered. There was a short pause in the conversation, then she looked at Alexis and said jokingly. "Oops. I may have jinxed it. I probably shouldn't have said that out loud, should I?"

Alexis giggled. "Probably not. Now you'll be throwing up sometime in the next two minutes."

"Stop that!" Kate answered, bumping her shoulder up and bouncing Alexis's head.

"Sorry," the girl answered without sounding sorry at all, and Kate wiggled her fingers over the spot on her stepdaughter's ribs that she knew was ticklish.

Alexis giggled again and then asked, "How big is it now?"

"About the size of a peanut."

"Did you hear its heartbeat?"

"No, but we could see little flutters that the doctor said was the heartbeat. We'll hear it soon. Do you want to go with us to that appointment?"

"You'll let me do that?"

"Well, I might not invite you for the _whole_ exam, but…"

"Ew!"

"Of course I want you there to hear the heartbeat." Kate squeezed Alexis's shoulder reassuringly. "You're going to be an important part of this baby's life, too."

"And you're six weeks pregnant?"

"The OB said I might be close to seven."

"Do you have the ultrasound picture? Does it look like a baby yet?"

"Not much. The printout is in the bag you brought to the hospital for us. I wonder if your dad has one of you around here somewhere. I'd like to see."

"Are you scared?"

"Terrified. But I'm so happy." Kate looked down at the girl she now thought of as her own and smiled. "It's so worth being scared."

"What are you most scared of?"

"Other than thinking of how a seven pound or so tiny human being is planning to get out of my body and into the world?"

"Ew! Again." A dramatic little shudder accompanied the comment.

Kate laughed. "Hey, you asked. I answered. That, and I'm worried about whether I'll be a good enough mom. Your dad did such a good job with you. I'm afraid I'll throw a monkey wrench into the works and ruin this one."

At that point, the doorbell rang, and the two women looked up and saw Castle leaning against the door frame of the study. He looked completely besotted with the two of them as he shamelessly listened in. "I'll send your dad in here," he told his wife before going to answer the door.

"And I'll let you have some time alone with him," Alexis said, standing to leave the room. As she reached the door, she stopped and turned back. "And you should only be worried about getting the baby into the world. "You're going to be an awesome mom."

Kate stood to meet her father then. There were sounds of men greeting one another at the front door, then Jim Beckett entered the study alone. "Katie-bug," was all he said, and he held his arms open for her. Kate's tears started falling as soon as she wrapped her arms around his middle the way she did as a child. "Honey, I don't know where to begin," he told her.

"I miss her so much right now, Dad."

I know, Honey, me, too."

She said raggedly, "I want her to know I'm going to have a baby. I want to see her face light up like it did when I was accepted at Stuyvesant and Stanford…but I know she'd be so much more excited about this. I want her here to argue with me about buying too many baby clothes, and to answer questions, and to be pushy about being sure I take care of myself." She was crying on his shoulder by then, and Jim wasn't in much better shape.

He soothed and they talked about the baby and Bracken's arrest, as well as her safety and Castle's insistence on having Josef and his brother on shifts for security. And then they sat on the sofa and alternately talked and held each other until they felt ready to join the others.

In the kitchen, Martha put her arm around her son's waist. "I know you want to be the one holding her…"

"But sometimes a girl just needs her daddy," Alexis said seriously. Then, after a short pause, she delivered the next words with a resigned look. "It happens to the best of us." It was a small performance worthy of her grandmother.

"Well done, Darling," Martha said with a smile. "Perfect timing."

"I'll remember this next time you need your daddy," Castle grumbled.

"I can't wait to call Dr. Parish," Alexis answered, looking entirely unconcerned. "I'll be in my room. Call me when you're ready." Hugging her dad around his waist, she added, "Dad, I'm so excited about the baby."

He returned the hug, kissing the top of her head while he was at it, and answered, "Really? I couldn't tell."

She backed away, grinning at him happily, and went upstairs.

"Are you telling Jim about everything that happened to Katherine?" his mother asked.

"We decided to give him the basics and answer whatever questions he has after that. We won't lie to him, but we won't give him every detail, unless he pulls it out of us."

"You didn't give us all the details, either, did you?"

"Do you really want them?"

"Probably not. You know too many, don't you?"

Castle just nodded. "And I suspect I don't know all of it, either."

Josef rested a comforting hand briefly on his friend's shoulder. "That may best for you," he said.

A few minutes later, Kate and her father emerged from the study, both of them with red-rimmed eyes.

"Sorry," Jim said, looking embarrassed to be seen that way. "A lot going on…important things…and finally most of it good."

"Josef and I are both fathers with wives we love," Castle answered. "No judgment here. And I admit to my own eyes getting misty when Kate was talking to you on the phone."

"As mine did when I realized the importance of that arrest to your Kate,' Josef added.

"Thank you." Then Jim kissed his daughter's forehead and smiled mischievously at Castle, saying, "You can have her back now. I know it must have been hard to let me have her to myself this long, all these things being so fresh in your minds."

"Thank you, thank you," Castle answered comically, picking up his wife and lifting her from the floor to lighten the atmosphere.

"Richard, put the poor girl down," Martha ordered, but Kate and the two other men in the room were all laughing.

The commotion brought Alexis from her room to the top of the stairs, and she asked, "Are we ready to call Dr. Parish now?"

"The girl has a one-track mind sometimes," Castle told Kate before he put her back down where her feet reached the floor. "Have you noticed?" Kate laughed, and Castle took out his phone and dialed Lanie's number while Alexis wasted no time getting down the stairs.

"Castle?" Lanie answered, "I heard about yesterday. Is our girl okay? This isn't bad news, is it?"

"No bad news. Just the opposite, as a matter of fact. Do you want to…"

"Well, of course I want to talk to her. Hand her the phone, Writer-Man."

"Well I know where I stand in her eyes," he chuckled as he handed Kate the phone.

"You're going to give my husband an insecurity complex one of these days," Kate told Lanie when she took the phone.

"Oh, please. That man is anything but insecure. Are you really okay?"

"Castle dragged me to the hospital last night, and they made me stay until morning. I'm mostly fine – better than fine other ways."

"What does that mean? Do I need to come over there and see for myself?"

"Yes, you need to come over…maybe tonight after work? I'm going to let Alexis tell you why."

"Alexis? My other girl is okay, isn't she?"

"She's fine, Lanie. Here she is."

"Dr, Parish?"

"Alexis, your stepmother has been talking in circles. I hope you're gonna stop beating around the bush. Is she really okay?"

"She seems to be. What they're letting me tell you is that I'm _finally_ going to be a big sister."

"A what did you say?"

"Kate is going to have a baby. There's going to be a tiny, brand new Castle."

The ensuing squeal brought laughter from everybody in the room, and prompted Alexis to quickly hold the phone well away from her ear.

"Perlmutter's replacement owes me an hour. I covered for him last week; so I'm gonna go tell him I'm collecting…just in case something comes in on something that's assigned to me. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Keep it quiet for now?" Kate asked when she reclaimed the phone. "Did you see the breaking news this morning?"

"No. Just coming off night shift. We were slammed last night. Just now slowing down."

"If you don't hear anything on the way, we'll catch you up when you get here. It's been an eventful couple of days."

"Be there soon."

"It's barely ten. This has been quite a morning," Martha commented. "I'll make some coffee."

"I'll do it, Mother," Castle answered. "In self-defense," he whispered to his wife under the guise of kissing her cheek.

Kate smiled as he went to start the machine and got herself some orange juice instead.

"Pour me one of those, too," her husband told her.

"Why? You can still have coffee."

"Solidarity," he answered with a smile, and whispered in her ear, "I got you into this. I can at least offer some support.

"I love you, Richard Castle," she responded. Then she gave him a little peck on the lips and poured him his orange juice.


	70. Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Lanie appeared at the door in record time, joining the mood of both somber relief and utter celebration.

Josef answered the door with Kate right behind him, and Lanie rushed past him and grabbed Kate in a bone-crushing hug.

"Breath, Lanie. Breath. I do need breath," Kate said, laughing.

Lanie loosened her grip but didn't let go. "I'm so happy for you." Stepping back and letting her friend out of her clutches, she looked around the room. "I'm so happy for all of you." Then she set her sights on Jim Beckett. "You're not escaping, either, Mr. Beckett." She threw her arms around his neck and he bent to greet her. Congratulations, Granddad."

"Thank you, Lanie. I'm glad you got here for this."

"Me, too." Working her way across the room to the kitchen where Castle was still standing, she gave him the same treatment. He bent to accept her enthusiastic hug as she said, "Castle, you get to be a daddy again. I know you love that."

"I do. We're surprised, but we're both excited."

"Speaking of excited, I get the feeling that having a sibling moving in so soon after she leaves for college isn't going to be a problem for your daughter."

Alexis laughed, and Castle answered, "Not that we've noticed so far, no."

Josef, it's good to see you. Where is that fine looking brother of yours…not that you aren't easy on the eyes, too, understand."

Josef smiled at Lanie's comment. "Ahmed will be here later this afternoon when I leave."

"Lanie, can we talk to you a minute before we get back to celebrating?" Kate asked, looking more serious.

"Sure, Honey. Is anything wrong?"

"No. We just want some medical opinions."

"Okay."

"Be right back," Castle told the others, and he and Kate took Lanie into the study.

They asked questions about how Kate's ordeal at the hands of Vulcan Simmons would affect her, and how it would affect their baby. Lanie answered all the questions she felt confident answering. Then she called a friend from college, who was now an OB/GYN, to verify a few things she wanted to be sure were correct. She noted that there were things she had to know about pregnancies, babies, and children in order to do her job; but other areas related to mothers and babies were definitely a part of treating the living, and she didn't want to make any mistakes with her answers.

"Well, that's three doctors who gave you the same answers," Castle told his worried wife. Actually four…Lanie called another one. Are you feeling better now?"

Before she could answer, Lanie fixed her with a Lanie Parish stare that was practically visible with one hand on its hip saying, "You hauled me in here to ask me all these questions, and don't intend to believe me?"

Appearing to go with erring on the side of caution, Kate nodded her head and said, "Yeah. Much better," and thanked her friend.

"So it looks like girls' night is reduced to ice cream or hot chocolate for a while?" Lanie asked.

"Might be," Kate answered with a smile.

Castle laughed, thanked the ME, and said he was going back out with the others. Kate and Lanie talked for a few more minutes before Kate received another hug and they returned, too.

xxxxx

Bracken was taken to the twelfth until the FBI operation set up there could be moved. He was booked and under guard. Surprisingly, he seemed to be blissfully unaware of the state of his Scarsdale operation, or of the wealth of evidence the FBI agents had against him. Out of sight of the cameras, he finally spoke, arrogantly sneering at Shaw and Avery that their careers were history, that they had no idea of how much trouble they were in.

"You mean from our superiors who are on your payroll…the ones who were arrested early this morning?" Avery asked. "They're no longer a concern to our careers."

"Your operation in Scarsdale, however, _is_ history," Shaw told him with a smug smile. "That was taken down last night, and Vulcan Simmons as well as your staff of contract killers are all in custody. We have evidence of your financial connections to all of them, as well as your ownership of a long-term, international drug operation. You didn't make it easy, but you aren't the only one who knows people smart enough to understand how money is moved."

"And don't count on your judges to save you, either," Avery warned. "We know who they are, too. Not good for their careers, either. Among those of us here in this room, the career that's over is yours. If there's anything you'd like to say, we'll listen; but we have enough evidence that we don't really need your help."

"I want to call my attorney. I need my phone."

Shaw handed him a phone from the NYPD office. "If you don't have the number memorized, I'll find it for you. Your phones, as well as electronic devices from your homes and offices are all in FBI custody until further notice."

"You have no right…"

"We had warrants…most of them executed last night, others ongoing. All the copies are here. I'm sure your lawyer will find them in order."

Bracken was obviously seething, but he went silent again.

"Call your lawyer. We'll be back," Shaw told him. While Bracken was waiting for his lawyer, Vulcan Simmons and the other major players from the Scarsdale operation had already contacted theirs.

Shaw and Avery brought Simmons in for questioning and were still getting an arrogant response very much like Bracken's. They were told they didn't know who they were dealing with and that he would be free before they finished questioning him. His attorney entered the room right behind the agents and put a restraining hand on his client's arm as Simmons let the agents know he had no fear of them.

Avery typed something into his computer and brought up a video of Bracken's arrest. "Is this who you're depending on for protection?" he asked and turned his computer around. "This is from about forty-five minutes ago."

Simmons didn't want to believe it, but his attorney confirmed it for him, telling him he had seen the live footage that morning and that he verified that it had happened. The agents him that his protection from the law was gone, that it would be in his best interest to tell them everything they needed to know before Bracken had the chance to try to pin whatever he could on Simmons. Being caught red-handed ordering the death of a police lieutenant would be enough to buy Vulcan Simmons time behind bars, to say nothing of her near drowning and the drug operation. But when the money trail tying him to Bracken, drugs, and murder all the way back to the nineties was thrown at him, his attorney advised that he start talking.

"If it comes to you or Bracken, where do you think you stand in his mind?" Shaw asked. "He'd have you killed in a New York minute if he could still get away with it. The Scarsdale compound was lost under your watch, and his drug dealing was exposed as being connected to his campaigns. His political career is over, a lot of his network is exposed and discredited and in line for arrest, his power is gone…and he's going to blame you."

Both men had ample knowledge of Bracken and his methods…and that he would do anything to avoid accepting blame.

"At least you can take comfort in the fact that this money trail will take Bracken down with you." Avery encouraged.

Simmons growled in anger. "I'm surprised Detective Beckett isn't here to gloat."

"That may happen later. In front of law enforcement witnesses, you saw to it that she spent the night in the hospital last night, and then ordered her death. We're recording this conversation. Now start talking. We'll ask questions when we need to."

xxxxx

The family atmosphere at the loft and the feeling of celebration continued, and Castle ordered lunch delivered for them.

Kate had filled Lanie in on the Bracken developments, but when they realized the ME hadn't seen the arrest video, Martha found it for her to watch. "Yes!" Lanie responded excitedly. "It's about time. And Jordan made sure he knew you were represented there."

"Yeah. I admit that felt good," Kate answered.

The ME was tired from her busy night, but she was excited enough to stay a while longer before she finally admitted to the need for sleep, and Kate and Castle walked her to the door.

"Thanks for all the answers to the many questions." Kate said appreciatively.

"From me, too," Castle added.

"One more piece of unsolicited advice," Lanie answered. "Judging from what you've told me about yesterday and this morning, you spent yesterday on a simple mission that went all kinds of wrong. Then you spent some intense time thinking on your feet through a pretty rough situation, and that was followed by some heavy abuse and a night at the hospital. I doubt you got enough rest there, either; and you started the morning with Montgomery's tape and hustling to the precinct. Then all this. You and baby Castle in there are probably running on adrenalin after all that, and it isn't going to benefit either of you. You don't have to send everybody home, but close yourself in your room and take a long nap. Doctor's orders. All these people will understand." Looking across the room, she said, "Okay, Josef, I'm leaving. Do your thing." Then she hugged Kate and Castle one more time and said, "See you soon. And congratulations…on all the good news today."

Josef opened the door, checked, and ushered Lanie out.

When she was gone, Castle told the others, "Neither Kate nor I have had much sleep since… I guess it hasn't been that long, but it seems like three days or more. We're both exhausted, and she needs rest way more than I do. We're going to get some sleep. Keep doing what you're doing. Within the next few minutes, we'll probably be too asleep to know."

Once behind closed doors, Kate and Castle fell into each other's arms, holding each other tightly.

"Hell of a couple of days, huh?" he said, and she nodded against his chest.

"Can Bracken still put together enough to make another attempt on my life?" she asked tiredly. "We have so much more at stake now. What if somebody at the hospital let the information about the baby out? That could be used against us."

"I tried to take care of all that. Before Dr. Kovacs left, I took him aside and explained that the same man responsible for your shooting was associated with the current problem…and that we don't want this pregnancy made public yet because we don't want him to have any more leverage because of the baby. Since we didn't know ourselves until last night, if anybody we don't tell finds out, the source of information would have to be this hospital. I told him I'm not prone to lawsuits, but to let the administrator know what I said. To be sure that anybody with access to that information knows that if it's leaked before we announce it ourselves, and if anything threatens my wife or child because of it, there will be no place for them to hide. And the hospital won't be happy about the results, either."

"You had time to do all that?"

"It didn't take long. I was very concise, and judging from the response, convincing. And he knows the security concerns from the last time you were here. He understood."

"Thank you."

"Kate, you need sleep. Come on. Let's talk about this later. Get out of those clothes and get in bed."

"Mmmmm… Bed sounds wonderful."

"Yeah, it does." Castle backed away and started unbuttoning his shirt, and Kate slipped her sweater off over her head. They both shed their shoes and socks and jeans, and Castle pulled the covers back. They wearily slipped between the sheets and automatically gravitated to each other in the middle, then snuggled against one another, and were asleep in no time.

xxxxx

When they went back to work a day later, Esposito saw Kate exit the elevator alone and was immediately back in his snit from two days before.

"So where's your boy this morning?" he sniped.

"Somebody asked him to sign a book for a relative, so Castle stopped in Robbery with him for a minute. He'll be here soon. What's got you all prickly this early in the morning?"

"I'll tell you what's got me angry," he snarled as Ryan watched, looking concerned. "You've been trying for years to get your mother's killer. You would have been safe going in with the FBI, and that husband of yours talked you out of going with them when you had the chance. He had no right…"

"That husband of mine? You can stop right there," Beckett answered through gritted teeth. "The decision was entirely mine. He didn't ask me not to go. Even though I'm sure he didn't want me to, he let me choose."

"Oh, yeah?" His challenging attitude wasn't attractive. "And what would make the Kate Beckett I know miss the chance to cuff Bracken and read him his rights?"

"The fact that she found out the night before that she's pregnant," she whispered harshly. "And her baby had been through enough with her the day before. I wasn't going to take another chance on something going wrong."

"You're…"

"Keep it quiet," she commanded, still whispering angrily. We're not telling anybody yet." There was a short pause as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and settled down. "That certainly wasn't the way I wanted to tell you guys." She paused and took a steadying breath. "Castle has every right to protect his wife and child, but he still trusted me enough to let me make the right decision on my own. You owe my husband an apology."

"I'm happy for you, Beckett," Ryan said quietly with a smile. "Jenny and I are hoping she'll be pregnant soon. Maybe our kids can grow up playing together."

"Castle and I would love that," she answered, softening again. "I do need to tell the captain, though. I'm afraid you two are going to be stuck with me on desk duty again."

Esposito pulled himself far enough out of his surly fit of pique to whisper, "Pregnant?"

"Yes," she answered. "And don't question things between my husband and me again, Javi. We have a good understanding. We balance each other. If I think he's being too overbearing or too protective, I tell him. If he thinks I'm being too reckless, or pushing myself too hard, he tells me…and we work it out between us. Sometimes it's noisy, but we always work it out. You have to leave that to us. We're good at it, and we're both on the same page on this."

"Congratulations," he conceded. "I never thought…"

"That I'd want to be a Mom?"

"Yeah. That, I guess."

"I wasn't sure either until Castle…and Little Castle. I like having a family, and I love that there's gonna be another little Castle." She stopped there and said above a whisper, "Let's table this for later."

"You got it," he answered, looking relieved.

"Anything new while I was gone…other than the obvious?" she asked, looking toward the conference room, which was now empty of the FBI agents and equipment.

"No. It's been eerily quiet since they left yesterday."

"Well, I'm going to see the captain…get it over with. She may have already figured it out. Sometimes she just seems to know things."

"Yeah. She must have been some detective back in the day," Esposito answered. Then he dropped his attitude and smiled at them. "Okay, so she's grown on me. Go talk to her."

Beckett walked to the captain's office and asked "Got a minute, Captain?"

"Glad to have you back, Lieutenant. How are you?" she asked.

"I'm fine…following doctor's orders."

"Where is your partner today? As worried as he was a couple of days ago, I thought he'd be close enough to you to pass for a shadow."

Beckett smiled at the observation and answered, "He's not far behind me. He just stopped on another floor for a minute."

"Everything okay with your team? It looked a little tense when you came in."

"A misunderstanding. It's already resolved."

Castle left the elevator about the time Beckett entered the captain's office, and he received a much warmer greeting from Esposito than he would have a few minutes earlier.

Ryan stood and gave Castle a quick hug with a manly pounding on the back and very softly said, "Congratulations, Dad." Then stepping back and he said louder, "Good to have you both back.

"Thanks. So she already told you?"

"Kind of had to," he answered, glaring in Esposito's direction. "Ask Beckett later," he added instead of explaining.

"Hey, Castle. I'm happy for the two of you," Esposito managed to say.

"So she's telling Gates now?"

"Yeah. Desk duty again. She's gonna be hard to live with," Esposito agreed.

'Maybe not. She says this time it's worth it. Your worst problem may be the caffeine withdrawal. Her coffee rations are going to be severely limited. She's already cut back to just one cup in the morning. It should hit us any day now."

"Not looking forward to that," Esposito answered with a chuckle. "You got my sympathy, Dude. You get her all day long."

"She puts up with me all the time. It all balances out. But it should be interesting."

Ryan snorted a little laugh of agreement. "I've got better words than interesting."

"Would you like your husband here, too?" Gates asked Beckett

"You already know, don't you?"

"I guessed and asked Jordan. She did say you wanted to keep it quiet, and I intend to respect that." She waved a hand at Castle in a way to tell him to come in, and Beckett turned in his direction and waited until he was there before saying, "I'm pregnant, Captain. We found out at the hospital Thursday night…after Scarsdale."

"And we're really happy about it," Castle answered, taking her hand inconspicuously as he looked at her lovingly."

"And I'm very happy for both of you. I can see that this child will be as well-loved as the other one."

"Thank you. It already is," Castle answered.

"For security reasons, we want to keep it quiet until we have a better idea of how much Bracken and Simmons can still control," Beckett explained. "We just…" Her voice drifted off, and she looked tired.

"Too many things have happened for us to be able to relax quite yet," Castle said, taking over for his wife, "I have private security for every time Kate leaves here…old friends I know I can trust."

"Not a bad decision. I think you can trust everyone on this floor now, too. I had Ryan and Esposito arrest two people here at the twelfth. We had to restrain Lupinski when he found out one of them was on his team. The other one was in Narcotics. Beckett, I think you also know you won't be in the field for the duration of your pregnancy. You won't be entirely confined to desk duty, but your work outside of the precinct will be very limited."

"I understand. And I'm sorry to have to be confined here so early in my new rank…but I'm not at all sorry about why."

"I'm sure we'll all cope. Now, congratulations and get to work."

"Yes, Sir." Beckett and Castle left for her desk, and Ryan met them there. Esposito was standing as Ryan told them, "We got a body."

"Desk duty," Beckett sighed. "Castle, go with them and send me videos of everything. Maybe I can work from here. You can be my eyes on the scene."

"That works for us. Come on, Castle. You got the back seat."

"Great," he grumbled. Then he turned to his wife and said, "See you when I get back. Look for videos."

About half an hour later, Kate's phone pinged with a text which included the first video. Castle was narrating and zeroing in on various pieces of evidence. "Hey, Beckett," Lanie said as she relayed the information about the body to all four members of the team. Castle sent several videos from different rooms and perspectives, and Beckett sent texts asking questions. While the rest of the team was on the way back, she sent the videos to her computer; and as she was checking one of them, the captain walked by on her way back to her office.

"What's that?" she asked, stopping next to Beckett's desk. "What are you doing?"

"Working the crime scene," Beckett answered, looking pleased with herself. "Castle is being my eyes and ears." She explained what they were doing, finishing just as Esposito's face appeared full screen telling her something he thought she should know…and he crossed his eyes at her before leaving the camera completely.

"Ingenious. It might actually work out. The two of you are going to work together come hell or high water, aren't you?"

"We work well together. Might as well put it to use," Beckett answered. "Maybe we can refine this method…make it more efficient.

Gates walked back to her office shaking her head and smiling.

By the time everybody was back, Beckett had started the murder board, and they all went to work putting their evidence together.

The following morning there was a call from Lanie saying she had some information for them. Castle phoned Josef, who was on call, while Beckett checked with Gates to be sure visiting the morgue fell into her out of the precinct rules. Josef wasn't far away and met them at the precinct door.

Lanie laughed when Josef walked in the room and asked to check the drawers. "I checked them all this morning, Josef. They were still dead. The only live bodies around here right now are Franklin Stokes next door and me…and the lab techs down the hall. My office isn't big enough to hide anything more dangerous than a rogue staple. Anything dangerous would be coming from the other side of that door." She pointed toward the hall, and after checking her office, Josef went back to the hallway to stand watch.

After Lanie had explained the reason for their visit, Franklin Stokes was allowed to enter the room under Josef's watchful eyes.

"He's okay," Lanie said, waving at Josef. "Castle has Josef keeping an eye on Beckett until we know what to expect from Bracken and Simmons," she explained to Stokes. "So, what brings you to my door?"

"Well, Gorgeous, I got a report from the lab, and they had one for you, too, so I thought I'd drop it off on my way."

"Well, it looks like chivalry isn't dead everywhere." She asked Castle and Beckett if they had met Perlmutter's replacement yet."

They told her they had met him at a couple of crime scenes since Perlmutter retired, and Castle shook his hand.

The two MEs had a short, flirtatious conversation as Castle and Beckett looked at each other in surprise.

"You need to finish up with Lt. Beckett and Mr. Castle," Stokes said, and turning to the couple, he apologized for holding them up.

"Thanks for bringing this by," Lanie said with a smile, holding up the report.

"Any excuse to see you, Dr. Parish," he answered, smiling back, and returned to his area of the morgue.

Lanie was still smiling as she took the report to her desk and returned.

"Lanie?" Kate said questioningly. "What was all that? Are you and Javi on the outs again?"

"Frank? Nothing's going on. Just having a little fun. We flirt, but he knows I'm taken. And I don't cheat. It's just nice for us to be around a live body now and then. The clientele here isn't too entertaining."

"Whatever you say, but it looks like more than nothing to me," Kate sing-songed. "Don't hurt my detective, now."

"Nothing to worry about," Lanie promised.

"Whatever you say," Kate teased on the way out.

xxxxx

By the time the team went home for the night, their case showed signs of the victim's death being family related. They would have to wait until morning to look further into possible evidence, though.

Josef met Castle and Beckett at the precinct and was introduced to Captain Gates before they left. They had decided that, as long as someone had been home all day or Josef or his brother had cleared the loft, they didn't need overnight security. So that night, they were back to just family in the house.

"Alexis, we're home," Castle called from the bottom of the stairs, and his daughter was downstairs a few minutes after she answered him.

"We're ordering in," Kate told her. "Look at the take-out menus with your father and decide what you want. I don't care."

"The lady of the house has spoken," Castle stated, amused. "Guess we'd better get out those menus." He slung his arm around Alexis's shoulders, and they went to the kitchen while Kate dropped to the sofa to do no more than sit for the time being.

The food arrived just before Martha came home, and they sat at the dining room table talking. During the meal, Kate casually brought up the new ME.

"Alexis, have you met Dr. Stokes, Perlmutter's replacement, yet?"

"Yeah. He's a lot more fun than Dr. Perlmutter. He's in and out all the time, and he and Dr. Parish joke around and flirt a lot. I think he'd probably ask her out if she gave him any real encouragement, but she always reminds him she has a boyfriend."

When Alexis excused herself from the table to make a phone call, Castle observed mischievously, "Well, that was convenient, wasn't it? All the pertinent gossip points you were looking for in one tidy little paragraph."

"Shut up, Castle," Kate answered, swatting his arm while she smirked.

"Katherine," Martha exclaimed, keeping it quiet enough not to alert her granddaughter. "You were pumping the child for information on your friend's love life? Well done, Darling. Now tell me what brought this on."


	71. Chapter 71

Chapter 71

The evidence Beckett's team found the next day pointed to the victim's brother; and if lab reports showed what they expected, they believed it would lead to an arrest. Early in the afternoon, the reports confirmed their suspicions, and by the end of the day the arrest had been made, the paperwork was done, and they were all able to go home at closing.

"I'm glad it was that easy," Esposito said. "My girl had the day off, and she's expecting dinner and dancing tonight."

"Just don't stomp all over her feet," Beckett teased. "She has to work tomorrow."

"I'll have you know I don't stomp on feet. I'm a fine dancer."

The response from the others was various forms of, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever."

Esposito checked for his wallet and phone, proclaimed them all jealous of his skills, and left the other three partners smiling as Beckett shut down her computer and picked up her things. Then the three of them entered the elevator, their minds on enjoying a quiet evening.

xxxxx

After thanking Josef as he left, Castle and Beckett saw no one downstairs; so Castle put his arms around his wife from behind and suggested softly, "You know, we haven't properly celebrated our new little Castle yet…just the two of us…alone."

"I know," she answered. "I guess I have to admit to being exhausted the last few days. But I'm not exhausted today. I'm feeling much better now," she answered suggestively.

"Is that so?" he asked in the same spirit.

"Yep." She popped the "p" as she turned in his arms to face him and reached out to play with a button on his shirt.

"So, I'm thinking an early bedtime. How does that sound?"

"Very…celebratory." She looked up at him seductively and added, "I'm thinking I'd like that."

"Hi," They heard from the stairs.

The couple turned toward Alexis and each held out an arm to include her in a hug. "What have you been up to?" Castle asked.

"Taking another look at my fall schedule…debating a couple of choices."

"You're not thinking of adding anything else, are you? I'm reeling at what you've already committed to. You should allow yourself time to have a little fun."

"I can manage. JD is a conscientious student, too, but he finds time to have fun. He'll help me do the same. And I checked to see when I should expect to get my dorm assignment."

"I don't like thinking about the dorm assignment," Castle said, holding her and kissing her head. "It means you're not going to be living with us anymore."

"I can't live here forever, you know."

"But we'd be happy to keep you if you wanted to stay here and commute," Kate assured her.

"I know you would. But when you were my age, didn't both of you want to get out on your own? See how it feels to be independent?"

"I'd had a little taste of that already. For me it was like another boarding school with way fewer restrictions."

"I sure did," Kate answered. "Went all the way across the country to do it."

"Bite your tongue, woman. We just got her talked into Columbia," Castle interrupted.

Alexis backed away. "Face it Dad. I grew up. I'm supposed to do that."

"I know. I don't like it, but I know," Castle admitted.

His daughter kissed his cheek and backed farther away, changing the subject. "I came down to get a snack."

"Not a big one, okay? I'm about to start dinner. I thought I'd bake some salmon. One of you want to start a salad? I'll make garlic bread."

"Why don't we work on that together, Kate?" Alexis asked, and they all worked on their culinary projects and talked and teased until everything was done.

Just after dinner, Buttons came to by to visit, and she and Alexis went upstairs to compare notes on where they were in their college preparations…and to plan a shopping trip to help fill in some blanks in the fashion and school supplies department.

Castle and Kate cleaned up in the kitchen, bumping hips, stealing kisses, and generally fanning the flames of their plans for later. Once they had finished up, they went to sit on the sofa in the study. "So, when do you think we made our little peanut?" Kate asked, her hand going to her belly lovingly. "I think I have a pretty good idea."

"If you're between six and seven weeks along," Castle answered, placing his hand gently over hers, "it would have been either that indescribable night of storm sex or our secret anniversary night in the Hamptons. Either one is an awesome memory for making a baby."

"That's what I was thinking, too. Either one…" She turned her head and kissed him softly.

"If Buttons doesn't go home pretty soon, we're going to leave a note that we were both tired and went to bed."

"We probably wouldn't be fooling anybody," she answered mischievously, "but I'm willing. We could just make out for a while and give them a little more time, though."

He gave her a kiss that practically curled her toes and said confidently, "You want my ruggedly handsome body right now, don't you?"

She graced him with a frisky smile and asked, "Where's the pen and paper?"

xxxxx

"Last night was nice," Kate said as they lay in each other's arms in the semi-dark of the early morning. "Sometimes soft and sweet is perfect."

"It was perfect, wasn't it?" he answered, kissing the end of her nose playfully. "This baby came from knowing we'll love each other for the rest of our lives. Celebrating that needed to be perfect."

Kate's answer was to kiss his chest and snuggle closer. Then she sighed deeply. "We need to get up soon and get ready for work."

"No. We don't have to be in until noon. Your shift starts later today, remember? Besides, the alarm hasn't gone off yet. Why are we even awake?"

"I don't know."

"Then let's just stay here until we feel like moving."

"Richard Castle, you're a bad influence." She gave him a lingering kiss then turned to get out of bed.

"Hey, wait. I thought you were going to let me be a bad influence."

"I am. Be right back," she said over her shoulder as she scampered off to the bathroom. Castle was walking around the end of the bed, ready to go in as she was coming out, and she stood on tip-toe to kiss him as they passed one another, "Hurry up. We still have part of the morning."

Castle was back in no time, and quickly got under the covers, asking, "Did you reset the alarm?"

"Yeah."

"Then come over here and snuggle up. Let's make the best of it."

They dozed again, waking enough now and then for some touching and a few soft, sleepy kisses, and finally getting up dutifully when they heard the alarm. They showered together, keeping the playing around to a minimum, and left for work with their coffee mugs. Kate was allowing herself one cup…one large cup of coffee first thing to wake herself up, and then she was suffering through the rest of the day. She convinced Castle there was no need for him to give up coffee, as long as he didn't drink it where she had to watch.

They arrived at the precinct along with Ryan and Esposito, and they all got down to the business of paperwork. After that was done, the day was quiet until a little after eight-thirty that night when a call reporting a multiple shooting at a restaurant came in. Again Castle went with the boys and Beckett was sent videos and was able to ask questions while her team was still at the crime scene. It needed a little refining, but the system seemed to be working. The basics were already on the murder board when the three men on the team returned with witness statements and names of those willing to work with a sketch artist.

"Did you get anything on the car or the driver?" Beckett asked.

"There was a guy outside when the car left," Ryan answered. He saw the car leaving, but didn't see the suspect's face when he ran out to get in it. Didn't see the driver at all. He gave us his best description of the car and told us the direction they were travelling, though. I'll get traffic cam footage and see if we can find anything."

"Nobody at the party admitted to knowing the guy. It was a twenty-first birthday party. The first victim was the birthday boy's date," Castle told her. "Everybody said it looked random. The man shot her and four other people, injured three more, and then ran out, got in the car, and left."

"Could any of them have been targeted?"

"Not enough information yet to know," Esposito answered.

"Let's finish what we can on the board and get fresh eyes on it in the morning, she suggested. "We need to talk to people, and it's too late to do that tonight.

xxxxx

The next morning they looked at the board, and Beckett said, "Let's recap. Make sure I didn't miss anything I need to know. I know they rented a small restaurant from a family friend for the party. Tell me again where everybody was when this happened."

Ryan started, pointing at a diagram he had drawn and put on the board. "Of the four killed, the first victim…female, Sheena Kegan, twenty years old…was near the front door talking one of her roommates. The male victims, aged nineteen to twenty-two, were all standing near the two women. The three who were injured were behind them…other side of the same tables. Several couples were on a small dance floor near the bar, and the others were sitting at other tables or standing in groups talking. Names are all there in the diagram."

"And where was the guest of honor?" she asked.

"He was at the bar getting his girlfriend a drink. He looked devastated. He said he had just picked out a ring for her. Quite a twenty-first birthday." Castle reported.

Tell me again what we know about them."

Esposito answered, "Birthday boy is Kyle Delvy, twenty-one, in his senior year at college. Seems like a good kid. Working part time. Family is paying for school. The guests were all family, old friends, and friends from college. I'm starting on backgrounds this morning. Just in asking questions, though, their only connection is that they were all friends. No ill will, no problems, no rivalries."

"And the witness to the get-away?"

"Doug Dershowitz…getting to the party late…coming around the corner of the block when the guy came running out," Castle answered. "He told us he heard shots and saw movement and backed up as far out of sight as he could. Didn't see any faces…tried to get plate numbers when they roared off, but there were no plates. He said it was a dark color, late model Chrysler…thought it was green. High end model, he said."

"I'm working on that this morning," Ryan promised. "Maybe I can find something."

"Go ahead and get started on the car, Ryan. The rest of us can split up the victims and see if there's anything worth finding."

By the end of the day, Ryan had found where the car had stopped several blocks away, pulled over on a section of street with less traffic than normal, and put the plates back on. Once they identified the location, a little extra effort provided a good picture of the passenger from a store's CCTV, but they got nothing from facial recognition. The plates were legible and identified the car as belonging to Ralph Ingram in Kensington, a suburban area not far from Manhattan.

Ryan and Esposito drove there to speak to him but no one was home. Two neighbors came out to see what they wanted and told them he had been out of town for the past month. His wife had died a couple of years before; and after that, he bought an RV and he and the dog took off several times a year just going wherever the wind blew them. The neighbors said he could be anywhere between there and California…or Canada or Alaska. He wasn't big on technology, so his cell phone wasn't even charged about seventy-five per cent of the time, but he'd call and check in with one of them once in a while so they would know he's still alive.

"Neither of them recognized the car's passenger." Ryan said with a sigh, "but they did say they both thought they heard a car outside Ingram's house in the wee hours of the morning the night of the shooting. Could have been Ingram's car."

"We need to find Ingram and see if he knows who this is," Beckett answered. "I'll get to work on that. Thanks guys."

"All the victims seem to be good kids. One was in a little trouble when he was about eighteen, but nothing big. Looks like the female victim has a juvenile record but nothing recent. Whatever it was, she seems to have been on the straight and narrow since she was eighteen. She was finishing a radiology program this semester, hoping to be working in a hospital before long. We'll need to talk to some of her friends and see if they can tell us anything that might help," Castle told the boys.

Over the next two days, Ryan and Esposito went out and talked to the family and friends of the victims, and Beckett and Castle spoke to the ones who were willing to come in to the precinct. There were no signs at all that the male victims would have any connection to a shooting. However, collectively, they discovered that the female victim had a boyfriend who joined a gang about the time she had finished the first year of her college classes. She had hung out with a bad crowd when she was in late middle school and early high school; but as she approached eighteen and graduation, she began to look more toward having something better than what her parents had. Her boyfriend, on the other hand, was moving in the other direction. His choice for improving his lot was illegal activities as part of a gang. Sheena didn't know that until last year, and when she found out, she left him and moved in with two of the other girls in her class. He was pretty possessive and didn't take it well, kept trying to talk her into coming back. When she threatened to get a restraining order, he was angry but left her alone. No sign he's been to see her since then. Also no other connection to our victims.

"When did she meet Kyle?" Beckett asked.

"About six months ago. They hit it off right from the start. Her family liked him," Ryan answered.

"But there's no connection at all to the gang member?"

"Not as far as we can tell," Esposito confirmed.

"Where the hell is Ingram and that dog?" Beckett asked peevishly. "Somebody has to know our mystery shooter."

As they drove home with Josef that night, Castle said, "You know what? When the dust settles and we know for sure that you're safe from Bracken and Simmons, we should invite everybody who helped bring them down to come to the house for a weekend at the beach…with their families. Plenty of uncrowded beach for running and wading, and sand castles…and relaxing. We'll even invite Gates."

"And Josef?" she asked loud enough Josef could hear, and he smiled.

"And his brother, and their families. I'll arrange hotel rooms for the overflow. The house isn't quite that big."

"I love the idea," she answered.

xxxxx

It was two weeks before Mr. Ingram called his neighbor to report in, and he called the precinct immediately afterward to ask what they needed from him. Since he didn't know how to use his phone for anything more than a phone call, he agreed to go to the local police station where they could send a picture of the shooter.

As soon as he saw the picture, he called Beckett back and said disgustedly, "I know him. That's my worthless nephew. He and his mother just moved back here from Mexico. Probably trying to outrun the law down there."

"Do you have a sibling other than your sister? She said she didn't recognize him."

"She's been lying for that boy since he was about twelve. Don't believe a word she says. You said he killed somebody?"

"Killed five and injured three others…and used your Chrysler as the getaway vehicle."

"I knew he had a bad streak and a lack of good sense, but I sure never saw that coming. What do you need to know? I'll do whatever I can to help."

The nephew was arrested, and his mother was charged with obstructing an investigation. When he realized he would be going to jail for murder, he gave up the gang member who ordered it. It was part of his initiation into the gang. He was supposed to kill Sheena and her boyfriend, but several of the men fit the description he was given, so he just shot all the ones closest to her. The ex-boyfriend was also arrested, and the team finally put the case to rest.

xxxxx

About the time they finished the last case, Jordan and Avery came by the precinct to make a short report to Beckett and Castle.

"Good morning," they heard, and turned to see Avery smiling at them. "We thought you could use some good news," he said.

Jordan Shaw smiled, too. "We wanted to let you know that Bracken's network is rapidly unravelling. There's now very little chance that he or Simmons could still manage to hurt you, Beckett."

"How can you be sure of that?" Castle asked.

Avery took that question. "Since the charges included international drug trafficking, most of Bracken's and Simmons's properties and funds were seized, and the vast majority of what little they still have access to will have to go to attorneys. They can't afford to pay anybody to go after her. And with the wealth of evidence against them, they can't get bail. They can't even get out of prison to do it themselves."

Even though they were relieved to hear such things, and knew them to probably be a true assessment of the situation, Castle and Beckett still looked skeptical.

"What about people who owe them favors?" Beckett asked.

"People who used to seek Bracken out because of the power he held are now trying their best to downplay any connection to him. The people who had worked for him are too busy scrambling to save themselves to consider killing a cop as a favor to a fallen and unsupportive ex-boss." Avery answered. "And the ones Bracken had railroaded into prison to take the blame for his own crimes or those of Simmons aren't likely to be forgiving, let alone helpful. They have no bargaining chips left."

Jordan put her hand on Beckett's arm and assured her, "You know I wouldn't raise your hopes about this if I didn't feel sure. We looked at everything over and over in the past couple of weeks before making this visit. People Bracken had coerced into helping him are coming forward now to tell us about blackmail or threats to themselves or their families…and there are a lot of them. And the ones who had been paid informers or worse have no need to feel any loyalty to men who can no longer pay them. Some of them are talking, too…hoping to make deals.

"It's not that we don't believe you, but it's going to take us a while to accept that the threat is really over," Castle answered. "Everything you said makes perfectly good sense, and we trust you; but after all this time, worrying has become a habit. I may have to hold on to at least some minimal extra security for a little while longer."

"I can understand that," Jordan answered.

They talked a few minutes longer, and before they agents left, Castle broached the subject of the beach. He and Beckett had chosen a weekend near the end of August and started their plan by inviting Jordan and Avery to come and join them at the beach house for the weekend.

"I appreciate the offer," Jordan answered, "but my time with my family is limited as it is, and…"

"The invitation includes your families. Alexis and I can show you the prime sand castle building spots. There's an uncrowded beach, fresh ocean air, a pool, and lots of peace and quiet."

"A family weekend at the beach sounds great. Let me talk to my husband and get back to you."

"What about you, Avery?"

"I think my wife and boys would like that, too." I'll call you tomorrow. Thanks, Castle."

"Good," Castle answered. "We'd love to meet your families. Oh, and a place to stay is included in the invitation." Turning to Beckett after Shaw and Avery left, he said, "Shall we ask Gates now? We wouldn't have this without her."

"Why don't you do that yourself? I think she finally likes you."

Gates was invited, as well as Lanie and the boys, Josef and his brother and their families, and the rest of the Castle/Beckett family."

xxxxx

Castle had rented one floor of a small hotel not far from the beach house for their guests. It gave the families some privacy, and left the beach house quiet for most of the night.

People started arriving around ten on Saturday, and the crowd grew quickly. The children from all the families immediately herded together by age groups and got along well, finding things to entertain themselves from among the beach toys and equipment Castle had gathered up for them to use. Alexis showed them the pool and reminded them that they could only use it if an adult was present.

The adults enjoyed that the children had entertainment, and they gravitated toward the chairs and umbrellas Castle had set up near the beach, visiting and getting to know one another better while they kept an eye on the children. Castle later excused himself and went back to the house to set out the drinks and plates of sandwich material, snacks, and fruit they had prepared the night before, and then called the crowd to come in for lunch.

The children enjoyed the pool for a while, loving that Castle and some of their parents would play with them, some of them behaving like overgrown kids. Some of the men were actually goaded into a cannonball contest by the younger children, the basic criteria for winning seeming to be how much water was displaced with each cannonball. The winner was Raymond Gates, a man about Castle's size, who was much more laid back than his wife.

Victoria Gates and Kate Castle watched as the contest narrowed to Castle and Ray Gates, and when Mr. Gates won, the captain was shaking her head. She told Kate, "I don't know whether to congratulate him or hide somewhere in shame. It's a wonder there's any water left in that pool."

"Right there with you," Kate answered. "It's more fun to congratulate them, though."

"I suppose you're right," Captain Gates conceded.

When they went to them, the two men looked at each other mischievously, Ray signaled and mouthed something, they both grinned, then they grabbed their wives and fell into the water with them. The children were squealing with delight, the two women were spluttering, the other adults were laughing and the two men were bumping fists and grinning widely.

Once that excitement settled down, things gradually moved back to the beach for the afternoon. Castle fired up the grill later on to cook steaks, burgers, and hot dogs, and while they waited, the crowd moved from one conversation group to another.

Kate was making the rounds of their guests, and she had just left Jordan and her daughter when she stopped to talk to Lanie for a few minutes.

"She looks happy," Esposito observed when he approached Lanie right after Kate left.

The two of them watched as Kate went to see how long it would be before Castle had the meat cooked. It wasn't over the fire yet, and Lanie said Esposito had asked…hungrily. Castle stopped to put his arms around his wife, long-handled tongs already in one hand. He gave her a quick kiss and they talked as he went back to his task, getting the meat on the grill.

"They both look happy, Javi. And I don't think that's ever going to change…because they belong together. I think they're going to be together as long as they live. I want that. I want to see my future in a man's eyes like that, a man who lets me be my independent self like Castle does for her. But I don't want to have to dance around it as long as they did to have it."

"Do you think we have that?" he asked hesitantly.

"I want us to have that."

"But do you think we do?"

"I don't know," she answered just as hesitantly. "If we did, we'd probably recognize it after all this time. I think they always felt it and tried to deny it…until they couldn't anymore. But once they committed, it was for life. You and I…maybe we're still trying to have it and just it isn't there. I do really care about you, and I do love having you in my bed, but…"

"I care about you, too, and you know I love being in your bed; but do you see us having that?" he asked with a nod toward the couple at the grill.

"She's pregnant, Javi. They're looking at their future and seeing it with people they love. Do you see a home or children when you look at me?" He hesitated just enough to answer her question without saying a word.

"I don't want to hurt you, Chica." He paused and looked away for a moment. "Maybe not. I want to…but I…maybe not."

"It's okay," she answered, sliding her arms around his waist and leaning her head against his chest. "Neither do I, but I didn't want to hurt you, either." He put his arms around her waist as well, and as they stood in each other's arms, and eventually she asked, "Have you ever met anybody who made you feel like it could happen?"

"There was this woman I worked with on the subway when that guy had the bomb with the kill switch. She's a transit cop…said she had a little boy. He's five. I saw her at a diner a few weeks ago when I stopped on my way home. Tables were scarce, and she invited me to sit with them. Just a friendly gesture. That was all there was to it. I just had a lot of respect for how she handled things in a crisis. There was an attraction, but I wasn't really looking at her that way then. Her son was with her, too…cute little guy. We hit it off real well. It's the first time I ever really thought about being a dad, but after my lousy excuse for a father, what do I know about that?"

"What do you think Castle knew about that? He didn't even get to have a lousy father. He had no example at all, but look at Alexis. If he can do it, you can, too."

"You think?"

"Yes, I do."

"I've seen the way you and Perlmutter's replacement look at each other now and then."

"He knows we're together, Javi. I've flirted, but I haven't given him any encouragement…and he hasn't pushed."

"Just saying, if you were single, it wouldn't take much encouragement for him to show some interest. He looks at you a little like Castle looked at Beckett at the beginning."

"And the transit cop. You think she's interested?"

"I don't know. Maybe if I showed some interest. Could be the same situation."

"Javi, if you want kids..." She took in a breath and released it. "I'm not sure yet if I do."

"There are a lot of 'if's' on both sides of looking elsewhere."

"I know."

"You think it's worth it to give ourselves a chance to see other people?"

"Maybe. Are we amicably breaking up?" Lanie asked, putting her arms around his neck gently.

"After the weekend?" he suggested, his arms pulling her closer.

"So we spend the rest of the weekend saying goodbye?"

"Sounds like a nice way to do it…no pun intended."

Lanie smiled. "Yeah, it does. So let's enjoy the party. Somebody just started the music. Come dance with me."

He pulled her close for one more kiss then smiled as she took his hand and tugged him toward the backyard where another couple and a few children were already dancing.


	72. Chapter 72

Chapter 72

"That was a great weekend," Alexis said as they entered the loft early Sunday night. "JD enjoyed it, too. He likes being with us."

"We like him, too, even if your father has trouble saying it out loud too often," Martha answered pointedly.

"I'll put your luggage in your room, Mother," Castle said, ignoring her remark. "I'll never understand why you need to pack so much for just a couple of days. I'll take yours, too, Alexis," he added, motioning for her to bring her much lighter bag to him.

"A woman never knows what she might need. I'm just trying to be prepared," Martha answered unapologetically.

"I'll put ours in our room," Kate told him and turned to get their one bag.

"It was fun having kids there," Alexis said before Kate had time to do more than pick up the duffel bag. I told you you'll be a good Mom, Kate. All the kids loved you, and you looked like you enjoyed them, too."

"I did. I couldn't believe they conned that many grown men into a cannonball contest," she answered with a grin.

"Somehow, I don't think it took that much conning. And I think Dad and Mr. Gates could be trouble together if somebody doesn't keep an eye on them."

"I think you're right," Martha answered as Kate took the couple's duffel bag to their bedroom, Alexis chuckling along with her stepmother in response.

"What's so funny?" Castle asked as he came back down the stairs.

"Just talking about the cannonball contest," Alexis answered.

"That was fun," Castle agreed. "We should invite everybody back and make all of it an annual event."

"You just want a rematch," Kate answered as she returned to the living room.

"Damn straight. Next time Ray Gates is going down."

"You drag your wives into the pool again and both of you might be going down," Kate answered.

"Big talk," Castle teased and kissed her head.

"They're both capable," Martha reminded him.

"Ice cream to close out the weekend?" Alexis asked, laughing.

After a chorus of varying yes answers from the others, Alexis took out the ice cream selections, and Castle got the bowls and scoops for everyone to help themselves. They sat at the table and enjoyed their treats then all retired to their rooms.

The beach has a way of tiring me out without feeling like there's a good reason for it," Kate said as she undressed. "Always has."

Castle sat down on the bed next to where she stood in just her underwear and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Are you tired in there, too, Baby?" Castle asked. "Daddy's going to help Mommy take good care of you." Then he kissed her middle.

Kate put her arms around his neck and bent to kiss the top of his head. "We both love you, too, Richard Castle." She left another kiss on his head and straightened again, smiling down at him lovingly. "Is this going to be a habit…kissing my belly goodnight?"

"Probably," he admitted. "Kate, I'm so in love with you and our baby."

"Let's just go to bed," she suggested. "We can shower in the morning. Right now our baby and I just want to sleep."

"Then get in," he answered, standing and pulling the covers back. Then he slid one arm around her shoulders and the other behind her knees and picked her up to place her in the bed. "I'll tuck you both in,"

"Don't push your luck, Daddy," she responded indulgently.

"Can't blame a man for trying," he answered with his smirky smile and pulled the covers over her anyway.

"Get in here. We sleep better when you're close. And you and Baby and I gotta go to work tomorrow.

xxxxx

"Morning," Esposito called as Beckett and Castle came into the precinct Monday morning. "Great party this weekend."

"Yeah, it was," Ryan echoed.

"Glad you enjoyed it," Castle answered, "We did, too."

"Anything new come in?" Beckett asked as she settled at her desk.

"Nope. Quiet so far," Ryan answered. "Probably won't last long, though."

Beckett turned on her computer and checked her emails, and by the time she had answered a couple of them, there was another body.

Castle stood, saying, "I know. Send video." He squeezed her shoulder in sympathy before leaving with Ryan and Esposito.

About twenty minutes later, the first video came in, and she opened it on her computer. Captain Gates now knew what was going on and came out of her office to see what they were finding on the new case. She watched as Castle used the camera well and kept up an informative narration about what they were seeing.

"He really would have made a good detective," Gates mumbled, mostly to herself.

"He is a good detective," Kate defended, still watching as the camera panned an area of the room, stopping on the things she needed to see. "He's just lacking the title. He's learned from us, but we've learned from him, too."

"What was that?" Gates asked.

Kate went back and played the last little section of video again. "Looks like some kind of jewelry." Almost immediately after they came to that conclusion, Castle adjusted the camera for a better view and described the expensive piece of jewelry in detail, including the probable cost.

"Doesn't look like you'll need to stop very often," Gates noted. "The man knows jewelry, doesn't he?"

"Rich man who's had two greedy wives, a bauble loving mother, a daughter who's the center of his life, and a now a third, but not greedy, wife. He was well trained in jewelry way before I came into the picture."

Gates smiled. "Lucky you."

Kate smiled, too but kept her eyes on the video. "This is working pretty well, but it isn't like a seeing it all in relation to the entire space. That element is missing, and sometimes it makes a difference."

"Kate, I know you must feel confined by now, but I feel the need to keep you here. Let's face it. You and Mr. Castle seem to attract trouble. I know there were several incidents before I was here. And then you were shot at a funeral, in front of hundreds of members of NYPD. None of us are sure how you lived through that, and in the short time I've known you, you've been in a number of near misses, including having your car shoved into the Hudson, and living in Bracken's crosshairs all these years. And I was recently a part of sending you into a situation that should have been benign, but at the end it was nearly fatal to you or your baby or both. I don't want that to happen again, so I'm not willing to let you walk into a crime scene not knowing what dangers are there. Sometimes they're hidden…chemicals, pathogens…things that aren't obvious at first."

"I'm not complaining, Sir. I hate to admit it, but until we were more certain of what strings Simmons and Bracken could still pull, it's actually been a relief to be here. I never knew how much I would want this baby until I found out it existed."

"All the more reason to err on the side of caution."

"I just don't want to be left out when there's something I can do safely. I'd like to be allowed in interrogations. It's one of my strong points."

"I have no objection to that, as long as you'll listen to your team and bow out if the suspect is too volatile. Your detectives are excellent, and I can now force myself to admit that Mr. Castle's gut instincts are as good as any cop I've known."

Beckett smiled at that remark.

"I saw that," Gates admonished, but it was followed with a smile of her own. "I'll expect you to listen to them."

Beckett nodded her agreement to Gates's terms.

"As far as crime scenes, restrict yourself to visits after the fact. Take armed backup to clear it first, and check with the ME and your team to be sure there are no hazardous aspects to the scene. That should allow you a personal look at most of them. Meanwhile, your video system seems to be working well."

"Looks like another one coming in. I get one from each room. It isn't as satisfying as being there, but I can call or text so I have input while they're on site."

"Well, I saw a couple of things I'd have questions about, so I'll leave you to yours."

As Gates stood, Kate turned for a moment. "Sir. Thank you for understanding."

"I've been there, Lieutenant. Wish I'd had that then," she answered, pointing to the phone in Beckett's hand.

Beckett called Castle with a couple of questions and for clarification of one of his comments, then watched the second video and started setting up the murder board.

When the rest of the team returned, they went over everything they had found, talked through what they needed to follow up and what would have to wait for reports from other people, then divided the jobs among them and went to work. Late in the afternoon, they had a call from Lanie saying she found something odd that Beckett would want to see want to see.

"Nothing here dangerous to baby Castle," she promised. "And Kate, can you come by yourself this time? It's almost closing, and I could use some girl time."

"Sure, Lanie. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I think so. We'll talk about that after we talk about the body."

"I'll tell Castle to go on without me. Be there in fifteen, traffic gods allowing."

"Thanks."

Beckett told Castle about Lanie's request. "We've done about all we can for today, anyway. Go on home without me this time. I might take her to dinner and see what's wrong."

"Okay. Anything else I can do here?"

"Maybe close down the computer and put away the file so I can go?"

"Sure. I'll take a cab home. I hope it's nothing bad. She's family."

They looked around the bullpen and no one seemed to be paying attention to them, so they indulged in a quick kiss and Beckett left.

When Kate arrived at the morgue, Lanie met her at the door. "Come and look at this," she said right away. "See this odd mark near the stab wound? I had a case with the same kind of mark about a month ago. One of Lupinski's cases. That and the same kind of bruising here just below the shoulder. Here's the file on the other victim. See the similarities? They're almost identical. I'd say it's the same killer. Thought you ought to know before you got any farther into it."

"Can I have copies of the other file?"

"I'm not quite finished with the report for your victim, but I already made copies of the other one."

"Thanks. I'll talk to Lupinski tomorrow morning. We'll see if anything else correlates. Can you do a search? See if anything else comes up with the same marks?"

"On my to-do list for first thing tomorrow." She handed Kate the file for the second victim.

"You want to have some dinner at that little seafood place around the corner? You can tell me what's worrying you."

"That would be great. Writer-Man's letting you go tonight?"

"He's my husband, not my keeper, and he said you're family. He took a cab home."

"Thank him for me. Okay?" She took a deep breath and said, "Let me get Mr. Foster back in the drawer, then I'll change out of my scrubs and get my purse, okay?"

"Yeah. Take your time. I'm not going anywhere." Kate went and made herself at home in Lanie's office, using the time to look over the file from Lupinski's case. One small detail she would check on tomorrow had caught her eye before Lanie returned ready to leave.

They walked to the restaurant making small talk, about the time they got there mentioning the party over the weekend.

"That kind of has something to do with wanting a girl's night," Lanie admitted.

"Did something happen?" Kate asked. "We thought everybody was having a good time."

"Let's go in and order. I'll explain while we wait."

"You're worrying me, Lanie."

"It's not that bad. But it's going to take some adjusting, and I needed some understanding company to help me deal with it. That's all. I'd just rather keep it between us for now."

Kate nodded, and they went in and were seated. After they ordered, Kate said, "Okay. What happened over the weekend?"

"Javi and I did have a good time at the party, but we did some talking, too. Remember when I asked you to check with Castle on when we were going to eat?'

"Yeah."

"Well, Javi and I were watching you and Castle looking so in love, and we had a serious discussion about our future. We both want what the two of you have…not that _that_ happens too often. But we both want at least as close to that as we can get. We finally admitted we care a lot about each other; but we don't see each other as lifetime material, so we agreed that we'd go our separate ways."

"But you looked so happy together this weekend."

"We were. We agreed to say goodbye slowly and enjoy the party. It was very amicable. Very grown up. No hard feelings. He even spent the night on Sunday when we got home. But when it was almost time to leave work this afternoon, it finally hit me what we'd actually agreed to…and I'll miss him."

"I don't know whether to congratulate you on your adult decision or offer my sympathy…or both."

"Probably both. I know it may be for the best, but we've been bouncing back to each other for a few years now. And…"

"You'll miss him?"

"Yeah. I kind of loved him, and the sex was great, but… I don't know. I think he might want kids. I mean, I love babies and little kids. I'm just not sure I want them full time. And when I look at ten years down the road, I don't see anything more than we have now. I want more than that. And he feels the same."

"And you both deserve more than that. When you find it, it's worth whatever it took to have it."

"I can tell. And I might be a little bit jealous."

"I wasn't sure I wanted kids, either. Not until Castle. But I have no doubts now. I see how he loves Alexis, and I know I don't need to worry about his being there for me through the pregnancy or wonder if he'd walk out out when the going gets rough. I love him so much. And this baby is part of that. How could I not want it?"

"That's what I want, Kate. To be that certain of somebody."

"We still have our little tiffs, and now and then some outright arguments; but neither of us is afraid of it anymore. We both know we can work it out. And we owe a lot of that to you. So anything I can do. We owe you. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't stepped in." There was a pause in the conversation, and then Kate asked, "You're sure about this?"

"We're sure we should give ourselves a chance to find what you did." Lanie stopped and gave her a half smile. "But we did decide that if we were both still single a year from now, we'd give it another try."

Kate placed her hand on her friend's where Lanie was playing with the end of the napkin as she talked, and Lanie's hand stilled. "I know it's hard right now. How long are you going to wait before you do something about it…consider seeing somebody else?"

"I don't know. Maybe a week or two? Show Javi a little respect?" Lanie rolled her eyes. "It's not like we had a big fight and I'm trying to show him somebody else wants me. I never broke up with anybody like this before, and I don't know how to handle it. I thought I'd keep it to myself for a little while so it doesn't look like… So I don't… God, Kate, _I_ don't even know what I mean." She propped her elbows on the table and dropped her forehead to her hands.

The new ME seems to be a nice guy, and he obviously likes you. Castle and I think he'd probably have asked you out by now if he didn't know you were taken. Maybe you should give it a week or two and then casually mention that you broke up with your boyfriend. See what happens. Going out to dinner with him at least once can't hurt."

"He's not hard to look at, either." Lanie really smiled for the first time that evening. "And he does seem like a nice guy. You know, turning girls' night into hot chocolate or ice cream might not be a bad thing. I'd probably meet more men looking for long term relationships in those places than going clubbing."

"That's more like it. Think positive."

"Looks like our food is here. I think I might feel more like eating it now."

They enjoyed their dinner, wandered off into other subjects, and Kate drove Lanie home before going back to the loft.

"Hey," Castle greeted her when she came in, and he met her at the door with a kiss. "Is Lanie okay?"

"Pretty much. She and Javi broke up. No argument, just decided they want what we have and didn't see it in each other. She doesn't know how to handle a friendly break-up. So what have you been up to?" She asked as she dropped her purse just inside the door.

"Pretty much the same thing you have. Javi stopped me before I left and dropped the same news on me. I took him to dinner and let him talk. Sounds like the same conversation...I already miss her. How do I handle this? How long do I wait so I don't look like a jerk?"

"Yep. Same conversation." Kate laughed. "When did we become Dear Abby? I'm so glad we're over that part of our relationship."

"We never really had that part, did we? Once we were together, we knew we fit."

"You're right. Took us a little while to get there, though."

"Was it worth the wait?"

"You know it was. Now, shut up and kiss me some more, Partner."

"Yes, ma'am." He followed instructions, admirably.

The following morning, Alexis was moving into the dorm, and Castle hesitantly asked Kate if she'd mind his getting her settled in on his own. She told him she understood, that she'd go with him the first time he went to visit…or maybe she would stop by and check on Alexis before classes started and take her for coffee or something.

"Make it a Dad/daughter morning," she told him. "Get up early and take her to breakfast, help her move her boxes into her room and get her room set up. Then come to the precinct where you won't be alone. When we get home tonight, I'll comfort you the best I can."

"What did I do to deserve you?"

"That should be my line. I know how hard this is for you. It's giving me some trouble, too."

"Want to comfort each other later?"

"Yeah, but right now, I'm going to get in some time with our girl. I'll go up and see if she needs help with anything."

"I just checked, but maybe she'd want help with girly stuff." He sighed deeply. "Or maybe from somebody who isn't hovering and hugging her every few minutes."

"Comfort later," she promised with a kiss and went upstairs.

xxxxx

The next morning, Kate hugged Alexis tight before she and Castle left. She assured both of them she understood about going without her. There were a few tears on both sides as she gave Alexis another hug and told her how much she'd miss her.

"Now go out and conquer the world," Kate told her. "Right after breakfast."

"You're amazing," Castle whispered in her ear as he hugged her before he left with Alexis.

When she arrived at work, Beckett talked to Lupinski about his stabbing case and showed him the similarities Lanie had pointed out, as well as the little detail she had found. It was obvious that both murders had been planned carefully, and they spent time scouring both files looking for anything that might help.

Castle came in after lunch, and the detectives on both teams set up murder boards near Beckett's desk so they could work together. By the end of the day, Lanie had found two older unsolved cases involving the same marks, cases from two other precincts. She and Castle and Lupinski took their files and visited the two other precincts the next morning. They spoke to the detectives who handled those cases, and they traded files looking for any other correlations, finding the same small detail in all of them.

On their way home that day, Castle mentioned that he might need more comforting, and Beckett asked how long he was going to use that excuse.

"Until I think of a better one," he answered with a grin.

"You don't need one, you know," she answered with a flirtatious smile.

"Sometimes it's just fun," he answered, taking her hand as she drove and kissing it before letting her put it back on the steering wheel.

xxxxx

During the rest of the week, the two teams of detectives interviewed witnesses from the older cases as well as the ones from the most recent murder. With the correlating evidence they had found working with the detectives at the other precincts, they added new questions to the interviews and drew out information the original witnesses didn't know they had. By the end of the next week, the serial killer was arrested.

When news of a serial killer got out, Beckett was again asked to speak to the press; and every detective who had worked on the cases was named when she spoke. She pointed out that none of the cases alone gave a clear picture; but the joint efforts with the ME, Dr. Parish, and detectives at the two other precincts had brought the case to a successful conclusion. As well as obviously being a highly competent detective, she was building a reputation as someone who freely gave credit where it was due.


	73. Chapter 73

Chapter 73

It was early September, and Kate was entering her second trimester of pregnancy. Work had been going well, and she and Castle had finally begun to relax and consider the possibility that Jordan may have been right about their safety. They had announced her pregnancy at the precinct the week before and were still receiving random congratulations as the news spread beyond the homicide floor.

On their way home after being stopped twice by well-wishers on their way out of the precinct, Castle said appreciatively, "Everybody seems to be genuinely happy for us."

"It surprises me that's gone so far beyond the homicide floor."

"It shouldn't. There are always going to be people who are jealous of success, but everybody has to respect your abilities and contributions here. The ones who know you stand up for you…and are happy for you when good things happen."

Kate shrugged. "It's just nice to know that so many people care."

Castle was in a meeting at Black Pawn all afternoon and had picked Kate up after work, so he was driving for a change. Their conversation paused longer than he expected, and when he looked over at his wife, she seemed to be on the verge of dozing off. He decided to let her fall asleep, thinking she must need it if it she was drooping that quickly.

When they drove into the parking garage, he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "We're home."

"Sorry," she answered, straightening up. "Didn't mean to desert you. I kept nodding off."

Castle walked around the car and opened her door as she roused herself, and held his hand out for her. "You must be tired."

"I didn't think I was when we left, but I guess I was wrong," she admitted as she took his hand and got out of the car. He wrapped his arm around her and nuzzled her hair as they rode the elevator up to the loft, and she willingly leaned into him.

"We have that charity event on Friday, and you're on call on Sunday, but you have next weekend off," he mentioned as he unlocked the door and ushered her in. "Why don't we plan another weekend in the Hamptons? Maybe Alexis and JD would like to go while it's still warm enough to enjoy the beach. And you can take a nap any time…outside next to the pool or the ocean if you want."

"I'd love that."

"And maybe we can drag Mother away from all those rehearsals for a day or two. She's going to wear herself out."

"It's the first big, invite-the-general-public-and-everything production at her school. She just wants it to be perfect. We can ask her tonight." After a little pause, Kate added, "I miss Alexis."

"Me, too."

"Order in tonight?" she asked.

"Sure. Your choice, pregnant lady. Pick a place, and I'll call it in."

As she looked through the menus, she said, "I guess I should wear something for the charity gala that lets me enjoy a dress that fits close…before I start showing and gradually get as big as a house."

"Speaking of the charity gala, we're going to have to answer baby questions before long anyway. Rumors have already started on my fan site. Maybe we should pick out a couple of reporters we trust and mention it to them there. At least we'll know the first announcements will reflect what we actually said."

"I guess we might as well. Since my slacks are feeling a little tighter than normal sometimes, it's probably going to be hard to hide it before long anyway. Lanie's going to be dragging me off on a shopping trip if I mention it to her."

"I can't wait until you're showing. It makes it more real."

"You just want to be able to point and say, "Look what I did."

"There's always that, too," he answered with a teasing grin.

Grinning back, she handed him a menu. "Here. Order our usual. Baby wants pizza tonight. I'm gonna go change and maybe pick out a dress for Friday."

"Consider that black one with the silver trim down one side…the one you wore to that party given for Patterson. You did wonders for that dress," he said, briefly drifting off into the memory. "Or you could just buy a new one."

"No time to go shopping," she said thoughtfully. "You know, I successfully avoided cameras that night, so no one here has seen that dress. And it should be perfect. Good call, Babe."

"Always got your back," he answered, catching her arm and pulling her over for a quick kiss before she left the room.

Kate went to change, and Castle called for pizza. When his wife didn't return as quickly as he expected her to, he went to check on her; and he found her asleep across the width of the bed, a beautiful black dress laid out carefully not far away.

He smiled. She had done that a couple of times recently…allowed her tough Detective Beckett persona to become sleepy, pregnant Kate as soon as they were home. Castle put the dress back in the closet. Then he covered her with a light blanket, intending to sneak out quietly; but she turned as he was indulging himself in tucking her in.

"Mmmf…fell asleep again," she grumbled.

"Yeah," he answered. "It's okay. Rest a little while."

"Pizza's here?" she asked, her eyes closing again.

"Not yet. Any minute, though."

"Wake me up, okay? Little power nap until it's here?" Her eyes opened to look at him.

"Just rest. We can heat it up later. Want to get your head on the pillows?"

She shook her head and closed her eyes, looking perfectly content face down right where she was.

He smiled again and trailed a hand down her arm before he left the room. Kate was carrying his baby. She could sleep as much as she needed. He heard the pizza guy at the door and checked to see if it woke his wife, huffing a little laugh when he saw there was no sign she had noticed anything at all. Then he went to answer the door. After tipping the teenager who delivered it, he took their pizza to the kitchen, put a couple of slices on a plate, and sat down on the sofa to look for entertainment on television.

A little over an hour later, Kate emerged from their bedroom, still a bit bleary eyed from her nap, heated a piece of pizza, and went to join her husband on the sofa.

"Sorry," she said as she plopped down beside him.

"Don't be," he answered. "Aren't you supposed to be sleepy now? Peanut's about to start growing…a lot. Your body is probably charging up to handle that."

"But we've gone to bed early three times lately," she reminded him. "To do nothing but sleep," she added with a little smirk.

"But all three times you woke up later in the night all seductive and frisky," he answered with wiggling eyebrows, his own smirk leaning in the direction of leering. "That's always a nice surprise."

"Yeah, that's fun," she answered, bumping his shoulder. "Doesn't take much to have you awake and willing. Better enjoy it now, though, before I'm so big you won't even be interested."

"Not gonna happen, Kate. I'll never not be interested." He swung one arm over the back of the sofa and draped it around her shoulders. "My movie just ended. You want to pick one?"

xxxxx

In the elevator on the way up to the homicide floor, they encountered another detective using crutches. Ann Hastings, who had recently made detective, was now assigned to fill the empty spot on Lupinski's team.

"We heard the chase didn't end well," Castle told her. "Sorry you caught the bad end of it. Rough way to start your promotion."

"Yeah, well, the suspect tripped over something trying to throw alley junk at me and landed on me. He has a broken leg. I got away with a bad sprain and a few sore muscles. Small blessings, you know."

"So desk duty for a while," Beckett observed.

"Looks like it. Probably a couple of weeks. You gonna show me your video system? I always did hate feeling left out."

"Sure. Come and see us later," Beckett answered.

Half an hour later, Beckett's team was leaving for a crime scene, and she went to Lupinski's desk and invited his team to watch when the videos came in. "Since you have somebody on desk duty, too, I thought you might be interested in how we're handling it."

"Might as well. Looks like Hastings here is already broken," Lupinski teased.

"Hey, I got him, didn't I?" Hastings shot back.

"Good work, too, from what I hear," Beckett answered.

"Thanks Beckett. These guys haven't heard of positive reinforcement yet," she said jokingly, looking over her shoulder at her team.

Beckett opened the first video as it came in, and they all watched with her, agreeing it should work for them, too, complimenting Castle's commentary and adding some of their own. Then Lupinski's team was called to their own crime scene, and they went back to their desks deciding who would send the videos, etc. Later Beckett went to watch the other videos with Hastings, giving herself time to watch Hasting's responses to the initial information on the videos and to point out a few things to the new detective...a good training opportunity.

Gates stopped by Beckett's desk later and asked, "How is Hastings doing? I saw you working with her this morning."

"Other than still in a little bit of pain?" Beckett asked with a smile. "She caught most of the right things, and understood why the things she missed could be important. She's eager to learn. I think she's going to be a good detective."

Gates nodded. "You're good at this…the training."

"It feels right somehow…to share what you know. Other people did that for me. Just passing it on."

Gates smiled and returned to her office. Her homicide detectives and officers were in good hands.

When the rest of her team returned this time, Beckett was still setting up the white board.

"Getting lazy on us, Beckett?" Esposito teased. "You usually have the board ready to go when we get back."

"Hastings has desk duty...bad sprained ankle; so I showed Lupinski's team how we do this before they got another call. She's setting up their board now. Doing my job, Espo. And there. The board is ready for whatever else you brought."

The four of them went through witness statements, etc. and finished up around lunch time. Castle and Beckett went to lunch at Remy's and sat talking in their favorite booth in a quiet corner as they waited to be served.

"Esposito said he finally decided to get in touch with the transit cop he met during that subway incident," Castle reported. "He's supposed to see her this weekend. He invited her to bring her little boy, but she said she won't do that unless she feels like it's somebody who's going to stay around. He only met him that once because they were both already there and it wasn't at all like a date. Anything new with Lanie?"

"She finally mentioned to Frank Stokes that she broke up with her boyfriend. He had the courtesy to ask how long it had been and asked if it was too soon to invite her to dinner; and she was impressed that he was that thoughtful. They're going out this weekend, too. She's nervous, though, knowing they still have to work together if it doesn't go well."

"So I guess we just stand back and watch now?" he said with a smile.

"That's about all we can do…or help them pick up the pieces if it doesn't go well. Lanie did that for us."

"And look at what her efforts accomplished." He stopped and chuckled. "I don't remember if I ever told you how frantic I was to get back into the precinct when Lanie texted to tell me you broke up with Demming to go with me. I threw Gina the car keys so she could have air conditioning and music, and then I tried not to run while she could still see me. When I was inside, I took the stairs two at a time…only slowed down at your floor so I could catch my breath. After I talked to you, I took the stairs back down to give myself time to get the lovesick smile off my face. I couldn't afford to let Gina think it was for her. I've never talked anybody out of something so fast in my life. Somehow I even managed to make it make sense. She was livid…snarled, and griped, and called me names all the way back to her apartment. But I wasn't about to miss the chance to prove to you that we should be together."

"I was so angry when you left with Gina, but Lanie verbally slapped me in the face with the fact that it was my own fault. I was getting ready to go home and have a pity party when she told me the captain wanted to see me in the conference room. Before that, she had made me promise that if I had another chance with you I'd take it." She reached out across the table and took his hand. "I'm so glad you came back for me. I thought I might have ruined our chances forever."

"Water under the bridge. We have the rest of our lives to spend together…with Alexis and Mother, and Jim," He spoke quietly but excitedly then to keep it between them. "And baby Castle. Please tell me you want to know if it's a boy or a girl as soon as we can find out. I don't think I can wait until it's born to know."

"I know you, Babe; and I already guessed that. We'll invite Alexis for that visit, too. As excited as she was just to hear the heartbeat, she's probably going to be as antsy about it as you are." She chuckled. "'When do we find out?' That was one of the first questions she asked, wasn't it?"

Castle grinned, remembering. "I think it was. Yeah, we need to let her come with us. We'll know at about twenty weeks, right? That's around the end of next month." Suddenly his face lit up. "Oh my god, we'll know by Halloween," he sort of squeaked quietly.

Kate laughed, her eyes twinkling. "Well, how appropriate for Richard Castle's baby. Making its first big announcement at Halloween."

"I really want to know whether to say 'he' or 'she'."

"I know you do, but there's nothing we can do about it yet. I don't think you have a guy for that."

"Let's go back to the baby store while we're in the Hamptons. We can pick out furniture without knowing a gender. And we'll need furniture in both places."

"That would be fun. I'll bet Alexis would like to go, too."

"I'll bet she would. JD might feel like a fish out of water, though," Castle responded.

"The sales people might even think it's for Alexis and JD," his wife answered answered with an evil smirk And Castle claimed the need for brain bleach.

Kate was chuckling when their food was delivered, and they had to eat quickly to get back in time to avoid having Esposito call Beckett lazy again. They worked through the afternoon and went home on time, relatively unstressed, and prepared dinner together without Kate wandering off and falling asleep.

xxxxx

They enjoyed the gala on Friday night. Kate wore her long, black dress, the silver, asymmetrical beading, lending it a glamorous touch. The top fit closely and the fabric fell gracefully into a slightly flared skirt…a very feminine and sexy look.

"I'll never understand how you could have avoided the cameras last time you wore that dress," Castle remarked as he watched a second photographer practically shove him out of the way while trying to take Kate's picture. When the photographer left, he told her, "It's all I can do not to spirit you away to some deserted room and take it off you."

"Later, Stud," she whispered with the tongue-peeking-from-between-her-teeth smile that he loved.

"I'll hold you to that," he answered. "Uh-oh. Reporters we don't trust approaching at three o'clock. Veer left. I see Jeff, who we do trust, over there. Let's get to him before the others get to us." As they walked, he said, "We've been here long enough to satisfy social obligations. Let's tell him about the baby, I'll give the charity people their check, and then we can go home so I can collect on that promise you made."

"Sometimes you have a one track mind, Mr. Castle."

"Well, Mrs. Castle, with you in that dress, it's hard not to."

They spoke to Jeff, who immediately asked about the baby rumors; and they confirmed that the rumors were true and that Kate and the baby were doing well…and that yes, the entire family was excited about it in spite of the fact that his first child had just left for college.

That job done, he delivered the check, called for their car, and took his wife home.

xxxxx

They managed to catch Alexis approaching a week without tests or major assignments due, and she and JD said they'd love to meet them at the beach house. The days were still warm enough to enjoy, but the nights next to the water felt more like fall.

The first night they were there, they put on hoodies and built a fire on the beach, cooked hot dogs, made s'mores, and caught up on what everybody was doing. Alexis and JD took a walk on the beach. Martha took her script and notes for the play her students were rehearsing and retired to her room to think through the possibility of some minor revisions in the staging, and Kate and Rick went to bed.

Kate was lying on her back, and Rick was propped on one elbow, his head resting on his hand as he ran the other hand across her middle as they talked."

"Jordan called this afternoon to see how I'm doing. She said she had to speak to Gates and thought about us." He just smiled at her. "She also said that both Bracken and Simmons asked why I hadn't gone to see them to gloat. I told her to tell both of them that they were where they belonged now and weren't worth my time."

"That should surpri…" Suddenly he stopped talking and looked excited. "Kate," he said, some awe creeping into his voice. I think there's the tiniest beginning of a baby bump. Nobody else would know, and it's barely there, but…"

Kate replaced his hand with hers and smiled. "You might be right. It's almost like we're still imagining it, though. My slacks have been a little bit tighter, but not much, and I keep looking but can't see anything yet. I'm in good shape, and the doctor says everything is normal, that it might not be too obvious for another month or so. But I think it's about the right time to start seeing something." Looking down toward her belly, she asked, "Is that you, Peanut, or did Mommy just eat too much?"

"Tonight I'm gonna believe it's our baby; and we'll see if it's still there tomorrow," Castle answered. "'Night Little One," he said, kissing Kate's possible baby bump.

She kissed him when his head was on the pillow and cuddled against him with a smile on her lips. And he was sure she could feel his smile when he nuzzled her hair and kissed her head before they both fell asleep.


	74. Chapter 74

Chapter 74

On Saturday morning, Rick and Kate announced they were going shopping for baby furniture, and anybody who wanted to could come with them. Alexis was on her feet right away, and Martha went to her room for her purse. Jim had joined them on Saturday morning, and he took pity on JD and said he'd stay at the house with him. Alexis and Martha were enthusiastic shoppers, and the sales people seemed to enjoy the group's visit. They chose nursery furniture for the beach house, but chose not to order it quite yet. They did buy a bassinet, though, and told the woman helping them that they would let her know later when to deliver it.

The rest of the weekend at the Hamptons was easy going family time. The tiny hint of a baby bump was still there, and Castle found the need to check again a few more times during the day; but he and Kate were keeping it to themselves to enjoy for the time being.

"Beckett." Kate answered her phone on Saturday afternoon without checking to see the caller. "Meagan," she exclaimed happily. "Are you back in the country now? Where are you?"

"At my apartment. It's good to be home. Are you at the loft?"

"No, but we'll be back tomorrow night. We're at the beach house. A lot of things have happened since you left. We need to catch up."

"You sound about as relaxed as I've ever heard you," Meagan remarked. "It must have been good."

"It eventually turned out that way. We'll be home before dark tomorrow. Dinner is probably going to be leftovers, but you could come by if you're not afraid of pot luck with the Castles," Kate offered.

"Sure. If it scares me, I just won't eat it," the ex-Marine answered.

Kate laughed. "Okay. I'll text you when we're back, and we'll be looking for you."

"Meagan is home," Kate announced as she ended the call. "She's coming over tomorrow night."

"We have a lot to tell her. Wonder how much she can tell us about her assignment?" Castle asked.

"I'm sure you'll drag as much as you can out of her before you quit."

"What are friends for if not to help with book research?" he answered shamelessly.

"Who's Meagan?" JD asked Alexis quietly, and she explained.

"Just wondered if I'd missed out on a relative or something," he answered.

"You know how we are about family," she said. "There aren't very many of us, so every now and then we adopt another one.

The rest of the weekend was pleasant and unhurried, and everyone left much more relaxed than when they arrived.

JD and Alexis stopped at the loft for dinner so JD could meet Meagan before they went back to their dorms. Jim did the same, and Martha visited a while before going upstairs to rest up for a busy Monday. Before long Castle, Kate, and Meagan were the only ones downstairs, and they sat down to talk.

"So you're going to be a mom," Meagan said as Kate handed her a cup of coffee.

"I'm a little worried about being a good one, but Rick will help me."

"Alexis knows you aren't her mother, but she depends on you for the things she'd go to a mother for. And you know you aren't her mother, but you love her as much as if she were yours. You're conscientious about always being there when she needs you. You should stop worrying. Right at first, tiny little human beings just need to feel they're loved and well taken care of. I know you can handle that. The rest will come."

"That's what I keep telling her. She underestimates herself sometimes," Castle noted as they all went to sit in the living room.

Meagan told them as much about her assignment as she could. The security company she worked for was providing support for clandestine operations, and there were things she couldn't talk about. "I think that's going to be the last long stretch I spend in some isolated place out of the country, though," she told them. "I retired from the Marines, and now I think I'm retiring from anything that takes me too far from home."

"If it fits into your schedule, you can start working with me again when you're ready," Kate told her. "I don't want to get too out of shape, but I want to be sure I don't do anything that would hurt the baby."

"Give me a week or so to get settled in again and we'll work it out. Now tell me about those things that eventually worked out well."

Castle told her about their work to put together information on Bracken and Simmons, and Kate picked up the story at the point where Captain Gates and Jordan Shaw entered the picture. Conversation bounced back and forth between the three of them as Meagan asked questions. Kate's promotion was mentioned, and the situation with the undercover assignment and Simmons and then discovering that she was pregnant."

"Good Lord!" Meagan exclaimed. "Haven't you two figured out how to stay out of trouble yet?"

"Didn't we hear that question from Gates?" Castle asked with a smirk.

"And Ryan, and Esposito, and Lanie, and Karpowski…" Kate added. "And even the doctor, I think."

"Life is feeling more settled lately," he told their friend.

"Good. It's about time." After a short pause, Meagan said, "JD seems like a nice guy. I take it Ashley is history."

"Looks like it. We like JD, too, don't we, Castle?" Kate asked with a teasing grin.

"As much as a dad can like the guy who's dating his little girl," Castle answered.

Meagan laughed and said, "I should head home. Kate needs her rest, and I'm loving that I can sleep in my own bed again. I hear it calling."

"Well, don't be a stranger now that you're back," Castle told her, standing when did.

Kate stood with them and the couple walked their friend to the door.

xxxxx

Cases came and went over the next month. They were varied and a couple overlapped one another. Kate started working out with Meagan. By the end of the next month, she also started feeling the need for a bit more room in her clothes and was sporting enough of a small baby bump that it could be noticed when she moved the right way in the looser shirts and sweaters she had been wearing.

The week before Halloween, Alexis met Kate and Castle at the doctor's office for her exam and the ultrasound. While the doctor was examining Kate, Castle sat in the waiting area with Alexis, both of them trying to control their excitement so they didn't look too crazy.

After the twenty minutes or so that seemed to both father and daughter to be at least two hours, the nurse finally called Castle.

"We'd like our daughter to be with us this time," he told the nurse, indicating Alexis.

"Mrs. Castle asked me to bring both of you," the nurse answered with a smile. "Follow me."

"Dad, we find out now," Alexis whispered excitedly.

"I know," he answered with the same excitement, as two sets of blue eyes twinkled at each other. They sounded almost conspiratorial and left some of the others who were sitting near them smiling as they left.

"I take it you're ready for the ultrasound," Dr. Holland said as the other two Castles entered the room.

"Will we hear the heartbeat again?" Alexis asked.

"Any second now," the doctor answered.

Alexis grinned as she listened along with her parents, and Castle held Kate's hand.

"So when can we tell…" Castle started.

"When we get the right angle," Dr. Holland answered as she moved the small instrument around Kate's slightly expanded belly. "Here we are…see? Looks like you have a boy."

"I have a little brother?" Alexis hugged her dad and reached over him to help him hold Kate's hand.

"Kate, we have a son," Castle said almost reverently. He lifted their three hands and kissed hers and his daughter's. "A little boy Castle."

"That's what I wanted. A little boy just like you," Kate told him.

"Are you sure, Kate?" Alexis asked. "I've heard some of Grams's stories."

They all chuckled, and Castle playfully protested. The doctor told Kate she'd meet them in her office. She printed a copy of the ultrasound for them, then printed another one for Alexis. Handing it to her, Dr. Holland said, "It's good to see an older sibling so excited about a new baby."

"You can frame it and put it on your desk in the dorm," Castle teased.

Alexis giggled. "Come on, Dad. Let's let Kate get dressed so we can celebrate with ice cream. I wanted a little boy, too."

He leaned and kissed his wife gently. "We'll wait in Dr. Holland's office, Sweetheart. Love you."

"Love you, too. I won't be long."

The doctor had only good things to say. The baby and the pregnancy were progressing as expected. "Now go get your ice cream," she told them.

As they sat in the Castles' favorite ice cream store, he said, "I'm excited about having a son, but I've always lived in a houseful of women. What do I do with a boy?" Turning to Kate, he asked, "You think your dad would teach me how to use a catcher's mitt, and maybe how to throw a football?"

"I'm sure he would, Rick." Slipping her hand over his on the table, she added, "Or I could. Dad taught me. He left the princess stuff to Mom."

"Just do what you did with me, Dad…minus the princess stuff maybe. Baby brother may or may not be interested. But all kids like superheroes…and a dad who makes up silly games, and watches Disney movies with them, and writes them books…"

"Wait! Why haven't I heard this before?" Kate asked, looking delighted at the idea. "You wrote books for Alexis?"

"Of course I did. At first I did it alone. Little ones about what we saw in the park or at the beach or out the window. I'd take pictures and scan them into the computer to illustrate them. Then, when she was talking more, she'd tell me what to write about. By the time she was six, she had a mystery series of her own. She'd help me make up the stories, then I'd write and she'd illustrate. Sometimes her dolls or stuffed animals had to solve the mystery, one of them might be a superhero, or sometimes…"

"Sometimes a little red-haired girl was the detective, but for some reason I never named her Alexis. Funny thing is, though, in those stories I always insisted she needed a little brother as a sidekick."

"Do you still have them?"

"They're on my bookshelf. I can't wait to read them to my little brother. He'll think it was always meant to be about him. And I can help him make up stories for Dad to write for him. That's okay, isn't it, Dad?" Looking back and forth between them, she asked, "You and Kate won't mind?"

"We won't mind," they said together.

"Did you hear that, baby boy?" Kate said, rubbing her hand over her growing middle, "Daddy's gonna write books for you."

Reaching for Kate's belly, he placed his hand over hers. "I've written books for Mommy and Alexis. I can't leave my boy out, can I?" Kate's loving smile threatened to melt him into a puddle. "And Mommy and Alexis can help read them to you," he added.

"It's Dad," Kate said with a smile when her phone rang. "Dad," she answered mischievously, "did you have a reason for calling?"

"Funny, Katie. Will we be adding a boy or a girl to the family?"

"A boy," she answered softly. "You and your son-in-law will finally have a male to keep you company. He's already worried about how to raise a boy. Rick wants to know if you'll teach him how to use a catcher's mitt or throw a football."

"Tell him I'll be happy to. Tell him to bring the girl child if she wants to learn, too. Your old mitt is still in a box somewhere in storage. I cleaned it up and took good care of it before I put it in storage. Alexis could use that if she's interested. Even if the boy child doesn't care about sports, the rest of the Castles will know how to use a catcher's mitt," he teased. "Is Rick excited?"

"Yeah, but I think Alexis might be more excited. Apparently, she's always wanted a little brother. Anything else on your mind?"

"Nope. My curiosity is appeased. I believe I can get my work done now." The smile could be heard in his voice.

"Okay. Glad I could help. See you soon, Dad." She relayed her father's message to Rick and Alexis; and when they finished their ice cream, Alexis dragged them off to a baby store on the next block so they could buy something for a boy baby.

They told Martha when she got home, and Kate called Lanie with the news that night.

xxxxx

When the couple left the precinct elevator the next morning, Castle announced enthusiastically to the entire homicide floor in his strong, solid baritone, "Beckett and I are going to have a boy!" There was laughter, a smattering of applause, and some congratulations and teasing, all of it laced with a strong dose of good will."

"You think he'll be just like Castle?" Ryan asked with a grin as Castle and Beckett reached her desk. "If he is, you're gonna have your hands full."

"And how long have you worked with Beckett?" Castle asked. "Half this baby is Beckett genes. You don't think I'll have _my_ hands full?"

"Half you and half Beckett?" Esposito barked a short laugh. "You're both screwed."

"He's probably right," Beckett answered, dropping her forehead to Castle's shoulder briefly. Then she looked up at him with a grin. "We're probably in deep, deep trouble."

Castle returned her grin. "Too late to back out now. We'll survive," he promised.

"So what do we have?" Beckett asked the boys. "Anything new come in?"

"No, but new information for the Tahlberg case turned up this morning. A Mr. Jackson called. He's Tahlberg's general manager...had been out of town on a business trip," Ryan answered. "He said he had some financial and legal information that might help. Should be here at eleven."

"I sure hope it helps," she said. "We only have a few days before we have to close that one for lack of evidence."

"Me, too," Esposito responded. "You want to talk to him, or you want us to take it?"

"I'm stuck here anyway. Might as well take care of whatever conveniently walks in and finds me. Castle can sit in and leave with you if there's a call."

Mr. Jackson's information was good. It showed that Tahlberg was about to expand his business, something his rival didn't want to see happen. That pointed their investigation in a new direction, and it seemed the rival wasn't doing as well because he wasn't as bright as his competitor. Evidence started falling into place. It extended the time they could continue to work on the case, and they successfully closed it the following week.

xxxxx

The day before Halloween, Kate and Rick didn't get home until almost eight, and Kate told him she was going to change before they ate dinner.

"Go ahead," he told her. "I'll make a salad to go with the leftover lasagna."

She went straight to the bedroom, stripped down to her underwear, and pulled some yoga pants and a loose T-shirt out of a drawer. She sat down to put on the pants then gave in to the temptation to lie down for just a minute or two. Rick went to check on her about half an hour later, suspecting what he would find. She was stretched out on her back, yoga pants and T-shirt still in her hand on one side, and it was obvious that she was deeply asleep and probably would be until morning.

Rick smiled a mischievous smile, went and gathered several things before coming back into the room, and went to work. He waited until he was ready to go to bed, then roused his wife only enough to get her under the covers.

The next morning, he and Martha were in the kitchen having coffee when they heard, "Castle!" from the direction of the bathroom.

He grinned at his mother like a little boy and said, "I think I'm being paged."

"Richard, what have you done now?"

"Castle, what the hell is this?" Kate asked as she stood in front of the mirror.

"Kate, it's Halloween. I couldn't resist. It's his first Halloween costume. Just leave it until tonight. You know how much I love Halloween, and it'll be fun knowing it's there all day," he pleaded. Using his best diplomatic skills, he not only managed to talk her into leaving his work intact for the day, he had her laughing about it and agreeing to show Martha. "I'll only tell Mother…and the boys…and Lanie. Oh, and your Dad and Alexis."

Kate rolled her eyes put on a robe, and said, "You'd better be bringing me coffee in a couple of minutes as a reward, Writer-Man."

When they arrived at work, both of them were laughing.

"What's so funny?" Ryan asked.

"My overgrown child of a husband says our son is wearing his first Halloween costume," Kate answered.

"And how did you get this costume on the little guy in there? Esposito asked with a chuckle, pointing to Beckett's middle.

She gave them a look that combined humor and annoyance. "I woke up this morning with an eight inch Batman face painted around my belly button. He actually painted my belly while I was sleeping and defenseless."

The snickering from the boys was immediate.

"I used paint Alexis and I have used with costumes. It flexes with your skin," Castle explained excitedly, pulling out his phone. "Look at this. Oh. Oops." He covered the top and bottom of the screen. "I can't show you those parts.

"Castle, you took pictures?! Give me that!" Beckett shot her hand out to retrieve the phone, but Ryan and Esposito had caught enough of a glimpse of skin and Batman…as well as the murderous look on Beckett's face…to dissolve into outright laughter as Castle and Beckett vied for the phone.

"Dude, you are in soooo much trouble," Ryan said through his laughter.

"I know. I already sent the picture to her father and Alexis and Lanie. But in the emails, I cropped the parts of it I covered before I showed you." Winning his phone back from Kate, he quickly put it in his pocket. "It's his first Halloween costume, Kate. Of course I took pictures." Turning back to the boys, he continued. "And you should have seen my mother this morning when I told her the baby had his first Halloween costume. Then Kate opened her robe and flashed her wearing nothing but her underwear…and Batman, of course. Mother was trying to give me the standard mom scolding, but she was laughing so hard she had to sit down."

Castle was laughing with them at this point, bringing Gates to their desk to see what was causing the lack of decorum. Esposito couldn't help explaining, and Gates's eyes went straight to Kate's middle. "Batman?" she said, looking surprised. Then she emitted a loud, explosive short laugh and went back to her office chortling. About the time she reached the office door, the team thought they heard her muttering something to herself about Ray Gates being impressed.

Beckett went and plopped down at her desk looking resigned. "This story stops here, understand?" She turned her back on the men and fired up her computer; but anybody who could see her face would have seen her smirky little smile.

When Castle was back at her desk, he leaned toward her and whispered, "I'll wash it off for you in the shower tonight and make it worth your while."

"I'll hold you to that, Babe," she said, looking over her shoulder to let him see her little smirk.


	75. Chapter 75

Chapter 75

AN: Once more I need to say that this chapter and the next one belong to Castle's writers, the episode "Probable Cause". I make no claims to and deserve no credit for that plot and have even used some lines here and there from the original episode. However, as the two chapters continue there will be a some AU adjustments to the original situations. I promise, this will be the last crisis you'll need to contend with in this story. Going to hide now.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next few weeks ran smoothly, the case load being steady but not overwhelming. The Castle household was getting used to the idea that Alexis was living on campus and wasn't at home often. Martha's school production went well, opening night attended by the entire family in their typical show of support for one another. The performance even garnered favorable mentions in a couple of New York papers, and Martha was thrilled. She bought multiple copies of those papers and posted them on the bulletin boards at her school. Castle laughed when he saw the stack of papers, then he cut out the small articles and put them on the refrigerator door the way he did with Alexis's work when she was younger. And Mr. and Mrs. Castle were getting to work looking a bit tired more often than usual because of their frequent, enjoyable nighttime activities. For Kate, the second trimester of pregnancy was living up to all the rumors they had heard, and Mr. Castle was a tired but happy husband.

Kate had told Castle about feeling little flutters but said she wasn't sure they were the baby. One day she laughed and told him it felt like the baby tickled her with all ten fingers from the inside. As they watched a movie at the loft one night, she excitedly grabbed Rick's hand and put it near her waist where hers had been.

"Rick, he moved. I felt it!"

"Do you still feel it," he asked, disappointed that nothing was happening.

"No."

"Come on, Peanut. Say hello to Daddy," Castle told his unborn son.

They waited a little while, but nothing happened until Castle started to remove his hand. Then there was enough motion that he could feel it, too. His eyes were wide with excitement, and his smile lit the room

"I felt it. Hey, little guy. Daddy loves you." He wrapped his arm around Kate's shoulders and pulled her close without moving his hand from her middle, not wanting to miss anything. "Thank you, Kate," he said softly

"For what?"

For being excited about our baby, for doing everything you can to share it with me. Alexis was worth everything. I loved her from the second the doctor handed her to me. But I didn't have all this before she was born. Meredith was too worried about her figure to enjoy much about her pregnancy…except for the extra attention she got when people found out. Then she turned actress and played the role of sweet, excited new mom…and ate up the adoration. Sometimes I'd have to leave the room.

"I'm sorry you missed having that then, but you'll have it this time. I promise."

"Oh, there it is again," he exclaimed excitedly. He smiled at Kate. It feels like he's stretching or something."

"It feels like he's stretching me, too," she answered, smiling back as he leaned to kiss her.

When Alexis and JD came to dinner a couple of weeks later, the baby showed off for them, too. Alexis was exuberant.

"He moved, JD. I felt my little brother move."

JD watched and smiled as Alexis showed her excitement. Then he asked uncertainly, "Could… Um… Would you…"

"As soon as he starts moving again, JD. I'm okay with that," Kate answered with a smile.

He looked relieved at not having to complete the question, and as he and Alexis were putting food on the table, Kate took his hand and placed it lightly on her stomach. There was a small smile on his face along with a look of wonder. Then his smile gradually grew wider. "That's the baby?"

"That's him," Kate affirmed.

"Wow," he answered, moving his hand away. "Awesome."

"I think so, too," Castle said. "Every single time." He put his hand on his wife's middle and spoke to his son. "You behave so Mommy can enjoy her dinner, understand?" Then he kissed Kate's forehead and told everyone to sit down.

xxxxx

Castle and Beckett met the boys at a crime scene on the Monday morning before Thanksgiving. As they entered the apartment, Castle was saying that he had written a lot over the weekend, but his crime scene was boring.

"Maybe this will inspire you," Esposito told him. "The victim is Tessa Horton, age twenty-nine. Her roommate was gone over the weekend, came home this morning and found her…up there."

Castle looked up to see the hooks and wires where the body had been secured. "Oh, geez. Who puts a body on a ceiling?"

"It's like something out of one of your books, right?"

"I probably won't sleep for weeks," Lanie told them as she worked.

"Cause of death, Lanie?" Becket asked.

"Signs say strangulation. Anything beyond that will have to wait until later."

The group speculated about a symbol carved on the victim's forehead, and the time and effort required to get the body on the ceiling. Since the killer had time for the elaborate display of the body, they assumed he knew that the roommate would be out of town. And the fact that there was no sign of a struggle led them to believe Tessa probably knew the killer, who had cleaned up well after himself. The apartment was spotless, but oddly, there were fingerprints in the hall on the doorknob and around the door. Security amounted to only a buzzer at the front door…so there was no help from security cameras.

Before interviewing the roommate, Beckett sent the boys to canvass the neighbors and mentioned the need to identify the symbol on the victim's forehead. Then she and Castle took Tessa's roommate back to the precinct with them to interview her away from the trauma of the crime scene at apartment.

The roommate said Tessa was an insurance broker for commercial real estate, and described her as sweet, shy, and a workaholic…without much of a social life. When asked if there was a boyfriend, she said Tessa had been seeing someone new for about six weeks, but it was a big secret, like he was married or something, He bought her jewelry, fancy dinners. She said Tessa described him as every woman's fairy tale…rich handsome, and generous. She never talked about him, though…not how they met, what kind of work he did, or anything.

After the victim's roommate left, Beckett told the boys to check Tessa's phone records and emails.

Looking at the crime scene photo on the white board, Castle observed, "Whoever did this…he liked it."

Beckett's phone rang immediately after that observation, and Lanie said she had information for them; so Beckett and Castle went to the morgue.

"There was no sign of sexual assault or activity," Lanie told them. "And the body was hung postmortem."

"Time of death?" Beckett asked.

"Between two and three AM," Lanie answered. You were right earlier. There was no struggle. She was drugged…chloroform." Holding up her hand, and wiggling her fingers, she added, "Talc residue, indicates the killer wore gloves like mine, so no prints. He knew exactly what he was doing."

After asking a few more questions and thanking Lanie, the couple returned to the precinct.

"Ritualistic, takes pleasure in it, significant effort to cover his tracks," Beckett reeled off as they walked to her desk.

"All the hallmarks of a serial killer," Castle answered.

"But I've never seen this MO," Beckett said as she sat down.

Ryan reported that the symbol had similarities to some others but didn't match anything in the federal database. "Also," he continued, "Tessa was spending a lot of time on the phone to someone with a blocked number and a stolen SIM card. There were no emails. Part of her hard drive was surgically wiped.

"Beckett, a word?" Esposito asked, indicating another room. When Beckett followed, he closed the door and told her that CSU matched those prints in the hall to Castle's.

"He probably forgot and touched things outside before he put his gloves on," Beckett answered.

"Beckett, they collected the prints before the two of you got there."

Castle vehemently denied having ever been there before that morning, or ever having had any contact with the victim, insisting CSU got their time frame wrong. They left it at that, warned Castle to be more careful, and Esposito said he'd check back with CSU.

Then Beckett remembered the mention of gifts of jewelry. She sent Ryan back to the apartment, hoping he would find some of the jewelry, possibly with the boyfriend's prints…anything that might lead them to the mystery man.

"Good thinking, Beckett," Castle praised. "Jewelry. I wouldn't have thought of that."

"Then I guess I'll have to remind you that my birthday's coming up."

"Why, Mrs. Castle, was that a hint you just dropped?" Castle asked with the smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes, delighted that she would now even playfully hint at such a thing.

"Why, Mr. Castle, I do believe it was."

"Shameless," he answered with feigned shock.

After taking a team back to Tessa's apartment looking for anything they could find to make some kind of connection, Ryan reported, "It looked like pieces might be missing from her jewelry box. We did find an earring in the couch, though. No prints, but it's designer jewelry. The store manager identified the picture I texted as one of theirs, said it was purchased with a cashier's check upward of twelve grand. The store is sending over their digital surveillance recording. We also found a neighbor who saw a man outside the apartment at seven forty-five that night. He's working with a sketch artist now."

Tessa's roommate identified the sketch as Tessa's boss, and they found that he told his wife he was working late; but he wasn't. After confronting him with the evidence that he had been at Tessa's apartment the night she was killed, he asked for his lawyer, calling the interview to a halt.

Thinking the evidence trail was temporarily slowing, Castle left to run some errands and go home to do some major editing to his fictional crime scene. "Call if anything comes up," he told his wife.

When the boys returned from watching the surveillance video, things began to spiral out of control. Esposito again asked to see Beckett again, and Ryan played her the video, which showed Castle at the jeweler's counter. Before telling Beckett that, they had checked Castle's financials and found a record of the well over twelve thousand dollar cashier's check they knew had been used to pay for the purchase.

"It was from his pocket account, Beckett. Doesn't he give you access to those records?"

"I have access. He allows me access to everything. I just don't use it. It's his money, I didn't earn it, and I don't question it." There was a pause as she ran both hands through her hair. "I've never had reason to question him, either. And both of you have to know he isn't a killer."

"But if it were anybody else, we'd have to follow it up. _You_ have to know that," Esposito pointed out.

Beckett nodded, so they went to Captain Gates, and were then sent to search Castle's home. Since it was Beckett's home, too, she and Castle were both confined in the kitchen; and Beckett took the time to explain to him the evidence they had found. She impatiently asked him what was going on, and he again denied knowledge of any of it.

While the search was carried out, they watched in horror as Ryan and Esposito obviously found something else incriminating. They arrested Castle, took him to the twelfth, and he was taken to holding while the three detectives spread the bagged and tagged evidence on Captain Gates's desk for her inspection.

"Sir, he isn't a killer," Becket insisted.

"Then how do you explain all this?" Gates asked, her hand indicating the display on her desk. They had found a bag that Beckett agreed was Castle's, containing the same wire and hooks used to strap the body to the ceiling, as well as a shirt with blood spatter…Tessa's blood. "

"The evidence isn't the whole story. Castle taught me that. And those things weren't there when we left the loft this morning."

"I haven't always been Mr. Castle's biggest fan; but even at the peak of my annoyance that he was here, I would have had trouble believing he could do something so heinous." She didn't discourage them from continuing to look into the possibility of his innocence, and Beckett thanked her. "Don't thank me yet. We're going to follow the evidence wherever it leads us." After a deep sigh, she added, "And Lieutenant, considering your relationship to Mr. Castle, I have to take you off the case." When Beckett opened her mouth to protest, Gates held up a hand to stop her. "I have no choice. These things were found at your address, too. You're lucky I'm leaving the rest of your team to work on it, but Detectives Ryan and Esposito are the best chance your husband has of being proven innocent."

"I understand, Sir. But I can still be here as long as I'm not working on this case, can't I? I can visit him in holding?"

"Yes. You can still be here, but stay away from his case." Turning to Ryan and Esposito, she added, "And, under the circumstances, I think it's best if I handle the interrogation myself. Bring Mr. Castle up here, gentlemen."

Kate asked, "May I observe, as long as I don't try to participate?" The captain nodded and they went to their respective places to wait.

During the interrogation, Castle still insisted that he neither bought those earrings nor knew anything about the cashier's check; and he identified the bag as his but denied ever having seen the things in it. He maintained his claim that someone was setting him up. After asking about Tessa's boss, he was told that he came clean about being with a hooker that evening and alibied out. Then, when Castle was asked where he was on the night of the murder, he had to admit he was at home writing…alone."

"So you're saying you have no alibi?" Gates asked.

Castle looked defeated at that point. "I think I want my lawyer now." Beckett emerged from observation in time to make eye contact with him and smooth her hand over his arm as he passed her. He was returned to holding and spoke to his lawyer soon afterward.

When he was gone, the captain asked, as if testing the waters, "Mr. Castle said he was at home alone writing on Friday night. You understand that I have to ask…were the two of you having any problems in your relationship?"

"No. Things are fine between us. Sometimes inspiration strikes, and he needs to get the ideas down; and he had been itching to write all afternoon. The case we were working on that day was closing, and we were almost down to the paperwork; so I sent him home to write. Dr. Parish, and I had planned a girl's night. Neither of us were able to leave until around ten. I called around nine to let him know I'd be pretty late. He said he was getting a lot done, and the ideas were still coming, that he'd probably still be at it when I got home. And he was. I got home about three-thirty, and he was working...looked completely in the zone…didn't even notice I was there until I put my hands on his shoulders. I didn't see any sign of a shower to wash away blood spatter, or anything in his demeanor to indicate that he was trying to hide anything. I know he didn't do this."

"Does anyone else have access to your home? Does anyone else have a key?"

"Only Alicia, the housekeeper, but she's been with Castle's family since Alexis was a toddler. She's almost like family."

Alexis and Martha were there to visit Castle by the time Gates and Beckett had walked back to the bullpen, and they had nothing helpful to add. They'd seen no one looking suspicious, no new repair or maintenance people or new employees. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary…except, Martha noted, that her son was being accused of murder.

Ryan and Esposito appeared behind Gates as she spoke to Martha and Alexis, and Esposito quietly motioned for Beckett to follow them. In the conference room, they broke the news they had to give her.

Ryan told her that tech had finished going over Castle's computer and found that part of Castle's hard drive had been wiped just like Tessa's.

Esposito explained that tech had recovered the deleted files. "One of them was a story titled "How to Commit the Perfect Murder. The story concept looked like this murder, right down to the mark on the forehead…like a dry run on paper."

Ryan continued apologetically. "They found something else, too. Emails. Dozens of them…between Castle and the victim."

"Beckett, they've been having an affair," Esposito told her as he handed her a file full of papers. "We can't keep this from Gates. But we made copies for you if you want them. We didn't want you to be blindsided later."

She nodded appreciatively, looking as if she were on the verge of tears, accepted the file, and left the room without another word. She had no other case to work on, it was end of shift for those who could go home, and she wouldn't be allowed to work on Castle's case. She was at loose ends, and company at moments of personal crisis had never been her strong point, unless it was Castle; so she went to the restroom, closed herself in a stall and scanned over the emails as she fought tears. Then she went to see Castle in holding.

After leaving him, Kate called Lanie to ask if she could stop by before she went home; and the two women met at Lanie's apartment to talk through the situation before Kate had to face the rest of the Castle family. They sat in Lanie's living room, Lanie on the sofa holding the pages Kate had given her to read, and Kate sitting on the floor at the corner of the sofa, teary eyed and sniffling now and then, a box of tissues beside her.

Waving the hand with the tissue in Lanie's direction, Kate explained, "According to those emails, this affair started about eight weeks ago. They met at one of his book signings, and he asked her out for coffee. That was after he knew about the baby and was so excited about it."

"Oh, Sweetie," Lanie answered sympathetically.

"It looks like he told her he had to keep it quiet because he was married. When he tried to break it off about a week ago, she threatened to tell his wife, so he offered to come to her apartment to talk things through. And that was the night of the murder.

Lanie looked surprised. "So he had motive?" She paused for a moment and asked without the same edge to her question, "What did Castle say when you talked to him?"

"That the emails were faked, he never wrote that story, and he was being framed." Kate stopped for another tissue and dabbed at her eyes and nose, "Lanie, he's so scared. I know he can still act like an immature, egotistical, self-centered jackass sometimes, but he's not this. He lives with my less than stellar moments, too. We put up with each other's bad points because we love each other. He wouldn't do this to me any more than I'd do it to him. And this affects the rest of the family, too. He would never do any of this to Alexis. He wouldn't be able to bear her disappointment in him."

"Honey, I know how much you love him; but are you that sure of him?"

Kate nodded. "I'm sure. But I'm so afraid whoever did this will get away with it, and I'll have to raise our baby without him." Motioning to the papers Lanie was holding, she said, "I only know about those because Ryan and Esposito took me aside and told me before they told Gates."

"They're good friends, Kate. I know it hurt to have to tell you."

"I know. It's going to hurt to have to tell Alexis and Martha about the story and the emails, too…not because any of us will believe them, but because so much evidence is building. I need to go and do it, though." Standing and placing the tissue box back on Lanie's table, Kate stated resignedly, "They'll expect me to keep them in the loop."

"I'm so sorry this is happening to the two of you." Lanie answered, giving her friend a big hug. "I admire the faith you have in him, 'cause it does look bad."

"Thanks for letting me vent. I needed to talk it out before I could face Martha and Alexis."

"Anytime, Kate. You know that."

xxxxx

Martha and Alexis met Kate as soon as she got home, wanting details about what was happening with Castle.

After hearing the latest developments, Martha assured her daughter-in-law, "Katherine, my son is far too deeply in love with you for those emails to be anything but a set-up."

"I know that, Martha. But someone has done a convincing job of manufacturing evidence against him."

"Will he be able to get out of this, Kate?" Alexis asked through her tears.

"I don't know, Honey," she answered, taking her stepdaughter's hand in both of hers. "I've been taken off the case, so I'll only have access to whatever information Ryan and Esposito can slip to me. I'd like to give you a better answer, but I promised you from the beginning that I'd always tell you the truth."

Alexis moved closer to her on the sofa, and Kate engulfed her in a big hug. "Want to bunk with me tonight?" Kate asked. "I don't feel too much like being alone tonight, and that bed is probably big enough for all three of us if your Grams wants company, too."

Alexis nodded but didn't move from her place in Kate's arms.

"Come on. Let's make some hot cocoa and then try to get some sleep," Kate encouraged.

I think I'll be sleeping in my own bed tonight, but thank you for the offer," Martha said gently as she stood and stroked Alexis's shoulder.

Alexis went to the kitchen for cocoa supplies as Martha hugged Kate tightly. "We have to believe it's going to work out in Richard's favor, Darling," Martha insisted. "I can't allow myself to consider any other possibility."

"Martha, I'm so scared," Kate answered quietly.

"I know, Dear, but don't give up. I've never seen two people deserve a happy ending more than the two of you. Thank you for not giving up on my son."

"Never, Martha. Never."

xxxxx

The next morning, Beckett went in early so she could see Castle before reporting in, and she found him in fear for his life. He told her that Jerry Tyson came to see him during the night…dressed as a NYPD officer.

"Kate, he wants revenge for ruining his plans a couple of years ago. He said he had planned it for four years." He recounted the conversation, explaining that just killing him wouldn't be enough. Tyson liked being in their home, in their lives, and knowing he was going to take it all away." Castle paused a moment, his head down, "He said he watched me taking walks with Alexis." More quietly he told her, "He said he watched you and me…watched us making love." He knew Kate could see the tear that escaped his eye at that, and it rolled down his cheek before he could swipe it away.

"Rick, look at me."

He looked up slowly, quickly wiping away the tear, and Kate stretched her fingers through the open wire of the cell. He reached out and held her fingers with his the best he could.

"He can't cheapen what's between us unless we let him. And we don't know that he isn't lying. He likes manipulating minds, and he knows what he said would hurt you. You know that more than half of what leaves his mouth is lies…and most of the rest is some twisted, perverted version of the truth. Don't let him win."

"He may have already won. I haven't told you the rest. He said he has someone waiting to kill me when I get to Central Booking. He said I'll be dead before midnight…that I'll leave you alone…that I'll never see our son…never get to hold him or see him grow up. That's my punishment." A few tears fell again in spite of his efforts to hold them back. He said your punishment will be to know you can't save me…for it to haunt you the rest of your life."

Beckett took out her phone and called Ryan, telling him just enough of Castle's story to impress him with the urgency of checking it immediately, and she waited with Castle until he returned the call, but not with good news.

"Ryan checked with tech, and the system doesn't show Tyson or signs of being tampered with," Kate reported to her husband.

"Desperate story from a desperate man," Castle answered, looking crestfallen and frightened. "Just like he wanted."

"You're right. It sounds desperate. But for the first time, the story makes sense."

"You believe me?" he asked hopefully.

"I never stopped."

"He's gonna kill me, Kate. I can't run. I can't hide. What am I supposed to do?"

She threaded her fingers through the wire again, and Castle kissed what he could reach before touching them with his. Kate kissed his fingers, too, and said, "I'll go talk to Gates."

As soon as Gates came in, Beckett followed her to her office trying to convince her Tyson was behind framing Castle, listing traits of his MO and explaining some of the history between the two men.

When Gates brought up the evidence in the jewelry store video, Ryan backed the possibility that it was staged, mentioning that Tyson used a double to misdirect them during the Russo case a couple of years earlier. "I know you've called for the file by now. When Tyson took us hostage, he knocked me down…hit me in the head, zip tied me, and left me on the floor like so much trash. He tied Castle to a chair and took time with him…talked to him, taunted him, argued with him, tormented him. It was personal."

Beckett pleaded for more time for the boys to follow up and make their case before sending Castle to Central Booking. They all knew Tyson was capable of arranging it and that Castle's life could very well be in danger. Gates relented and called it in to the ADA to discuss it. However, Assistant District Attorney Toni Gonzalez was nearly hostile in her refusal to even consider a delay in sending Castle to Central Booking and told them he would be moved that day as scheduled.

After another trip to the loft with a small team to scour it for any evidence that Tyson had been there, Ryan had nothing new to tell Gates; so he and Esposito went to the break room, ostensibly to feed their caffeine habit, meeting Beckett "accidentally" as she did the same.

As they all prepared their coffee, Beckett suddenly suggested, "If Tessa wasn't seeing Castle, she might have been seeing Tyson." She barely had to suggest it before the boys were ready to leave the room to go and recheck all the papers from her office…files, schedules, client lists, etc. for any connection to Tyson.

Gates stopped at the break room door with two officers behind her and said quietly, "Beckett, they're here. I've asked them to give you a couple of minutes with Mr. Castle, but then he has to go. Conference room." Then she whispered. "I asked LT to uncuff him for the moment. You'll need to correct that before you turn him over to these officers."

"Understood, Sir." Beckett answered. "Thank you." She went quickly to the conference room and closed the door behind her. Castle opened his arms, and she walked directly into his embrace. "I've missed feeling this," she admitted.

"Me, too," he answered and kissed her, firmly but gently.

They both spoke quietly, trying to preserve the short little bit of privacy they had been granted.

"I love you," she told him, resting her forehead against his.

"I love you, too," he answered.

"We don't have long, and I have to do this," she said, cuffing his hands in front of him.

"This is so much less fun than the other night at home," he teased with a half-hearted smirk as she put the cuffs in place. "Remember the first time you cuffed me? We were at the New York Public Library. What I wouldn't give to be there now."

"I can't stop this process, Castle. I want to, but I can't."

"Hey," he comforted, bringing his hands to her face and tracing a thumb over her cheek softly. "Whatever happens, it's going to be okay, understand? Kiss me again. They won't wait much longer."

He put his cuffed hands over her head so his arms were around her shoulders, then they kissed again and looked at one another longingly before they heard a knock at the door. Castle removed his arms from her shoulders, smoothed his fingers over her protruding middle, and kissed her once more before the door opened. He was then escorted away by the two officers, and Beckett followed. As he stood in the elevator between the two officers, she and Castle maintained eye contact until the doors closed.

Beckett walked back to her desk, protectively flanked by her partners, who immediately started taking another thorough look at Tessa's papers and records. About thirty minutes after the escorting officers took Castle away, another two officers left the elevator. They stopped and spoke to the first person they saw, and then walked toward Beckett and the boys.

"Detective Esposito?" the older one asked the three in general.

"That's me."

"We're here to pick up one of yours." Checking the paperwork his partner held up, he continued, "A Richard Castle."

The other officer handed him paperwork virtually identical to what they had received from the other officers, with the exception of the badge numbers.

Beckett nearly sprinted to Gates's office while her partners explained the situation to the two confused officers she left behind.

After an efficient and rather terse phone call, Gates reported, "Central Booking says he never arrived."

"And the badge numbers on the first paperwork don't exist," Beckett told her.

"The ADA is calling it prisoner escape. There's an APB, and a manhunt is starting." It wasn't long before Ms. Gonzalez was storming into Gates's office, spewing venom.

While Ryan and Esposito were talking alternately to Beckett and then each other, one of them made a comment. Behind them, Beckett had a look of revelation, and she slipped out of the room without a word. She went to her locker and put on the black hoodie that Castle had left there, which swallowed her slender frame, including her growing middle. She draped her dressier coat over her arm, pulled the hood up, and tucked her hair in it. Reaching the bottom of the stairs at the lobby, she kept her eyes down, changed her normal gait, and eased her way out the front door and down the block to the corner where she hailed a taxi to take her to the library.

Castle was waiting in the room where she had first cuffed him, a baseball cap hiding his hair and shielding his face a bit; and after a relieved, full embrace, he showed her what he'd found. Things started falling into place after Beckett called the celebrity look-alike agency. Their advertised look-alikes extended to authors, including Patterson and Richard Castle; and they found that one of the Castle impersonators had been hired recently.

They met with the impersonator, who described a job for a reality show about store security. The job required him to buy earrings, and he identified Jerry Tyson's picture as that of one of the show's producers. Beckett took Castle back to the precinct, and they took the look-alike with them to make a statement.

Now that his veracity wasn't quite so much in question, Gates didn't lock him up again, but she kept him close by and didn't contact the DA until they heard what Ryan and Esposito had found in Tessa's papers. Work had been done quickly on the money trail. Tech helped them find the bank account used to pay the check for the look-alike, as well as a check written to Tessa's insurance agency. One of her calendar entries had a notation to meet someone with the same initials as the false identity of the account owner at an address in northern Manhattan near the bridge. When Castle identified the account owner's alias as a French serial killer from the eighteen hundreds, they were sure it was Tyson. The date of the meeting was about six weeks earlier, about the same time Tessa started seeing her mystery man.

At that point, Gates called the DA and told her Castle was voluntarily back in custody and would not be out of her sight until everything had been resolved one way or another, but he would not be transferred to Central Booking. She explained what they had found, provided contact numbers for both the look-alike and the agency through which he was hired, and promised to be in touch as soon as she and her detectives had investigated the address. Ms. Gonzalez demanded the address of the building, and made no secret that didn't feel trusting of either the detectives at the twelfth or their captain. When Gates arrived with two teams from the twelfth, Ms. Gonzalez was getting out of a cab to meet them.

Ryan and Esposito went in with the tactical team to clear the building before the others entered, and Karpowski's team waited near the door with Castle and the others while the captain argued with the ADA that it wasn't safe for her to be there on the street…or for Castle. The DA argued that this was her watch, and she was going to see that the evidence wasn't compromised in any way. She insisted she was staying.

Ryan and Esposito returned saying there was no sign of Tyson so far, but they had found a room upstairs that looked like his workspace. Gates gave up and told the untrusting DA not to get in the way of her officers, to follow any order she was given, and not to touch anything because it might contaminate evidence. "Have you called CSU?" she asked the two men."

"Soon as we found it. They said you had asked to have a team on call. They're on the way." Esposito answered.

They carefully made their way up the stairs to the room and looked at what was there as they waited for CSU. "We shouldn't be in there yet," Gates told the ADA, "but I want you to see this. Stand in the doorway, and one of my detectives will shine a flashlight on each area of the room. You can see that we don't move or alter anything, and we'll wait until CSU finishes before any of us touch anything here. They'll bring work lights to make it easier."

The DA glared but followed directions. As the flashlights lit the room section by section, she looked at everything and asked questions. Explanations were given, and then they all moved to the hallway with the detectives standing guard. Gates called for backup officers outside, CSU arrived shortly, work lights were set up, and investigation of the evidence began under the intrusively watchful eye of the ADA.


	76. Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Beckett was restless at the precinct. Everyone with any information about Castle's case was gone. It was almost dusk when they left, it was now dark outside, and no one had called since Ryan made a call that lasted about three seconds to tell her it looked like they had found some evidence in Castle's favor. She had already finished her reports for the part of the case she had worked on before circumstances had Gates remove her from it. The lack of either work or information, or more particularly both, was known to leave her on edge; so she finally called Esposito. Castle wouldn't be able to leave Gates's line of vision long enough to tell her anything, and Esposito was the one who was most likely to pull off catching the call and finding a reason to leave the room to take it.

"Hey, Javi," Did you find anything good enough to get Castle off the hook?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah. I can't take too long, but it's looking good. The ADA isn't happy. Castle's looking more innocent all the time, and Tyson is nowhere to be seen. She's about to have nobody to prosecute, and I think she still wants to think we're making all this up but can't. Real piece of work, that one. The tactical team is still here. The building's been cleared, there are officers on the street and inside, and no one's even seen anybody with Tyson's build. It's a pretty deserted looking area. As many cop cars as there are here, he may be looking for another place to hole up."

"Don't count on it. Be careful."

"And take care of Castle for you?"

"Busted, huh?"

Esposito chuckled indulgently. "We'll get him back home, Beckett."

"Thanks. I'll let you get back to work now."

"Later, boss."

After watching her pace for a while, Lupinski asked what was wrong. Kate gave him the condensed version of the past two days, and he was as angry as Kate.

"I'd heard some of it but…"

"The evidence Tyson cooked up was pretty damning, but it looks like they found his workspace tonight. I want to see how he managed it, and everybody is there now…except me."

"I need to make a phone call, Beckett. Be right back. Lupinski walked back to his desk and spoke to someone quietly, then he returned to Beckett's desk and said, "Let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"I cleared it with Gates. I can escort you there as long as I never let you out of my sight. My team can handle an initial investigation without me if anything turns up."

"Thanks, Lupinski. I wasn't going to ask her, but when the gift is dropped in my lap... I owe you big time."

He mentioned a couple of high points in his conversation with Gates as they walked down to Beckett's car. "You drive. I'll ride shotgun…literally," he told her.

"Tyson probably won't be in the building, but he does like to observe his handiwork. He could be watching, but he won't confront that many police," she told him confidently later in their drive. "How about call Esposito and let him know we're almost there."

Ryan and Esposito met Beckett on her side of the car when she pulled in at the front of the building.

"I'm surprised Gates allowed this," Ryan said as they walked inside.

"Apparently she has faith in Lupinski as a bodyguard," she answered. "I hate this. No offense, Lupinski. I really appreciate what you're doing. I just hate that I need it. But I love the reason I need it. The last two days have been…" There was a big sigh before she went on. "Poor Alexis was so upset. I had her sleep in our bed with me last night. I want my innocent husband back, and it seems so close to happening, and…"

Lupinski laughed out loud. "God, Beckett, you're a real mess. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and ask if the pregnancy hormones are making all this worse," he teased.

Beckett smiled and smacked him on the arm good-naturedly while Ryan and Esposito chuckled along with them.

When they reached the room with the cache of evidence, several detectives were milling around the hallway, CSU was packing up their equipment, and other detectives and Gates were discussing the various pieces of evidence with the Assistant District Attorney, whose attitude continued to vex everyone there. In spite of the evidence of Jerry Tyson's involvement, she was still angry that Castle had managed to escape a trip to Central Booking and seemed to wish for a way to convince herself Castle had something to do with planting the evidence they found.

Lupinski peeked in and caught Gates's eye, and she raised her hand to acknowledge him as she continued to speak to Gonzalez. He hovered behind Beckett as she entered the room.

Beckett was standing behind the ADA as Gonzalez made one of her snide remarks and confronted her. "What do you want from Castle, Ms. Gonzalez?" she asked. "Tyson threatened his life…told him someone was waiting to kill him in Central Booking, remember? And you're looking at the evidence we told you we needed a little more time to find. What was Castle supposed to do…go quietly to his slaughter and never have the chance to meet his son? He left me with a hint of where to find him, but it took about an hour and someone making the right comment for me to realize it. We did a little investigating before we walked back into the precinct with a major piece of evidence explained and documented. He was in my custody for all but about an hour while he sat and waited for me, and he turned himself in voluntarily. He was only trying to stay alive long enough to prove he was innocent."

Sweeping her hand toward the table strewn with Tyson's work, Ms. Gonzalez asked haughtily,"May I remind you that all this was found with the help of the suspect? I have to prosecute these cases, and I need to be meticulous about the evidence."

"You know what Tyson is capable of in theory, Ms. Gonzalez, but you've only seen the pictures and heard the stories. Castle and my team have seen the reality of the lifeless bodies, experienced the deception, and dealt with the aftermath before you were ever involved. We've seen firsthand the havoc Tyson can wreak in real time…how manipulative he is. He's insane, but he's brilliant…a bad combination. And we had to deal with those grieving families, too. Castle and I made the initial visits to tell them their family members had been murdered, and Tyson has just put our own family through two days of pure hell. You can see the evidence in front of you, and you still want to think it's Castle? What has he done to make you think so badly of him?"

"Lieutenant Beckett, you're here to review the evidence, I believe?" Gates asked pointedly.

"Yes, Sir," Beckett answered and went to stand with Castle.

ADA Gonzalez was treated to the look of absolute love that passed between the couple before Castle said, "Hey," and took Beckett's hand rather than following his first instinct, which was to pull her into a huge hug and kiss her senseless.

As evidence was being packed into bags and boxes, Beckett turned to the ADA. "With everything you've seen here, surely Castle can go home tonight?"

"Well, there is still the matter of his escaping custody," Gonzalez answered.

"To save his own life, since you wouldn't help. And when the circumstances come up in court for the public record, do you want to be seen as intentionally putting his life at risk?" Beckett asked.

"I should think time served would be in everybody's best interest," Gates suggested. "And Lieutenant Beckett, Ms. Gonzalez has agreed to drop any other charges. Look at what we've found, ask your questions, and then, why don't you and Detective Lupinski take Mr. Castle back to the precinct and start the paperwork?"

"You can do that now, but Mr. Castle should not consider leaving town for any reason. I'll be on top of all this until we have a final analysis of all the evidence."

"Well, we expected nothing less of you," Gates answered with her back turned to the ADA, and actually rolled her eyes at Karpowski, who had to find a reason to turn away, too, to hide the smile that was dangerously close to a burst of laughter.

After Ryan gave Beckett a tour of the evidence and she had asked several pertinent questions, she thanked him. Then she turned to her husband and said, "Come on, Castle. Let's go take care of the paperwork. You get to sleep in a real bed tonight. We can call Alexis and Martha on the way home and they might even have real food waiting."

Gates told them to wait for backup to follow, and the couple left, waving at Lupinski to join them.

"Will CSU will have custody of all the evidence overnight?" Gonzalez asked.

"I'll speak to them. And will you allow my detectives to take you home now?" Gates asked, obviously making a concerted effort to remain civil.

"Yes. Thank you," Gonzalez answered stiffly.

"Everybody out, then," Gates ordered. "Give me a minute to talk to CSU, gentlemen. Karpowski, Jennings, escort Ms. Gonzalez to your car. Esposito and Ryan, we'll back up Beckett and Castle. Tyson is still in the wind."

"Yes, Sir," they answered and went to their cars.

They met Castle, Beckett, and Lupinski inside the front door of the building and let them know Gates was right behind them before they all got into their cars.

As they walked to the car to wait for the captain, Ryan said, "Gates must be at the end of her rope. No 'Detective Karpowski' or 'Mr. Castle', just a bunch of last names…even for Castle."

"She forgets every now and then and includes him like he's one of us," Esposito answered. "He said he'd win her over eventually. I gotta admit I didn't believe him, though."

Ryan grinned and started the car, pulling it up between Beckett's car and the building across the street. "Didn't think she'd ever win us over, either, did you?"

Esposito just chuckled and settled back as Gates joined them. Seeing Gates get in the other car Beckett pulled out around Ryan's car and headed back to the bridge; then, just as they pulled away, someone from CSU rushed out to ask Gates a question. It slowed them briefly, and then Ryan copied Beckett's U-turn and followed.

"So all that stuff…the latex model of a hand with your fingerprints, surveillance photos of us, architectural plans for the loft, a map of the precinct, including the video cameras…" Beckett started.

"Don't forget the stick drive with the story and emails he put on my computer and then deleted. And a couple of his prints were there. He orchestrated everything down to the last detail, even the red herrings like Tessa's boss. It's not like him to leave prints."

"Hey, you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. It's just… Finding that stuff at Tyson's...it seems a little too lucky, that's all. Feels wrong."

"It should exonerate you, Castle. Maybe you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth," Lupinski suggested, still keeping an eye on their surroundings.

They passed a car on a side street just before they reached the bridge. When they drove onto the bridge, it was empty of other cars, and the gates were coming down for a bridge opening, so Kate brought the car to a stop and looked over at her husband. Castle still looked pensive.

Suddenly a car barreled toward the entrance to the bridge, crashing into the back of their car; and with a terrible screeching of wheels, it shoved them through the gate and pushed them up the slope toward the edge of the opening bridge. Before they could get their bearings, the door of the car behind them was opening, and the driver got out with a gun and started firing at their car from beside his car door. Almost as soon as the gunfire started, the upward movement of the bridge stopped, but it didn't start closing again.

"It's Tyson," Kate shouted. "Castle, get down!"

Kate grabbed her gun from the console, and she and Lupinski both turned and started firing at Tyson through the back window. He lurched several times as if he were hit, finally took a few staggering steps backward, and fell back into the car.

"Stay here," Lupinski ordered. "Bigger favor than I thought, by the way," he told them. Slipping out of the car, he eased toward Tyson's vehicle and looked in from over the hood. Tyson was stretched out on the seat, eyes closed and looking unconscious. As he inched toward the now nearly closed door, Tyson practically exploded up from the car seat and slammed the door open hard enough to knock Lupinski off balance. When he was trying to right himself, Tyson came around the car door and shoved him to the pavement, holding his gun over the detective.

"Who the hell are you?" Tyson shouted. Where's Castle?" He gave Lupinski a hard kick to the ribs and dropped to a crouch behind Beckett's car, staying out of sight.

"Where's Tyson? I think Lupinski's down," Castle said, reaching for the door latch and hoping to look back and see if their friend needed help.

"I don't know. I don't know how Tyson could still get up. I'm sure we both hit him in the chest, probably several times," Beckett answered.

"Lupinski wasn't part of his plan. He's probably even angrier now."

Beckett raised her head just enough to see out the window, and Tyson was standing there. He broke the window with the butt of his gun, catching Beckett's temple with it in the process, and deftly unlocked the door, pulling it open before Beckett could reorient. Then, wrapping his arm around her neck, he quickly dragged her toward him. She tried to fight, but he made tutting noises and jabbed the barrel of his gun hard against the side of her neck to stop her; and standing to his full height, he pulled her up with him, and backed slowly toward the open edge of the bridge.

Driving up to the bridge, Ryan, Esposito, and Gates saw a car leaving the side street much too fast, rounding the slight curve that led to the bridge. Then they heard the dinging of the bell sounds indicating a bridge opening, followed by the roar of an engine, a crash, and the screeching of tires…and gunfire.

"Not even a full two minutes behind them," Ryan said as if it were a curse. Do you think…"

"If it's Tyson, surprises may set him off. Park the car to block this side of the curve at the bridge entrance and we'll go on foot to find out what happened," Gates ordered. "Cell phones for the moment. No lights or radios, nothing he can notice easily. We don't want to tip him off. Let him think he's still in charge."

"You should stay here, Captain," Esposito suggested. If something happens to us, you'll be needed to coordinate when the others get here."

"Backup is right behind us. I'm calling your phone, Detective Ryan. Put yours in your shirt pocket on speaker, and keep the line open; but take what you need for normal communications, too. It should also help keep this away from the media now. The last thing we need is reporters flocking in to add to everything else. Keep me informed."

"I don't like leaving you without backup," Ryan answered as he parked, took the key from the ignition, and got out of the car.

"I'll be right here, armed. Now get out there and let me know what's going on."

Esposito was already out and in Special Forces mode. In a slight crouch, he worked his way down the shadowed guardrail of the bridge toward where the stopped cars would provide some cover as he got closer. Ryan was right behind him, following in the same position, quietly passing information to Gates about the situation they were observing.

When they reached the back of Tyson's car, they could see him dragging an uncooperative Beckett out of the car, and Lupinski was crouched next to the door on the passenger side.

"Worse than we thought, Captain. Tyson has Beckett, and it doesn't look good. Haven't seen Castle yet. Looks like Lupinski's okay."

"Castle, I've got your girl," Tyson shouted gleefully. "Are you watching? I want you to see this." Directing his next comment to Beckett, he threatened, "Did you really think I'd let you live after everything you've done?" He was taking his time, unaware that backup had arrived for the Castles.

Castle knew a second man had not figured in Tyson's plan; but with a gun to Beckett's neck, The lunatic would probably be confidant that their responses would be careful. Tyson would still feel in charge. He seemed to want Castle to watch what he was doing, so Castle's response would be to buy time by not appearing right away. He picked up the gun Beckett had dropped as Tyson dragged her from the car; and when Lupinski opened the passenger door slowly to ask if Castle was hurt, Castle slid out behind the door, easing it shut quietly, and moving around to the back of the car.

"Castle," Esposito hissed from behind Tyson's car. "Karpowski's team should be right behind us. Gates is waiting at the car to coordinate."

Castle and Lupinski quickly and quietly filled Esposito in on what happened earlier. Then Esposito eased around Tyson's car to let Ryan know.

"Castle! Where are you? You need to see this," Tyson shouted again, dragging Beckett with him back to her car when there was no response from Castle.

Beckett stumbled, and Tyson had to stop to support her and shove the gun more firmly against her neck. "Stand up," he ordered her, hefting her up without moving the gun far enough to create an opening for anyone to have a clean shot at him. Looking into the car, Tyson seemed surprised to find no sign of Castle.

Karpowski stopped her car right behind Ryan's, getting out and rushing to Gates. "What happened?"

"Tyson has Beckett. The bridge is partially open, and he's dragging her up toward the open edge with a gun at her neck. He's been yelling to Castle to come and watch. Gonzales thinks she knows what Tyson is capable of, but she'll never believe this level of crazy."

Jennings showed up then, close on the heels of the ADA, who had just caught the last snippet of Gates's conversation. "She just got out and took off," he explained.

"I want to know what's going on," Gonzalez demanded.

"You're getting in the way again," Gates answered. "That's what's going on. You're a distraction while we're dealing with a hostage situation. Go back to the car."

Then, through the speaker of Gate's phone, they heard Tyson's taunting voice shouting as he looked for Castle, "I knew you and Beckett would find my little treasure trove of evidence, Castle. Did you really think I'd kill you? This is so much better. Even if it gets you out of the murder, you'll have to live with people wondering if you planted the evidence and set it all up so you could get away with it. My little gift to you. Where are you? Are you a coward…too scared to try to save your wife and baby?"

That sent chills up the spine of everyone who could hear it.

"Jennings, Karpowski, go," Gates ordered. "Keep to the shadows over there, she said, pointing to her left. Ryan and Esposito are on the opposite side. Ms. Gonzalez, you're staying here if I have to cuff you to the car, understand? You will do nothing else to distract my people. There's a madman with a gun over there holding one of my detectives hostage. And on top of that, I have to worry about seeing that _you_ don't get yourself killed being stubborn. You will not be allowed to interfere or demand another thing. Not a word or movement to distract any of us until this is over."

"Not a word," the ADA agreed, finally seeming to realize the gravity of the situation and dismounting from her high horse. "I'd like to stay here, but I won't say a word. No distractions."

"Come on out, Castle. I want you to see this," Tyson shouted, sounding a bit less gleeful than before. The voice was taking on more of a sound of madness, and everyone there knew how quickly the situation could escalate out of control. "Come on, Castle. Where are you? I want you to see me take her life." He moved his gun to Beckett's stomach and started backing toward the edge of the bridge again. "You took my freedom. I'm taking what you love now. First your baby, then your wife…but you need to watch."

Castle suddenly stood with Beckett's gun trained at Tyson from above the car door and shouted, "Over here." Lupinski spontaneously stood and echoed both his answer and his action from close by. Then like machine gun fire the same words and action passed back and forth across the bridge…Jennings doing the same from the opposite side of the bridge, followed by Esposito from behind Tyson's car, then Karpowski and Ryan.

Tyson had been so rabidly focused on tormenting Castle and Beckett that he had uncharacteristically missed that others were infiltrating his space. When his focus was suddenly divided, he instinctively moved his gun progressively toward the new threats; and when his grip lessened as surprise briefly affected him, Beckett twisted far enough away that Tyson was exposed to the others. Not aware of the previous unsuccessful shots, Jennings and Karpowski took advantage of their position and shot several times to his chest. Tyson lurched a couple of times and staggered backward, but without falling, pulling at Beckett again in the process. Then another shot rang out from slightly behind Jennings and Karpowski, hitting the center of Tyson's forehead; and he crumpled to the pavement approximately five feet from the open edge of the bridge. After everything but the somewhat eerily disembodied sound of the bridge opening bells went quiet, Gates lowered her gun and ADA Gonzalez eased toward her.

Gates ended the phone connection with Ryan and placed a new call to Lin Jackson. "Lin, we're going to need IA. I'm at the scene of a shooting, and I'm about a hundred per cent certain the kill shot was mine. Four other NYPD officers were also involved. Send people who don't know me. I want this to be as clean and unbiased as we can make it." She listened for a moment and then said, "I don't know when we'll be back at the precinct, but it could take a while to close this down." Another moment of listening, and she told Lin where they were before disconnecting the call. From there, normal police communication was used freely.

Karpowski and Jennings jogged over to where Tyson was lying still on the pavement, and Lupinski arrived at the same time. "Careful," he warned. "We thought he was dead once, but he miraculously recovered." Looking closer, he added, "On the other hand, he didn't have that bullet hole in his forehead then." He was already kneeling to check Tyson's pulse and had found none when they noticed the growing pool of blood seeping from behind his head.

"I don't think he's coming back this time," Jennings commented. "Not much we can do."

Gates stood close by. "I'll call for a medical examiner. I already gave IA a heads up. Might as well get that out of the way as soon as we can. Somebody needs to call EMS. We have a couple of injuries."

"I'll get on that," Esposito offered, and Gates nodded acknowledgement.

"Towing," she continued. "We'll need to impound both cars. They're evidence for now."

"I'll take that one," Karpowski told her.

"And we might as well snag CSU. They can't get over the bridge yet anyway. Maybe they can take this one, too. That unit was on night shift."

"I'll go find them," Jennings said. "They wouldn't have been too far behind us, so they're probably stuck on the other side of the roadblock."

While Gates issued orders, Castle had jogged over to Beckett. He wrapped his arms around her, cradling her head gently with his hand, as she nuzzled her forehead against his neck, resting the uninjured side of her head on his shoulder.

"How bad is it?" he asked gently.

"I don't know yet. Give me a minute."

"Did he do anything that could hurt the baby?"

"I don't think so. He jabbed hard at my neck, and that hurts; but he mostly pointed at my stomach…just held the gun against it…not much pressure. Seemed like it was more for effect."

Castle turned slightly so he could run his hand over Kate's baby bump. "He's over excited in there, isn't he? Poor wife. You've been assaulted from the outside and the inside. Shhhh, Baby Boy," he said soothingly, still stroking his hand over his son's present home. "Daddy's going to take you and Mommy home soon. We're all okay now, so settle down and let Mommy recover." Then he pulled his wife into another hug, burying his face in her hair in relief. "It's over, Kate. We don't have to worry about Tyson again."

"We should see what they need from us, Castle. Gates has been busy coordinating follow-up, and I should be helping."

"I'm sure everybody understands why you aren't at the top of your game right now."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and said, "Well, I'm a cop, and I need to have at least a little game. But I really needed to be your wife and baby Castle's mom for a minute. Can we revisit that later?"

"Count on it." He gave her another quick squeeze and a little kiss on her head before they walked toward Captain Gates. "I think we have the captain to thank for dropping Tyson. Karpowski's team didn't know you and Lupinski had already unsuccessfully shot him in the chest. Gates did."

ADA Gonzalez asked, "Is it over?" from her position behind Gates.

"I thought you were going to stay put," Gates said tiredly, still looking straight ahead.

"Sorry," Gonzalez answered in an unexpected show of cooperation. "Do you want me to go back and wait in the car?"

"You need to know what happens, too," Gates said, turning to face her. "Just observe…quietly, please. We have a lot of follow-up to do."

"Captain, the tactical team was stuck here, too. Some of them checked under the bridge, and they're bringing up a man who was waiting for Tyson with a small boat," Esposito told her.

"If I remember correctly, Mr. Castle suggested that?"

"Right. Esposito answered. Dealing with Tyson, we thought it was worth following it up. Things were pretty crazy right then, though. Sorry we forgot to give you a heads up. And Blount is bringing down the bridge operator. I wouldn't be surprised to find a connection to Tyson there, too."

"How would Tyson be connected to the bridge opening?" Gonzalez asked.

Gates gave Ms. Gonzalez "the look" and said, "At this point, let's just interview him and see what plays out." Both Gates and the ADA had a clear view of Castle and Beckett and the tenderness of the interaction between them. "Tell me, Ms. Gonzalez, does that look to you like a man who would have an affair he knows would risk everything that couple has built together?"

As Castle stroked his wife's middle and talked gently to his unborn child, Gonzalez admitted, "No, it doesn't."

"I'm not sure how Mr. Castle planned that escape, but it was only to avoid dying and leaving them without him. If you had allowed us the extra time, I'm one hundred per cent certain it wouldn't have happened. He and his family had a lot to lose, and they had been through hell with Bracken and Simmons not that long ago. . If you can find out a way to work with that to his advantage, I would appreciate it. Not because he expects preferential treatment, but for humanitarian consideration of the circumstances you forced him into."

"I'll take that under advisement."

"That's all I'll ask."

Castle and Beckett walked back to where Gates stood with the ADA, and Beckett asked where Gates needed her.

"We aren't that far from their station, so EMS should be on the other side of the roadblock any minute. That's where I want you first."

"But, Sir…"

"No argument. And Lieutenant, protecting that baby is a priority. In spite of the fact that your enemies list is dwindling rapidly, until after your maternity leave has ended, your public service will happen at the precinct. Full desk duty as of tomorrow."

"Yes, Sir."

Behind his wife, Castle mouthed, "Thank you."

"It's too bad we don't have a recording of Tyson's tirades," Ryan commented. "We were all too busy for that."

"I wasn't," Gonzalez admitted. "When I first got out of the car, I admit my motives weren't entirely innocent. I turned on the recorder on my phone so I'd have a record of what was happening, be sure there wasn't anything untoward. By the time Captain Gates walked away to watch with her gun drawn, my motives had changed. I moved up behind the two detectives over there and turned on the video camera…figured we might need it later. I got everything from just before Tyson's treasure trove rant on audio. And it's probably going to be pretty shadowy from back here, but I think I got video of Tyson holding Beckett and bellowing for Castle." When everyone looked at her, she shrugged. "I felt extraneous. I had to do _something_."

" _We_ might need it later?" Gates asked, seeming surprised.

"Well, we're supposed to be on the same side," Gonzalez answered, looking a little sheepish. "I guess sometimes that gets lost in the shuffle.

"Thank you," Gates responded.

Gonzalez nodded then pointed to the side of the bridge where Karpowski and Jennings had been. "I'll be over there…observing…quietly." The two women exchanged smiles, and Gates went back to work.

Beckett, Castle, and Lupinski were talking to Ryan when EMS drove up to the roadblock. Gates paused in her conversation with someone from the CSU team to call out, "Lieutenant…EMS," and point in that direction. Beckett sighed and Castle accompanied her to the medics. She was told that there didn't seem to be more than bruising to her neck, to expect it to be sore for at least a few days. After cleaning the matted blood from her hair and checking the state of the wound, she was told it wasn't as bad as it probably felt. They cleaned it, removed a couple of small pieces of glass and patched her up with only a tiny strip of hair loss. After checking for signs of a concussion, Beckett and Castle were told it didn't appear to be a problem but to keep an eye on her anyway.

"Unfortunately, I already know all the signs to look for, and what to do for mean bruises," he answered wryly, shook the medic's hand, and thanked the man for taking care of his wife.

Lupinski wandered over when he saw Beckett stepping down from the EMS vehicle. "You okay, Beckett?"

"Looks like it," she answered. "Your turn. I saw you holding your side. That's where he kicked you, isn't it?"

"I'm okay."

"You're a bull-headed cop like the rest of us. Go let them check on you."

"You speaking as a higher ranking officer?"

"I'm just saying you had my back. It's my turn to have yours. It won't take long. Just let them be sure nothing's broken. One more favor for a friend? A much smaller one this time."

"Some people just don't know when to quit," he grumbled good-naturedly as he stepped up into the truck. "How do you put up with her, Castle?"

"She does get a little pushy sometimes," he teased.

Beckett met Blount as he was coming in with the bridge operator. A member of the tactical team had walked by earlier with a man who was probably the one with the boat, so she assumed some of her duties again and walked with them to where she saw Gates talking to the probable owner of the small boat. He and the bridge operator each identified Tyson's picture as the man who had hired them as auxiliary crew for a movie scene being shot on the bridge. He had paid them well and had them on stand-by…asked them to be ready to move when he called them…something about availability of things he would need. When the first shots were fired, the man with the boat was to move out far enough under the open section of the bridge "that the cameras wouldn't pick up his presence" and help Tyson out of the water and over to a rental vehicle on shore "to get him to another filming site". The bridge operator said he was told he would receive a call to open the bridge, and that would start the scene's progression. When he heard gunfire again, he would stop the bridge from opening any further and leave it in that position until further notice. The two men seemed to fully believe their actions were part of a movie scene. Tyson even had boatman, place a very convincing "Bridge closed for repair" sign at the other side of the bridge just before he set his plan into action. Everyone was again both impressed and appalled at the meticulous detail in Tyson's planning.

CSU finished their second job of the evening and was packing up. The danger seemed to be over, and the tactical team also closed down to leave. The cars had been towed, EMS was long gone, and a couple of civilian drivers were waiting on the block near the bridge rather than taking detours. IA had sent a representative there to look at the scene and speak to everyone involved, and they were already gone. A few reporters had caught wind of something happening, and a small but growing group had gathered. Officers had them cordoned off near the waiting cars until the crime scene was released and weren't telling them anything about the situation, but that didn't stop them from speculating to their cameras in their breaking news announcements.

Dr. Stokes had arrived later than usual after taking what he called the scenic route to get there around the closed bridge. The ME's van was backed into place at the bridge entrance to offer less accessibility to reporters as Tyson's body was examined on scene and then loaded into the van. The ADA was still observing quietly as things were obviously winding down.

The bridge operator was called and told he could close the bridge, and police personnel began to return to their vehicles.

ADA Gonzalez walked over to Castle and Beckett and told them, "Mr. and Mrs. Castle, I'll see you at the precinct tomorrow at one. I'm sure that, after all this, Captain Gates will be amenable to waiving any paperwork until tomorrow morning." Everyone looked to Gates, and she nodded tiredly. The ADA continued, "I'll bring what I need from my end when we meet then, too. Go home and get some rest. You must both be exhausted."

The Castles also nodded tiredly. "We'll be there," Castle assured her.

Ryan and Esposito took the Castle's to their car, and reporters started to shout questions as soon as people came into view from the bridge, but Ryan turned the car and went over the bridge in the opposite direction, heading toward the precinct as soon as the bridge closed and the gates went up. Officers at the other end removed the closed sign, and the light nighttime traffic started moving again. Lupinski rode with Blount and Freedman, and Gates and the ADA were taken to their homes by Jennings and Karpowski, everyone going home to get whatever rest they could manage before their jobs required their presence the next morning.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **AN:** Some people seemed to like the Tyson episode and the chapter, but I know a lot of you didn't. For those of you who fall into the latter category, thanks for the patience to stick it out. Please remember that I said this would be the last big crisis in this story, and I'll keep that promise. My intention was to make the two invasive, omniscient villain problems go away much earlier in their lives than in the series.


	77. Chapter 77

Chapter 77

When they reached the loft, Kate and Castle shared their relief at Castle's exoneration with Martha and Alexis and told them of Tyson's death…all four of them exhausted to the bone with the stress of the last two days.

"I'm even too tired for celebratory ice cream or hot cocoa," Alexis said.

"We're going to bed now, too," Castle announced. "We can barely stand, let alone hold our eyes open."

"Goodnight, Darlings," Martha answered, reaching to put her arms around his shoulders. "Richard, I'm so happy to have you free and back home." She and Alexis each gave Kate and Castle one more big hug before they went to bed.

Once they were alone, the couple stripped their clothes away and showered, hoping to wash away the day's stress, as well as the feel of the holding cell, the precinct, the crime scene, the threats, and the presence of Jerry Tyson.

"Do you think we did the right thing not telling them he held me hostage?" Kate asked.

"He's essentially held our whole family hostage since Monday morning," Castle answered. "Isn't that why you didn't tell your dad when you called him? We'll tell them in the morning before the news breaks. They might as well sleep tonight without dreaming about a madman threatening you and our baby."

"I hope we can."

"Me, too." He paused as he turned her around to wash her back. "Kate?"

"Hmmm?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For believing in me," he answered. "I mean, given my reputation and my history…when you saw those emails, it would have been real easy not to."

"Yeah, well easy isn't what got us to where we are. We worked for it, and I can't imagine either one of us doing anything to destroy the trust we've built." Turning and placing her hands on his chest, she told him, "I know you, Rick, and none of that evidence described the man I know."

He pulled her into a wet, slippery embrace, and they simply held each other for a while before they rinsed themselves and helped each other dry off. Kate dried most of the moisture out of her hair while Rick went to turn down the bed. Then they both collapsed on the sinfully soft sheets au natural, falling asleep almost as soon as their heads hit the pillows. In the early hours of the morning, Castle had a nightmare; and after Kate woke him up, the comfort she provided gradually became a mutual celebration of his freedom and their safety.

xxxxx

Castle went to see the captain almost immediately on arriving at the precinct.

"Good morning," she said from behind her desk.

"Thank you, Captain…for Kate's safety. I'm sorry Jerry Tyson's hatred for me put you in the position of having to do that."

"I saw that you had a weapon, too, and that you and I had the clearest shots right then. It had to be done; but, Mr. Castle, no matter how well you can handle a gun, shooting a man does not fall into your volunteer job description. Sadly, however, that possibility does always exist in mine. It was for the best."

"IA didn't question the need for any of the shots fired, did they?" he asked.

"No. They'll still look further into it, but experience tells me that they were satisfied that our statements were consistent with what CSU was finding." There was a pause, and then she said, "I'd like you and Lt. Beckett to write your statements for last night's situation now. And would you relay the same message to Detectives Ryan, Esposito, and Lupinski and to Detective Karpowski's team? I want this file completed and relegated to the archives as soon as possible."

"Understood, Sir. I'll do that," he promised before he left.

By one o'clock, the convoluted story of the previous night's happenings was documented by each individual involved, the paperwork necessary for Castle's legal release from police custody had been completed, and he and Beckett were waiting for the ADA.

Gates met with all of them in the conference room where everything could be spread out easily for the proper signatures.

When Ms. Gonzalez and Captain Gates had all the paperwork in its proper places, the ADA said, "It was obvious last night that Jerry Tyson had a deep seated hatred for you, Mr. Castle. Would you explain to me why?"

"Long story short, six years ago, Tyson had committed six murders. You already know that Linda Russo reported his description to the crime line; so, to keep the police off his trail, he got himself arrested on a lesser charge and spent his four years in prison planning how to escape when he got out. Another man would commit three copycat murders and then admit to being 3XK. And after four years, the first person the other inmate was ordered to kill was Linda Russo. Tyson holds a grudge, and he removes threats. But, as he was packing to make his escape, Ryan and I surprised him. His focus wavered, he made a small mistake, and Ryan and I caught it.

"Actually, Castle caught it," Beckett explained. "He's the one who broke 3XK's real identity and exposed him to the police, pictures and fingerprints and all. So, like with Linda Russo, when Tyson came back after two years, he had a plan to act on the grudge and destroy the problem…Castle.

"Why didn't he just kill you?" Gonzalez asked.

"I asked him the same thing when he was in holding that night. He told me death only takes a moment. He loves the planning and pageantry…his narcissistic bent, I suppose. He wanted me to think he'd kill me, but he had to taunt me first…be sure I knew he was the one who had ruined my life…and like before, leave me to live with the fact that he'd won again. He planned on being shot…had two layers of Kevlar and a boat and a helper waiting under the bridge. He planned for me to be there last night, too…to make me part of allowing him to live in the open and be able to kill again. Having Beckett show up unexpectedly was icing on the cake for him. It provided an additional opportunity to make me suffer. People who ruined his plans always had to pay. But again, in the last moments before his escape, his focus wavered long enough that he missed our backup coming in."

"You know how crazy that sounds, right?" the ADA commented.

"I do. But you heard him…saw him. What better way to get the police to stop looking for you than to die…publicly and dramatically…shot and falling off the side of an open bridge? Can you really say it isn't plausible for a psychopath of his caliber?"

Ms. Gonzalez stood and said, "If I hadn't been there, I wouldn't even consider it; but having been there, I believe I can admit to the possibility. Mr. and Mrs. Castle, you have my apologies for any part I played in making this ordeal more difficult for you than it needed to be. And Captain Gates, I apologize for any lack of trust I expressed. In spite of my actions and suspicions, in all of yesterday's events, I never saw anything unprofessional or questionable in anything you did. Your leadership last night and the conduct of your detectives was exemplary. I admit that before then I had far less understanding of what goes into gaining all the information you provide us."

"My detectives and I appreciate that." Gates answered.

Gonzalez paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and then added, "I've read your novels, Mr. Castle, and anyone familiar with your creativity could easily have doubts as to whether you did get away with the perfect murder. After some soul-searching, I've decided that I shouldn't let Jerry Tyson's efforts to discredit you become a successful part of his legacy. He's dead. There won't be a trial, so the audio and video from last night won't affect any ongoing legal process. In the hope that it can help both you and the department, unless you or Captain Gates have objections, those will be released to the media so Tyson's intent and state of mind will be obvious to the public. I'll clear it with IA as well. We have a statement prepared for the press, and I'll be speaking to them at four this afternoon. All of you think about what the recordings encompass, and call me if you have concerns or prefer that I don't release them. Consider it a part of my apology."

"We will; and whatever we decide, we appreciate it," Castle answered.

After shaking hands with all of them, the ADA left, and the three remaining in the room breathed a sigh of relief. Castle and Beckett discussed the recordings with Captain Gates, and after considering everyone's concerns and points of view, the three of them agreed to allow the release to the media.

"Mr. Castle, enjoy your fully documented freedom," Gates said as she gathered the paperwork for her records.

"Yes, Sir. Looks like I may get to cook that Thanksgiving turkey after all."

"I hope it's fresh, or at least thawing," Gates said as she left the room. "Thanksgiving is tomorrow. Time is running out."

Castle stopped with a surprised look as he picked up the folder with his copies of the paperwork for his own records, and pulled out his phone.

"Mother, I need you to do something for me."

Martha called the butcher they had done business with for years; and he managed to find and deliver a fresh, or at least thoroughly thawed, turkey. Martha didn't ask too many questions, since the one they had bought earlier was still solidly frozen. She just thanked the butcher profusely. The very large bird arrived shortly after Castle and Beckett came home, and Castle enthusiastically went to work preparing for their Thanksgiving gathering.

xxxxx

In her public statement, Ms. Gonzalez admitted her original difficulties with the general situation of the case. She then gave a full accounting of Tyson's cunning ways and his painstaking attention to detail, starting with the murders before Ms. Russo's. That was followed with Castle's part in identifying Tyson as 3XK and Tyson's ensuing obsession with making Castle pay. With his revenge motive and the evidence explained, the recordings supported his hatred of Castle and the extent of his madness. And in the space of an afternoon, it seemed that the media's opinion of Castle moved from fury at a perpetrator to sympathy for a victim.

The Castles opted to have Paula speak for them, conveying their appreciation of the support they were receiving, as well as their need for quiet time with their family.

xxxxx

Meagan's brother and one of her sisters were on the in-law rotation this Thanksgiving, and her other sister was teaching overseas, so she was invited to join the Castles. Lanie's parents were in New Orleans, and she didn't want to go and deal with the family's constant boyfriend questions; so she told them she had to work…and she was also invited to the loft. Since Dr. Franklin Stokes's family was on the west coast and his newbee status in the department didn't gain him any holiday priority yet, Lanie was told to bring him along as well.

Frank Stokes offered to say grace and improvised, including everyone's safety and Castle's presence among them in his words. It seemed appropriate, even for a family who didn't make saying grace a habit. Lanie looked at Frank and told him her father said grace like that. He smiled and said his did, too.

Thanksgiving felt like a bigger than usual celebration at the loft. As Castle carved the turkey, he asked everyone at the table to say what they were most thankful for; and when it was his turn, he said," "Freedom, a wife and family who believes in me, and a son we'll all meet before next Thanksgiving."

After that, food was served, conversation flowed easily, and the easy atmosphere of people who enjoyed each other's company flourished. The offer of dessert brought groans and questions of how they would find room for it, but no one turned it down. Then there were groans because they were so full. The hosts put the food away, packaging leftovers for the four who wouldn't be staying at the loft and promising more of everything later for anyone who wanted it.

Someone suggested they should walk off some of their meal, and surprisingly, everyone agreed. The eight of them trooped through the lobby talking and laughing, and Castle told the surprised doorman, Jason, "We decided we should be thankful for a warm, sunny fall day and sidewalks."

"That and the fact that any of us can still walk after the size of that meal," Jim added.

Jason laughed and opened the door for them, wishing them a nice afternoon.

"I'm surprised the coffee shop is open," Kate said as they passed the store on the corner of their block. "They're usually closed for Thanksgiving and Christmas, aren't they?"

"The younger generation of the family is gradually taking over. Max and Ada always wanted their employees to have the holidays with their families," Castle answered. "They were talking about it when I stopped in to pick up our coffee last weekend, but they're ready to retire and willing to let their children see how it works." Turning his head to speak to his son, he said, "Your mommy gave up most of her coffee habit for you, Peanut. You have no idea how much you're loved."

Lanie laughed from behind them. "No he doesn't. I'm surprised all of you don't have gray hair by now…including Alexis."

"Some of us just know how to hide it," Martha answered with a mischievous smile.

"And just Katie's natural self gave some of us gray hair years ago," Jim stated with a smile. "Caffeine had no part at all."

"Hey, it's Thanksgiving, not give-the pregnant-woman-a-hard-time day," Kate shot back.

As they walked, Castle let go of the hand he'd been holding, reached out and put a comforting arm around his wife's shoulders, and kissed her head; and she wrapped her arm around his waist.

Conversation shifted from group to group as they leisurely walked around a couple of blocks before returning to the loft and plopping down on Castle's comfortable furniture.

"I kind of feel like Esposito and Ryan ought to be here," Alexis said.

"Both of them have big families close by," Kate answered. "Javi's mom has all his sisters and their families over and starts cooking two days ahead. Kevin's folks have the entire family, too. With all the brothers and sisters in Kevin's family, and all their spouses and children, I don't know how they fit them all in the house anymore. But even if they're squeezed in like sardines, they always seem to have fun. We'll have those two another time."

After a little more conversation, the guests began to leave, all being given enough leftovers for another good meal the next day. Frank said he would see Lanie home. Meagan left next, and Jim stayed a little longer before he also bowed out.

On his way home, Jim decided to stop for coffee at the shop they had passed that afternoon; and as he was going in, he met Meagan, who was on her way out.

"Looks like we had the same idea," she said with a smile, lifting her coffee in salute.

Jim held the door for her and said, "I was going to take it home, but company to enjoy it would be nice. Would you want to come back in?"

"Company does sound nice. You order your coffee, and I'll claim us a table," Meagan answered.

Jim got his coffee and sat down, and they sipped their drinks and joked about Kate's months long caffeine shortage.

"How many of those gray hairs did she really give you?" Meagan asked mischievously.

"More than half…at least. The so called distinguished graying at the temples probably started when she took the money she'd saved and bought the Harley when she was seventeen…and the disgustingly scruffy boyfriend who turned up about the same time didn't help. Then there's her job, and that's contributed considerably more. I suspect I'm responsible for the rest. But gray or not, I do still have hair. She reminds me of that when I complain."

"I'm with Martha. I know just how to hide it."

"They talked through random topics and each had a second cup of coffee before they left.

As they reached the street, Jim asked, "Do I remember that you live on the next block now?"

"The other end of the next block. It's not in the same class as Castle's loft, but it's nice enough. Safe building, reasonable amount of space."

"I'll walk you to your building and catch a cab from there."

When they arrived at her building, Meagan said, "Thanks for the coffee, Jim," waved, and went inside; and Jim waved back and hailed a taxi for home."

xxxxx

Martha looked at the stack of dishes and pots and pans in the kitchen as if they were toxic. And Castle rolled his eyes at Kate behind his mother's back.

"Don't worry about them, Mother. I'll take care of it," Castle promised.

"I'll help," Kate volunteered.

"Me, too," Alexis agreed.

"Thank you, children," Martha answered. "I'm exhausted," she said with a deep sigh, and then she went upstairs.

"Do you think she's okay?" Kate asked, looking concerned, and both of the other Castles gave her the blue-eyed, "Oh, please" look.

"How long have you been living here, Kate?" Alexis asked. "Exhaustion is standard after a dinner party. It's brought on by the specter of having to wash pots and pans. She'll be fine by morning."

Castle agreed. "We'll just be thankful she helped prepare the meal and helped put the food away."

"Speaking of food, did you see how much was left even after four people took home enough for meals tomorrow?" Kate asked.

"That just means we won't have to cook for the rest of the week," Castle answered and kissed her cheek as he rolled up his sleeves.

"I can live with that," Alexis said.

"I'll take the pots and pans. You two empty the clean dishes and reload the dishwasher," Castle told them, and they all worked until their jobs were done.

"I'm going to take a shower and read a little while before bed," Alexis told them.

"'Night, Pumpkin." Castle finished drying the last pot and put it away. "Shower and bed for us, too?" he asked his wife.

"I couldn't be more ready," Kate answered.

"And celebrate my being safely back at home?" he suggested with his charming smirk.

"Again?" She asked flirtatiously.

"Well, it's worth celebrating, isn't it?"

Kate laughed and leaned against him when he slipped his arm around her waist and repeated, "I couldn't be more ready."


	78. Chapter 78

Chapter 78

On Friday, Thanksgiving was officially past and Christmas was fair game. The day after Thanksgiving was the day Castle and Alexis had always picked out a Christmas tree; and for them, it had always involved a trip to a tree farm outside the city.

As Castle was getting dressed, Kate teased, "Where are you going?"

"It's tree day. I know you remember that," Castle reminded her unfazed. "But you were working last year. This year you can go with us…if you feel up to it. How is your neck? Is your head still feeling okay? Too pregnant? I don't want to push you if you don't feel like going, but it would be even more fun with all three of us. Then he patted her stomach and amended with a proud smile, "All four of us."

The little boy enthusiasm Kate loved sparkled in her husband's blue eyes, and she smiled, too.

"Well, it's supposed to be cold, and I haven't had a chance to try out my new winter coat yet…the one with room for your son to keep growing. If you two…you three…wear me out, I can always go back and sit in the car. We can take a couple of blankets just in case." Castle looked at her as if she had just given him an incredible gift and kissed her enthusiastically. She cupped his cheek lovingly with one hand and said. "You really do love Christmas, don't you?"

"Always did," he answered.

"I love you so much."

"Not that I'm complaining, you understand; but what brought that on?"

"You," she answered and wrapped her arms around his middle. Then she released a resigned sigh. "I'm not going to be able to do this much longer. This baby of ours insists on growing; and before much longer, I won't be able to reach you."

"We'll figure it out," he assured her. "You know, I think it's past time to start setting up the nursery. We have the walls painted, but we should have the furniture we picked out delivered, start finding places for what we have so far."

"Yeah, we should. It feels like there's still plenty of time; but it isn't that far away, and I'm probably not going to start feeling that much more active as it goes by."

"You know we'll pitch in and help with anything you need if baby boy here is wearing you down."

"I know. And I love you all for it."

"I'm looking forward to Christmas with you this year. You actually have a couple of days off."

"Gates insisted. I didn't even have to ask. She saw how many consecutive years I'd volunteered for Christmas duty, and heard that you'd come in with me the last couple of years; and she said it was somebody else's turn."

"It was fun, though. We always have our big Christmas meal on Christmas Eve. It was different when Alexis was little and there were all the toys to play with. Now all we do on Christmas Day is open presents early and goof off and take naps the rest of the day anyhow. We can still take lunch for everybody at the precinct if you want to."

"I'd like that," she said from where her face was still kind of smashed into his chest and gave him an extra squeeze.

"So, go get dressed. Alexis will be so excited that you're coming with us. Mother bowed out after one trip."

"Are you sure? It's always been just the two of you."

"She'll be dressed and downstairs any minute. You'll see."

Sure enough, right on cue, Alexis came bounding enthusiastically down the stairs. "I'm ready when you are, Dad." Her face fell when she saw that Kate was still in her pajamas. "I thought you were going with us this time, Kate. Is the baby making you too tired?"

"Told you so," Castle stage whispered in her ear.

She backhanded his arm and told him, "You sound just like my mother." Turning back to Alexis, she said, "Your little brother wears me out sometimes; but a lot of the time, he just makes me slower. I was just going to get dressed. I'll hurry."

Alexis perked up right away. "Oh, good. You're going to love this place."

"Go on and get dressed, Castle encouraged. "We'll tell you all about it in the car."

"Okay. Okay. I'm going." Looking over her shoulder at them, she said, "I think I'm excited, too. It feels good to be excited about Christmas again. Be right back."

After Kate was in the bedroom, Castle told his daughter, "She was having little doubts again…not wanting to be a fifth wheel in something that had always been the two of us. Don't worry. She doesn't doubt you. She just doesn't want to feel like she's intruding on dad/daughter time."

"It's nice that she cares about that, but I like the three of us. We're good for each other."

"And, my perfect child, the way you responded just now was exactly what she needed to be sure of that."

Alexis laughed and gave him a little hug.

Kate was back in just under five minutes, dressed as the other two were in jeans and a warm sweater, and warm, flat heeled boots. They were waiting for her with her new winter coat and the hat, gloves, and scarf Alexis and Martha had insisted she needed to go with it when she bought it.

As they were leaving the building for the parking garage, JD was called to see if Alexis wanted to meet him for coffee. His response when she reminded him of their tree finding trip was a groan followed by, "Oh yeah, I forgot. My great aunt is driving me crazy. You were going to be my out for a little while."

"Hang on," she answered, covering her phone. "Dad, could… I know it's a family trip, but JD's crazy great aunt is visiting, and…"

Castle laughed. "If he wants to come along, tell him to dress for cold weather and be waiting for us. According to the weatherman this morning, a cold front came through and the temperature dropped twenty degrees overnight. Tell him we'll swing by and pick him up."

Alexis gave her boyfriend the message and told him to be ready, and he happily agreed. "Thanks, Dad," she said as she got into the seat behind her father's. "He sounded kind of desperate."

Castle chuckled as she closed her door. Before he opened Kate's door for her, his wife gave him a little peck on the lips and said, "I'm proud of you."

She got a quick little kiss in return and he answered with a grin, "Me, too. Sounds like he needed a rescue. He's grown into a good man, and I do like him…respect him. It's just…"

"You're afraid he's going to steal your little girl?"

"Yeah," he sighed.

"Then let's go pick him up so you can keep a close eye on him," she answered mischievously.

"I like the way you think, wife." He opened Kate's door for her and let her settle into the seat before closing it and walking to the driver's side. As he closed his own door, he gave a little shiver and said, "It was so warm when we were walking yesterday…no jackets or anything. Today it's winter. Brrrr!"

"Mother Nature must have heard we're going Christmas tree shopping. She's setting the stage," Alexis answered.

They picked JD up a few minutes later, and he got into the car saying "None of you will ever know how much I appreciate this." And all of them laughed.

They drove through the gnarly traffic out of the city and into the countryside. The tree farm was about an hour's drive away.

"So now that you have your two initiates as a captive audience, are you ready to tell us about this place Alexis said I'll love?" Kate asked.

"It's more than a tree farm," Alexis started. "They have a Christmas store that's open all year 'round. Ornaments, and yard decorations, and tree stands, and cookie making supplies…everything you could want."

"Some of the ornaments are good quality, well made; but there are some pretty gaudy ones, too.. And they have several people on staff who can personalize things for you." Castle added. They're craftsmen, do nice work."

"They have Christmas music playing everywhere," Alexis told them, and there's a little place where you can have lunch or snacks or get coffee or hot chocolate."

"So you won't have to wait in the car if you get tired. And there's a little Santa's village," Castle said with a smile. "We have a picture of Alexis with Santa there for every year since she was three."

"Except the year we got married?" Kate asked, looking apologetic.

"Totally worth missing it that year, Kate," Alexis assured her. "I wouldn't change a thing."

"Me, either," Castle answered, giving her the look that told her how much he loves her, and without having to say a word. And she gave them both an appreciative smile.

"You pick out your tree and then someone comes out with a saw and cuts it down, and you can either tie it down on top of your car and take it with you, or they'll deliver it the next day," Alexis explained. "They have a truck that delivers to apartments in the city every day."

"They'll even set it up for you if you want them, too," Castle chimed in. "Full service operation. Hey, Alexis, we should see if they still have those glass icicles we saw last year. When we got home and didn't have them, I regretted not buying them." Then he and Alexis talked about previous trips and things they had at home already.

"Well, JD, I don't know about you, but I think I'm more excited now than I was before." Kate stated.

"I was excited just to get out of the house," the young man answered. "Yesterday I did what my parents wanted me to and spent time with Dad's aunt and put up with all the stuff she dished out; but this morning, I just couldn't do it anymore. I asked my granddad if he thought I could get away with meeting Alexis for coffee. Then, when he found out you'd take me with you on this trip, he went into his cowboy posture and used his old western movie accent and said, 'Run fer the hills, boy. If she warn't ma sister, Ah'd come with ya.'"

Everyone else laughed. Then JD told them about his Thanksgiving, including a blessedly rare visit from an eccentric and annoying great aunt. Given his natural dry sense of humor, after an approximately twenty minute accounting of her eccentricities and examples of her behavior, he had everybody else in stitches.

"Feel better now?" Kate asked, still chuckling and wiping a couple of tears of laughter from her eyes.

"Yeah. Sorry," JD said with a grin. "I didn't mean to go on that long."

"I'm so glad you did," Castle answered. "She makes my mother sound tame, and you've met my mother."

"I feel even better knowing she'll be gone by the time I get back home," JD answered good-naturedly. "Where is Ms. Rodgers today? My granddad said to give her his regards."

"Grams came with us once when I was about twelve." Alexis answered. "That's all it took for all of us to know this is not her thing, so it's been Dad and me ever since, except today. I can't wait for both of you to see everything."

"Wow. We're almost there," Castle said, suddenly recognizing a landmark. With an amused smile he added, "JD's Aunt Eugenia made the trip seem much shorter this year."

"It's a good thing it's cold out," JD grumbled. "It'll cover for what might be permanently red cheeks after all the grabbing and pinching."

"Poor baby," Alexis said with a giggle and kissed his cheek.

When they pulled into the parking area at the tree farm, it was everything Alexis had described, and Kate and JD looked around, appearing to be soaking in the atmosphere.

"I can see why you like this place so much…even without being close enough to see the shops. It's beautiful. Peaceful." She got out of the car to look around. "And cold," she added as she took her coat from the warm car and put it on, pulling the edges tight around her.

"Definitely cold," Alexis agreed, following suit. "And that breeze doesn't help."

"Some of it isn't always peaceful. Santa's village is usually kind of noisy, but it's happy noise. We should have our pictures taken with Santa. They let adults do that, too, and nobody has to sit on his lap if they don't want to. We have to at least get one of Kate, though…so one day we can show our little boy that he was here this year, too."

"We'll see, Castle," his wife answered, sounding skeptical.

"He'll talk her into it, won't he?" JD asked Alexis mischievously.

"Probably," she answered with a grin. "Come on. Tree first, then there's a lot more to see."

Castle took his wife's hand and led her to a shed where they were temporarily protected from the stiff breeze and the cold, and they picked up a couple of tags. He insisted that they get a small tree for Jim's apartment, too. Kate wasn't sure at first, but Castle was determined; and she knew her father would appreciate the gesture from his son-in-law.

Alexis and JD waited for them to pick up the tags, and then she took his hand and tugged him into the rows of various evergreen trees, explaining what they were looking for.

Castle and Kate followed them at a more leisurely pace, with Castle also explaining. As they walked behind the younger couple, Kate observed, "She's so excited about this. It's fun to watch."

"When your mom was still with you, were you that excited?"

She looked surprised but answered without hesitation. "Maybe not as much when I was eighteen. I thought I had to act like I was too cool for that. But I was excited. A lot more when I was younger."

"If you think Alexis is excited now, you should have seen her when she was little. When she fully realized why we were here, she wanted to look at every single tree before we decided." He laughed as he remembered. "I had to show her the different varieties of trees they grow here and show her which kind we were looking for. She nodded, looking very wise for someone of the advanced age of five…and then we looked at every single one of _those_ trees."

Kate laughed. "I can almost see it. She must have been adorable."

"She was. My completely unbiased opinion, of course."

"Sometimes I wish…" She sighed deeply. "No. We wouldn't have worked then. I barely worked well enough to take care of myself then, let alone a child. Or maybe all I did was work. When I was at work, I was a dynamo, I blazed trails. But on the inside…"

"I didn't mean to make you sad." He put his arm around her shoulders as she still clutched the sides of her coat across her chest."

"I'm not sad. I'm frustrated with my old self." She looked up at him and smiled, "I'm actually happier than I've ever been…because of you."

"I'm about to embarrass my child, and possibly her boyfriend, and seriously kiss you right here in the middle of the tree path." He turned her around to face him and kissed her long and slow.

As that was happening, Alexis turned to see why her parents weren't right behind them. "Dad!? What are you doing?" she demanded as she rushed toward him. "There are little kids all over the place around here."

"Well I don't see a one of them at the moment, and you and JD have seen me kiss my wife before."

"But it went on and on and…"

"It wasn't _that_ bad," her father answered with a grin as Kate hid her face against his chest. "No tongue or anything." He never looked away from his wife as he spoke.

"Daaaad! Eeew."

JD was smirking behind her.

"My wife just told me she's happier than she's ever been…because of me. I couldn't help myself. What would you do, JD?"

"I'd kiss her where we stood, Sir…wherever that might be."

"JD, don't encourage him," Alexis scolded.

"Alexis when the woman you love, especially when it's a woman like Mrs. Castle, says that to a man, it's big. It's gonna get a response."

"Just understand," Castle said to JD, palming the back of her head and never looking away from Kate, "no man can single-handedly make a woman happy. He can only help when she's ready to be happy. And it isn't me. It's us. We've both worked at this. What she said tells me we're there." He said all that while taking the edges of Kate's coat from the fingers that were clutching them close, and gently and child appropriately, he buttoned them for her.

"Castle, I can button my own coat," Kate told him. "My middle isn't that big yet."

"Consider it buttoning the baby in. I'm his daddy. It's my job to keep him warm and safe and loved."

She put a hand on his arm for balance, stood on tiptoe, and gave him a quick kiss. Then she took his hand and said, "Come on. Let's stop embarrassing your first child and find a Christmas tree."

"Thank you, Kate," Alexis answered. "He's acting like he's in high school…even though he might have a good reason."

Kate smiled at Alexis understandingly. But as the younger couple moved ahead of them again, Kate turned to her husband and said suggestively, "Babe, you are _so_ much better than high school."

Castle answered with a smile and a low sexy chortle that Kate usually heard only in the bedroom.

Then they turned their full attention to finding the perfect tree. When they had narrowed their choices down to four, they discussed the pros and cons of importance…perfect height, perfect shape, perfect openings to hang decorations, etc. When they finally decided, they tagged the tree and Castle went to find someone to help them cut it. In the overall process, they had also found a tree that got the Beckett stamp of approval for Jim's apartment.

The tree farm had employees who would cut down the tree with a chainsaw and have it down quickly, but they also had old fashioned crosscut saws for the customers who wanted the entire woodland experience. Castle and Alexis, of course, always wanted the whole enchilada; so Castle was already familiar with what to expect. Generally, an employee manned one end of the saw; but Orin, an older man who was helping them that day, was a longtime employee who had enjoyed Castle and Alexis for years. He cut a wedge from the tree and then worked with Castle to start cutting.

"Does the young man over there want to help?" he asked. "Looks like he's itching to try."

"Hey, JD? You want to help?" Castle called to him.

"Sure." The younger man jumped at the chance. "How do I do this?"

Orin gave him some simple instructions and warnings, then Castle and JD cut through the remainder of the trunk under Orin's watchful eye. Kate and Alexis watched from far enough away to be safe when the tree fell.

"Your dad really does like JD, you know," Kate told her stepdaughter as they watched. Anything you hear otherwise is just a dad hating the thought of another man taking away his daughter. He told me that he respects JD, that he's a fine young man."

"Well, that's good to know…if we ever get that serious,"

"You've been dating for months. Do you think it might get that serious?" Kate asked, swinging her arm around the girl's shoulders. "You don't have to answer if it feels like I'm too far into your business."

"I really like him…a lot, but I'm not ready for that yet. I mean, I'm eighteen, just started college, and my classes are pretty demanding. I'm not ready to be too serious about anybody. I guess Ashley discouraged me from that."

"Does JD know that? He's looking pretty smitten lately."

"We haven't had that talk, so I don't know." She looked concerned.

"I think he's a lot like your father, Honey. If he's ahead of you in that department, I think he'll be willing to give you the time to work it out for yourself, and I think he'll honor your decisions. I respect him, too. I think you can trust him."

"Thanks Kate. It means a lot that you both feel that way.

The two men whooped as the fourteen foot tree fell with a cracking sound, followed by a thud and the rustling of the branches and needles. Orin was grinning with them, a momentary boys' club forming as they welcomed JD into the tree felling brotherhood. The trunk of a fourteen foot tree is a little larger than some of the shorter trees…not exactly a lumberjack experience, just a small taste of the feeling. In spite of the brief nature of their adventure, though, manly pride was rising from Castle and JD like steam.

From their vantage point, the women chuckled and Kate observed, "You might need to think through some of those things we just talked about…before your dad and JD decide that they can't live without each other." She gave Alexis's shoulder a little squeeze and said, "Come on. Let's go and see to the egos of our manly, saw wielding men."


	79. Chapter 79

Chapter 79

The business of choosing and buying trees being taken care of, the Castle entourage moved on to snacks and hot chocolate before they tackled the Christmas shop. The Christmas store was as all-inclusive as Alexis had said, and some of the ornaments were as gaudy as Castle said they would be. But, overall, there were a lot of nice things to choose from. They laughed at some of the most outrageous ornaments and the Christmas signs, wall hangings, etc. with funny holiday jokes. And they groaned at the Christmas puns, and admired the large number of well-crafted objects and ornaments. Alexis found the glass icicles Castle had wanted, and he picked up enough for the large tree they had chosen. Orders were placed for several personalized ornaments that they would pick up later and found a few other things that one or the other of them just wanted. After arranging to pick it all up later, they went to look around at Santa's village and have a few pictures made.

Alexis and Castle showed them all the little details they had noticed a little at a time over the years, and the new members of their Christmas trip seemed duly impressed. Once in Santa's presence, Castle's first order of business was a picture of Kate with Santa Claus. He insisted on a silhouette shot so the baby bump was on display; and amazingly, she indulged him with no protest. They also had photos taken with both of their children, born and waiting to be born. One was made with Alexis and JD, and the last with all four of them, the men standing next to Santa's chair with an elbow propped at the corner of the chair back, and the women sitting on the arm of the chair next to Santa. Castle had extra copies made for his mother and Kate's father and JD. He realized that he really was enjoying having the younger man around.

They stopped at the Christmas store long enough for Castle to make one more purchase, then went to the café and had a leisurely, late lunch and more hot chocolate to fortify themselves for the trip home. Then they went to pick up their purchases and make the drive back to Manhattan.

"I have to admit, that was a little bit magical," Kate said as Castle pulled the SUV out on the highway again.

"You're my witnesses," he said to the young couple in the back. "My wife just admitted to feeling the magic."

Kate swatted his arm and the others just laughed.

Castle found Christmas music on the car radio, and there was a comfortable silence among the four of them for a while as everyone relaxed after their little adventure.

Finally, Castle said, "The tree should be delivered and set up sometime late tomorrow morning. We can bring the Christmas boxes up from storage and start decorating it over the next couple of days."

"With that much tree, it's probably going to take at least two days. I seem to remember that you tried to put everything in every box on it last year," Kate teased.

"We always have. It's Christmas, and it's there. Might as well use it. We had a decorator come and put the tree up the year we got married, but I like the ones we do ourselves better. Somebody else can come and wrap the stairs with evergreen garland and hang it around the loft, but we get the tree to ourselves."

"So every year you get more ornaments to hang…and the tree just gets fuller and fuller?" JD asked.

"Lots of memories on that tree, was Castle's answer. "It's hard to decide what to leave out, so..."

"So they all go on the tree," JD answered. "I get it."

"Do your parents put all the stupid little ornaments you made in school on the tree every year?"

"I don't know if they even saved them. I never saw them again after the Christmas I made them. Mom gets a decorator, and every year the tree has a different theme. No room for school age art, I guess."

Alexis reached over and took his hand. "That's terrible. I mean it embarrasses me sometimes to see them and hear Dad tell somebody about it like it's something worth bragging about, but it does feel good that he thinks they're special."

"I like the way your family does things. This is the kind of family I want someday."

Alexis didn't let go of his hand, but she looked thoughtful and went silent for a little while."

All of them were tired but happy as they engaged in sporadic conversation on the way home.

xxxxx

Martha's voice could be heard from the top of the stairs when the other three members of the Castle family returned. "I assume you bought more ornaments for the tree," she called as she descended the stairs.

"Of course we did. We have glass icicles that should reflect the lights, a few ornaments that reflect personalities, and some just because it's this year."

"Did you have fun, Katherine? Did they wear you out? The year I went with them, they were both relentless…non-stop excitement."

"I'm tired, but it was fun," Kate answered.

"It isn't my cup of tea, but I always enjoy seeing what they've brought back."

"On the table, Grams. Want to see the pictures first? We have copies for you."

"You know I love the pictures," she answered as she joined them. "Oh look! Katherine and my grandson with Santa. You're glowing, Darling." There was a little pause as she looked at the picture and touched it. "Beautiful," she said softly. Then, sounding curious, she noted, "Santa looks amused."

"That's because Castle was trying for the angle that made me look most like a blimp. He told the resident elf that he wanted a picture of his wife and son with Santa…even stole my coat so it would be more obvious."

"That sounds like my boy."

The next picture was Alexis and JD.

"JD was there?" Martha asked, looking surprised as she saw it. Looking at Alexis, she said, "This has always been a family trip. Is there something you need to tell me?"

"Nothing like that, but it's still a good story." Alexis answered with a grin.

All of them took turns telling parts of JD's Aunt Eugenia story, and Martha enjoyed it as much as they had.

"Mr. Farnsworth sends you his regards, by the way," Castle added.

"He's a good man," Martha told them. "But I met JD's parents once, and they're both a couple of cold fish. I wasn't that impressed with either of them. I think JD turned out the way he did because his grandfather enjoyed spending a lot of time with him. They have very similar personalities. Well, however JD got there, Alexis, this is a lovely picture. And there are more? Weren't the parents in line with their children giving you the evil eye by the time you got to the last one?"

"Only one," Castle answered. "And she had the same sour look on her face wherever we saw her. Under her coat, I think she was wearing a T-shirt that said 'Bah! Humbug!' Besides, none of us needed to sit on Santa's lap to recite endless Christmas lists, so we were quick. And the sign does say adults are welcome, too."

The third picture was the Castles and JD, and Martha smiled and raised an eyebrow at her granddaughter.

"Grams, stop it," Alexis scolded, but she was smiling.

Then Martha found the one with the three Castles and looked at it misty eyed, bringing one hand over her heart. "Richard, this is what I've always wanted for you, and I know it's what you've always wanted. You're such a beautiful family, and all of you look so happy."

"We are, Martha," Kate assured her. "And we should have another one taken soon where you're with us."

Martha swung her arm around Kate's shoulders and said, "Now what else do you have?"

"Ornaments," The three of them answered together, and all four of them laughed as Castle took them out of the box they were packed in.

The first one was a lime green glittery star they'd had personalized with the word 'Diva'. Martha backhanded his chest, but she was smiling. He knew she liked it. Alexis had chosen one that had books and pens, and said Columbia 2012. Castle's ornament was a book with his writer vest on the cover, and Kate's was a badge hung from handcuffs.

"Okay, we don't know what somebody was thinking with that last one, but we got it anyway. So those are all the really cheesy ones." Castle said.

"Show her this year's commemorative collection," Alexis told her father.

Those ornaments were more sedate than the others and all of them were personalized with the year and the caption they had requested.

"JD had this one made for Alexis," Kate told her mother-in-law. It had only their names and the year, and Alexis held up another one very much like it that read "Castle and Beckett".

"I like this one," Castle said, holding it up for Martha's inspection. That one said "Baby in progress", and a small picture of Kate with Santa had been incorporated into the design.

"I don't know how somebody managed to use that picture and still manage to give the design a little class," Kate noted as she looked at it again. "And then there are these," she announced, unwrapping one while Castle and Alexis took out several others, all of which were small works of art.

"The tree should be here tomorrow," Castle told Martha, "and we can start working on it…give these a place of honor."

They worked on the tree off and on over the weekend, finishing most of it. But close to eleven on Sunday night, as they were about to go to bed, Esposito called Beckett from a crime scene.; and she put her phone on speaker so Castle was part of the conversation, too.

"You do realize I'm not on call, right?"

"Yeah, we do. But we had to call," Esposito answered.

Ryan chimed in from close by, "Castle would never forgive us if we didn't let him in on this one."

"What happened?

"Nuh-uh," Ryan answered. "We want to see his face."

"What about it Castle? You want to go?" Kate asked.

"Not exactly the high point of a Christmasy, family weekend, but it's intriguing that they won't tell us what's going on," Castle answered as he stopped trying to fight the draw of another mystery.

"Text me the address," she told boys. "You got him hook, line, and sinker."

"Yes!" Esposito said at a volume level appropriate for a crime scene but an enthusiasm level that might not be.

xxxxx

They were given the address of an upscale department store and told that the officer at the door would direct Castle to the crime scene when he got there.

"Sorry I can't take you and Peanut," he told his wife.

"I'm getting used to it. Just have the camera ready. After all this buildup, I'd better get video from the time you get out of the car. I don't want to miss anything."

He planted a kiss on her lips, then went for another one, and left saying, "Lots of video…of whatever it is. Promise."

When Castle reached the front of the store, he realized he had forgotten the small separate camera he had bought for recording crime scenes, so he resorted to his phone again. His camera was already running, as promised. The officer at the door pointed him to the elevator and the correct floor; and as he left the elevator, there was a sign that read, "See Santa at the end of Candy Cane Lane. About halfway across the floor, large candy canes formed a long path where visitors could be corralled into a line to reach what appeared to be Santa's house. Another officer, who was putting up crime scene tape, directed Castle to go around the outer edge of the floor, which took him behind Santa's house. The boys met him there.

"So, what's going on? Why such a secret?" Castle asked.

"The victim is Beverly, according to her name tag. No last name yet," Ryan stated. "Looks like she's about twenty."

"Come on," Esposito said. "We'll show you. Lanie got here a few minutes ago, and the store manager should be here any time now."

"When they rounded the edge of the Santa's House setup, they found Lanie leaning over the body of an elf in full regalia, pointy ears and all, near the snowy house set up for the Santa visits. The elf…well, Beverly, Castle forced himself to remember, was on her side, draped across the seat of the rather large sleigh, one arm extended over a few of the brightly wrapped packages piled behind the wide front seat. Beverly's lifeless presence negated the sleigh's intended purpose of providing festive ambience for Santa's front yard.

Castle's absolutely genuine response was every bit what he knew the boys had hoped for. "There was a murder at Santa's house?" he exclaimed. When a few CSU workers looked up at that, he whispered excitedly to Ryan and Esposito, "Elficide?"

No one else except Lanie caught it, but Ryan and Esposito were obviously trying to rein in their smirks and surreptitiously bumped fists.

"Damnedest thing I've seen in a while," Lanie said looking up at them.

"These ears…" Castle said in awe, making sure his phone camera picked up every possible angle of ear.

"Not real, Castle," she told him with an amused little smile, "But I have to admit, I had to check. Amazing makeup job. I half expected plastic surgery."

"You got a cause of death yet?" Esposito asked.

"Almost certainly strangulation. No sign of ligature marks, though. There's bruising on the neck. Looks like someone used bare hands."

Castle still seemed mesmerized by the ears.

About that time, Castle's phone pinged with a text from Beckett. ' _I got it. Really nice ears. Now what else should I see?'_

"Time of death?" Ryan asked.

"Approximately four hours ago," Lanie told them. "And indications are that it happened here. It doesn't look like the body was moved post mortem."

So about seven?" Castle asked, mentally returning to the crime scene and panning the camera slowly around the area for his wife's benefit.

Seeing an officer escorting a distraught looking man in their direction, Castle and the two detectives went to meet him behind the house before he could walk into the crime scene area.

"Lawrence Warren," the man said, extending his hand to Castle. "I'm the store manager, Detective."

"Richard Castle, civilian consultant," Castle corrected. Indicating the other two men, he said, " Detectives Ryan and Esposito."

Mr. Warren reached to shake their hands as well. "Sorry. I'm a bit distracted right now. I was told there was a death. What happened?"

Esposito explained the situation and told him they would have to close the entire floor until they could clear the crime scene.

"We know it's going to present a business problem and will disappoint a lot of children," Ryan sympathized, but there's no choice."

"I can't say it won't be a problem, but I understand." Warren eased around toward the other side of the house, asking with gestures whether it was acceptable. Esposito nodded, and they took him to an area outside the yellow tape. "Oh, my god." His hand went to his mouth. "When did this happen?"

"Around seven," Castle told him. "What time does the store close on Sunday during the holidays?"

"At five-thirty. Everybody except security and custodial staff should have been gone well before seven, and they usually are. Most of them are high school or college students and have better things to do." Standing for a moment and looking at the scene, he breathed a sigh. "I have a daughter about her age. Poor kid. She'd been with us for several years. Seemed like a nice girl. Her parents… How do you deal with losing a child?"

"Did you know her well?" Ryan asked.

"No. I didn't really know her, just her work. I'm up here a lot during the holidays. I like to keep an eye on how the staff interacts with the families…make sure it's all positive. It's an important time of the year. She was great with the kids. They loved her." After another sigh, he added, "Not to trivialize the tragedy, but I have to recognize that this is going to be a PR nightmare."

"We always begin with eliminations, so we might as well ask now, where you were at seven tonight?" Esposito asked.

"We had guests for the holidays. They're leaving first thing in the morning. We were having drinks after turkey leftovers. I can give you their names and contact information."

We'd appreciate that," Ryan answered. "We'll also need a list of everyone who has personal access to the store after hours, and the surveillance footage for yesterday and last night."

"I'll print a list for you and have security get you the video." Looking up at the jacket blocking the camera that covered the sleigh, he said, "They should have caught that a camera went dark."

"They did. Security was first on scene. Quinn over there called it in, but we don't know yet how long it was dark before they caught it."

"We're also going to need to speak to the rest of the personnel who work in the Santa operation, and the ones who manage it," Ryan explained, and he asked Warren to arrange a meeting with all the people on that list and provide them a meeting room at twelve-thirty the next afternoon.

"It would be helpful if we could explain to everyone once and get all the interviews done quickly," Castle explained.

"I'll have people arrange for that first thing in the morning. Laurel Buchanan is in charge of the Santa House and all its accompanying planning, advertising, decorating, etc. We have a number of young people working as elves. They've been managed by Ed Ekman for the last couple of years. He's been an elf with us since he was eighteen. He's now twenty-eight."

"That's a little long in the tooth for this kind of work, isn't it?" Castle asked.

"It is, but he seems to enjoy it, and the lines, photos, costumes, and work schedules have run like clockwork since he's been in charge. He's a little odd, but harmless, and the parents and kids love him. He works in menswear the rest of the year."

"We'll leave an officer on the premises overnight. I think we're about done here for now," Ryan informed the manager.

"Whatever you need to do. And let me know if I can be of further help. If you'll excuse me, now, I have a lot of decisions and arrangements to make before we open tomorrow."

"Thanks for your cooperation," Esposito said.

Warren nodded, spoke to Quinn briefly, shook his hand, and left for his office.

Quinn showed them to the locker room/employee's lounge area that was set up for the Santa and elf staff during the holidays, and Castle scanned the room with the camera and sent that video, including the contents of Beverly's locker, to Beckett. Everything they would expect was in her purse in her locker, except a cell phone, but they did now have her full name and next of kin identified. She was Beverly Coolidge, a student at NYU.

The men discussed what they had and what they needed, and they decided a lot of it would have to wait until morning, and that almost everything else could, too.

"That's all of it for now, Kate. See you in half an hour, maybe less," Castle said before stopping the recording. His phone pinged again, and he checked the text and smiled as he put the phone in his pocket, leaving Ryan and Esposito to wonder why. "Thanks, guys. I wouldn't have wanted to miss this one," Castle told the boys as they entered the elevator.

"It would have been better with Beckett, but we didn't want you to miss the full effect of the initial crime scene," Esposito said with a smirk.

"You think I could get away with a book titled _Murder in Santaland_?"

"People have gotten away with worse. Doesn't mean you ought to try, though," Ryan answered with a grin.

"You're probably right," Castle agreed. They left the building to return to their cars, and Castle lifted a hand in parting before getting in his car and leaving for home.

xxxxx

"So is this ear fixation something I should know about?" Kate teased as she filled a cup with hot cocoa and added plenty of marshmallows. When Castle took off his coat and dropped it on the back of the sofa, she kissed her husband and handed over the cup.

"Elficide, Kate!" he said with a smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes.

"So I heard," she answered, smiling back and picking up her own cup.

"We have to show Mother the makeup. It was seamless. You heard Lanie, right? It even made her think it could be real."

Leaning against the breakfast bar with him as they sipped hot cocoa, she asked "What did you think of Lawrence Warren? Any potential there as a suspect?"

"I doubt it. He seemed upset about the whole thing, concerned for the family…and stressed. I don't envy the man his job for the next week or so. Ryan and Esposito were going to notify the girl's parents before they go home tonight, and they're planning to check with Warren's guests before they leave town tomorrow morning…later this morning, I guess…to confirm his alibi. They have to be there before eleven."

"Let's put it all on hold and tackle it in the morning," Kate suggested. "We know enough now to have a starting point. I'll try to get the boys out of the precinct right after the meeting at the store so they can catch up on some sleep. I hate that they're having to cover so much of the legwork for me."

"We'll have to try to find ways to take some of the pressure off the work at the precinct for them." Standing and taking her hand, he put his cup in the sink and tugged her toward their room. "Bedtime," he declared. "The ungodly hour you insist on getting up for work will be here before we know it, and you need your rest."

xxxxx

Beckett and Castle encountered Gates when they entered the precinct. "I know you weren't on call yesterday, but do you know any of the particulars about the situation at the department store last night?" she asked.

"Castle met Ryan and Esposito there, so we have just about all of it. He sent several videos last night, so I'm caught up on most of it, too."

"And why did they call Mr. Castle when you weren't on call?"

"It happened at the Santa House display," Castle answered. "Elficide."

"You're wearing that out, Castle," Beckett told him firmly.

"No need for further explanation," Gates interceded. "Tell me where we are."

Beckett started her computer and brought up the video, fast forwarding past the ear cam shots to the full shot of the house and sleigh and the discussion with Lanie. She gave Gates the victim's name and the little bit they knew at the moment.

"We also spoke to the store manager," Castle told her. "He was very cooperative. There's a meeting scheduled this afternoon for everyone involved with the Santa thing… twelve-thirty at the store. And he's given us a list of everyone with keys and/or access to the alarm system. Ryan and Esposito have picked up the surveillance videos for yesterday."

"Ryan and Esposito won't be here first thing, by the way. They're stopping by Mr. Warren's house to confirm his alibi with his house guests, and they notified the parents on the way home last night. I'd like to let them leave after the meeting this afternoon…let them get some sleep."

"That won't be a problem." Gates agreed. "With any luck, you and Mr. Castle will have something new to work with by then."

They did what they could until the boys came in.

"Beverly's parents took it hard," Ryan told them. "I hate that part of the job."

"We have the surveillance footage," Esposito said, holding it up where they could see it. "And Warren's alibi checked out."

"Go get some coffee and let's look at what we have so far. There are bear claws on your desk,"

"Be right back," Ryan answered, and went to the break room, Esposito close behind him.

"We've done background checks on the people with access to the building," Castle said when they were back. "Nobody stands out as a problem."

After that questions and suggestions bounced between them.

"Crime of passion?"

"Could be. Choking somebody to death bare handed is…"

"Why was she there after hours?"

"And who else was there."

"It had to be somebody with the alarm codes."

"A temporary holiday employ isn't likely to have that."

"An affair gone wrong with someone at the store?"

"Opportunity for theft?"

"Had security or custodial staff seen anything after hours before now?"

"We met with the custodial staff before you got there last night. Nothing came up there," Esposito reported.

"Security hasn't seen anything unusual, either," Ryan added. "They were down a man last night. Somebody had an emergency at the last minute, and they couldn't get a replacement on that short notice. The guy who would have been manning the cameras replaced him when they made their rounds of the store, so they aren't sure exactly when the camera view was blocked, but we'll find it when we watch.

"I talked to Lanie just before you got here. She's just finished the autopsy report for Grayden's case. She was getting to Beverly Coolidge and said she might be able to tell us something by the time we finish the meeting this afternoon," Beckett told them.

"Then I guess we'll just have to eat bear claws and wait," Esposito answered around one of the pastries.

"And plan how to handle the meeting and the interviews," Beckett reminded them. "And, Castle, don't forget the other camera this time. "It's easier when you have me on speaker than when I have to text. I want to be able to ask questions if something comes up."

They all went to lunch at Remy's, then Beckett went back to the precinct and Castle and the boys went to meet with the members of the department store's Santa operation.


	80. Chapter 80

Chapter 80

"We're meeting with Santa Claus and a roomful of elves," Castle said with a grin as he and Ryan and Esposito walked toward the department store."

"You do realize they won't be in costume, right?" Ryan reminded him with a chuckle.

"Yeah. Bummer." Castle answered good naturedly.

"Beckett could have been right back then. Nine year old on a sugar rush," Esposito said.

"Hey you're the ones who called me in on this. Just providing the entertainment value you expected."

"Just so you rein it in before we get to the meeting," Esposito answered.

Once they entered the store, they were all looking professional.

Esposito, the least elf-like person in the room, was elected to start the meeting. Everyone had been told that something had happened after store hours the night before and that the police needed their help. The store manager, Mr. Warren, had decided that it would be best to deliver the news to everyone at once. He had already announced that the Santa display would be closed for a few days at minimum.

In opening the meeting, Esposito introduced himself, then Ryan and Castle. You may also hear from Lieutenant Beckett on speaker phone if she has questions. She's lead detective for our team.

"I've seen her on the news on TV," one young man commented. "She can handcuff me any time she wants. Why isn't she here?"

Beckett's strong voice came from Castle's speaker phone quickly. "If I have to cuff you, I seriously doubt you'd enjoy it."

The instant teasing response from the others at hearing the put down was exactly what would be expected from a group made up of mostly high school and college students.

"As for why she isn't here," Castle answered, taking only one nonchalant step toward the shorter and much smaller young man who made the comment, "my wife is close to seven months pregnant, and after a dangerous incident a few days ago, she's confined to full desk duty."

The young man looked up at Castle, who would have loomed over him had he been standing, and shrunk quietly into his seat.

Esposito told them, "The subject of this meeting isn't a joke. We're homicide detectives. A young woman was killed here last night after closing, and we need your help." That changed the tone of the responses immediately. "We intend to speak to each of you individually. There are no suspects at the moment; but, aside from the interview questions, you will all be asked your whereabouts at the time of the murder. That helps us eliminate those who couldn't have been here." Shocked looks answered his statement, and the room went silent. "Beverly Coolidge was murdered last night, and we need any information you can give us that might help us identify the killer.

One of the women asked, "Should we have lawyers?"

"That's up to you. These are witness interviews, not interrogations. Getting all of you in one place was an attempt to make it easier for both you and us. Any interviews other than this afternoon will be done elsewhere. If you prefer to have a lawyer present, you don't need to stay. Just leave your contact information with Detective Ryan and we'll schedule a time to meet you and your attorney at the precinct."

When no one left, Esposito explained that the interviews would be conducted separately from the rest of the group so everyone could feel comfortable about offering information. Ryan stayed in the room, and Castle and Esposito conducted the interviews, reminding the interviewee that Beckett was still on speaker and might ask questions, too.

Most of the elves didn't have much information to offer, and had alibis that would be easy to confirm. They seemed to have liked Beverly and mentioned how much she had helped them when they were new. But a couple of the college aged women who were friends of hers had a bit more to add. They said that Ed Ekman was weird. He wasn't exactly creepy, just odd. He never did anything to intimidate them or tried anything that made them uncomfortable, just wasn't the kind of guy they'd want to spend much time with. They said he seemed interested in Beverly and had asked her out several times. She wasn't interested, but she did seem interested in one of the new guys, Nick Baker. She and Nick were both students at NYC, and both women thought they were probably seeing each other outside work.

When asked what exactly made Mr. Ekman odd, one woman couldn't quite formulate an explanation other than what she described as "the elf thing". The other one elaborated a little more, saying it was like he put on the costume and actually thought he was an elf. She had been there for three Christmas seasons; and when he was put into the management position the year before, it got worse. He did a good job, but he began to refer to himself as the head elf, even ordered himself red gloves to set him apart from all the others, who wore green ones, like it was some big deal. But in spite of the odd vibe, no one seemed afraid of him.

No one had anything negative to say about anyone else in management. They all said it was a good place to work.

The same man had played Santa for the store for years, and he and Ms. Buchanan, who managed the Santa operation, said similar things when asked about Mr. Ekman, agreeing that he was overzealous about the elf job. But they said responses from other employees were more in the form of eye-rolling behind his back than making complaints to management. His work in the men's department didn't show the same kind of obsession, but he did both jobs well, and the customers loved him.

When they got to Nick Baker, the young man Beverly was probably dating, Castle asked him about that; and Nick seemed genuinely devastated at her death.

"Yeah, we were dating." he admitted. "I'm a drama student and figured there would be a little acting involved in this job. Bev and I were both at the same school, but we hadn't met until we came in to apply for this job about a month ago. We just clicked, you know. It was already getting serious. I can't imagine never seeing her again."

"Did she have any enemies? Was there anybody who made her uncomfortable, gave her any trouble…"

"No. She was one of those people who got along with everybody. The people here at the store are friendly and helpful. Even Ed, the head elf, as he calls himself. He's a little pompous about it, but he keeps things running well. We've had a few training sessions here, costume fittings and stuff. Santa's House opened on Monday.

"Did Beverly have anything to say about Ekman?"

"Pretty much the same thing. He did ask her out. The first time she told him she had tests and had a lot of studying to do. The second time, she told him she had a boyfriend. Last time he seemed to have figured out it might be me and told her she shouldn't be dating me. That's about it."

"And where were you at seven the night of the murder?"

"I was waiting for Beverly at the coffee shop on the next corner. I got a text from her about seven-twenty saying she had an emergency and was catching a cab from the store. I sent one back to see if she needed any help, and she answered 'No. I'll talk to you later.' That's the last I heard from her."

They asked a few more questions and let the young man go before talking to Mr. Ekman. The description the others had given seemed accurate, and he also seemed distraught by Beverly's death.

"Were you dating or anything?" Esposito asked.

"No, but she had worked holidays here for four years. I liked her a lot."

"Several people said you had asked her out more than once."

"Turns out she had a boyfriend I didn't know about, so I stopped asking."

"I hear you really like your job," Castle mentioned, fishing for impressions.

"It's great. The kids love the elves, and the parents love it when the kids are happy, so they keep coming back. I've been here long enough I've begun to recognize some of them, and they remember me from before, sometimes even ask for me. I'm head elf now. The other elves are good with the families, too."

"And where were you at seven on Sunday night?" Esposito asked.

"Long gone from there. The store closed at five-thirty, I made sure things were ready for the next day, and went home."

"Can anyone vouch for that?"

"No. I live alone and didn't see anyone I know on the way in. No doorman where I live."

After a few more questions, they thanked Mr. Ekman and let him leave.

"Wonder why he lives alone," Esposito muttered sarcastically when Ekman was out of earshot.

"Definitely odd," Beckett chimed in. She had done that during several of the interviews, but it surprised both men every time."

"Definitely, Castle agreed. "Not so much what he said as much as the delivery. That was the last one, Beckett. We should be heading back pretty soon,"

"I'll call Lanie and see if she has anything that warrants a trip to the morgue yet," she answered. After speaking to Lanie, she went to the captain's office. "Dr. Parish has information for us, Sir. I'd like to go to the morgue and see for myself. She wouldn't allow it if there were anything of concern there."

"There and back. No side trips that could turn into something else dangerous. I've been a part of all the decisions I intend to that might put you in a bad position."

"There and back. Understood."

"Your car is in for repair. How do you intend to get there?"

"Castle drove us in this morning, and he left his keys with me. I'll wait until he's back."

"Short trip, Lieutenant."

"Yes, Sir."

When Castle returned, Beckett turned him around and pointed him toward the elevator. "Lanie has something for us. We won't be gone long."

"Not even a cup of coffee first?" Castle protested.

"Elficide, Castle. Don't you want to know? Short trip. Captain's orders."

"Fine." He took out several bills, put them on Ryan's desk, and told him, "Order our usual Chinese for all of us. We won't be too long."

"Thanks, man," Esposito answered as Beckett pulled Castle toward the elevator.

When they entered the morgue, Lanie stopped what she was doing and peeled off her gloves.

"So what have you got, Lanie?" Beckett asked.

"Well, hello to you, too," Lanie sassed.

"Sorry. Stir crazy, and the captain told me to make it a short trip. I think she's afraid I'll get into trouble before I get back."

"Yeah, well she's got reason. Did you see your OB yet?"

She found time for me Wednesday afternoon. Baby Castle and I are both fine."

How's Lupinski doing? Bruised ribs aren't fun." Lanie asked as she picked up the clipboard with her report.

"He's soldiering through. He came in the first day, and the captain sent him home. She gave him Friday off, put him on desk duty through tomorrow and limited for another week. She said she didn't want anybody depending on him for backup when he couldn't move normally. We've been commiserating."

"So what about our elf?" Castle said, leaning over toward the left ear.

I had to remove it. Makeup, Castle, remember? Not a real elf." Lanie looked amused.

"Yeah, I know. So what did you find about our non-elf?"

"Well, for starters, she was definitely strangled. Bare hands. A full two hands' worth of fingermarks on her neck. There hasn't been time yet to see if we can raise any prints, but I'll let you know as soon as I can. And…our elf here did the deed right before she died. There were two DNA samples on the sleigh seat. One was hers, and the other matched what was found in her body. No sign intercourse was forced. I did, however, find green velvet fibers that match her fingerless elf gloves, but she wasn't likely to be reaching some of the places I found fibers."

"So this could be elf on elf violence?" Castle said, looking shocked.

"More like elf on elf action. Looks like when it was happening, they were wearing at least part of the elf costume, apparently including the ears. Those green fibers were all over her body…and I'm talking _all_ over her body."

"Hmph!" Castle answered with a little shudder. "So not the elf picture you want to share with the kids."

"I don't know what it means, but there were other velvet fibers on her neck, too. Same kind of fibers…along with more green ones. But those were red. None of the red ones were anywhere but her neck and the front shoulders of her costume, though."

"We need to talk to Nick Baker and Ed Ekman again," Beckett stated.

"Yep." Castle agreed.

"Who are they? Lanie asked.

"Boyfriend," Beckett answered, "Also part of the elf troop."

"And the head elf," Castle added, "Who insisted he have red gloves to set him apart as more important."

"Then you're welcome. You owe me a girls' night, Kate Beckett Castle. Looks like I just made your job easier."

"You're on. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Thanks, Lanie," Castle called back as they left.

On their way to the car, Beckett handed Castle the keys.

"Really?" he teased. "I get to drive my own car?"

"To pay you back for dragging you here without stopping for coffee," she answered. "Besides, I need to call the boys."

Castle suggested, "Let's start with Baker. Find out why they were there…other than the obvious of course, and how he got out of the building without setting off the alarm."

"That's what I was thinking, too. Let's wait on Ekman. Let him think he's in the clear until Lanie lets us know about the prints." When her phone line opened, she said, "Hey, Ryan. You've got all the information on the elves from this morning. How about send a couple of uniforms to pick up Nick Baker and bring him in for questioning."

"I'm on it. You on your way back?"

"Yeah."

"The food just got here. If you hurry, it might still be warm."

"Okay. Maybe we'll even have time to eat it before we have to meet with Baker."

When they were back at the precinct, both Castle and Beckett were hungry enough they practically inhaled their food and were just finishing it when officers brought Baker in. He was taken to an interrogation room and they joined him there.

Beckett sat down across from him, and Castle sat down beside her and let her begin the questioning.

"Do you know why you're here?"

Looking down at the table, he asked, "You know, don't you?"

"Do we need to ask for a DNA swab?" Castle questioned.

Nick Baker just shook his head. "I didn't want to give you a bad impression of Bev. Her roommate's boyfriend was getting back home last night and the roommate asked to have the apartment to themselves for a while. I live in the dorm. Not the best place to take somebody you really care about. I talked her into…there. It wasn't her style, but she got into it while we waited for the alarm to set so we'd know everybody was gone. We got our regular clothes from our lockers like we were going to the restrooms to change, then we hid in a little storeroom for a while, locked the door, and got kind of…worked up."

"Was the sex consensual?" Beckett asked.

"What? Yes! I'd never force her…or anybody."

"We have to ask these questions."

"I know. It's just embarrassing…having somebody else know. She'd have quit her job…wouldn't have been able to look anybody in the eye if they found out. I hate that's how she might be remembered. I can't tell you how much I wish I hadn't…"

"You said you were waiting at the coffee shop…and the barista did confirm that you were there. You also said the alarm had set. How did you get out without tripping it?" Beckett asked.

"For some reason, Bev had the alarm code. She wouldn't tell me why she had it or where she got it, and I didn't really care. It meant we had time together. There was a camera trained on the sleigh, and there was a stepladder in the storage room, so I grabbed a jacket from one of the displays, and put the ladder up where the camera wouldn't catch me, and covered the camera with the jacket. We were both laughing. Well, she was kind of giggling. Then we…you know the rest. But I swear she was alive and smiling when I left. I put my clothes on over my costume, and she pulled her clothes back into place, then we went to the closest place to turn off the alarm and I kissed her. She turned off the alarm, gave me a few minutes to get out, I texted when I was outside, and she turned it on again. I heard it beep. She was going to change clothes and let herself out, and I said I'd have hot chocolate waiting for her when she met me. Then I got the text. I don't know anything about what happened after I left."

"So she had her phone when you left?" Beckett asked.

"Yeah. It was in her hand."

"Thank you for being honest with us," Castle said. He felt bad for the young man; and he understood the idea of trying to protect his girlfriend's reputation, even though Nick had to know it was futile. And he didn't think Nick Baker had killed her. His money was on Ekman, the head elf.

"Thanks for not making me feel like more of a sleaze than I already do," Nick answered. "I wish I could do last night over, but there's nothing I can do now to make it up to her. She's gone."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Castle said, and Nick nodded and reached to shake his hand.

"Same here," Beckett said, and Nick reached for her hand, too. "The officer outside will take you back home."

Then he opened the door and left with the officer who brought him in.

"You don't think he had anything to do with the murder, do you?" Beckett asked as she stood.

"No. And I don't think you do either," Castle answered, joining her.

"No. The sleigh incident…"

"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" he asked mischievously.

She bumped him with her shoulder and grinned at him flirtatiously. "Shut up, Castle."

He pulled her head gently toward him and kissed it, then let her go before he opened the door.

"The fact that it happened may or may not have had something to do with the murder, but I don't get the impression he would have killed her," she confirmed.

Ryan and Esposito met them as they left observation. "I kind of feel sorry for the kid," Ryan said, and Castle nodded as they walked back to their desks.

"We ran some of the surveillance in the Santa area of the store starting at closing time," Ryan told them. "There wasn't anything worth seeing except maybe in one place. There was some movement like somebody else might have been there, but the camera angle was wrong. We couldn't be sure."

"We thought we'd listen to what Baker had to say before we check video from a different camera. For what it's worth, I don't think he did it either." Esposito said.

"I don't, either." Ryan copied Beckett's move and bumped Esposito with his shoulder then batted his eyelashes. "You gonna kiss my head now?" he asked.

Everybody laughed when Esposito smacked him on the back of his head and strode away from them across the bullpen. As they approached Esposito's desk, Ryan was telling Beckett he and Esposito would start on the next video.

"No. Castle and I can do that. I already talked to the captain. Both of you go home and get some sleep. Just leave the surveillance videos for us, and give us the time when you caught the movement. Ekman looks good for this, but we're going to hold off on talking to him until tomorrow morning to give Lanie a little more time on the prints. I don't know if we can get a warrant for his home and his locker at the store based on red fibers alone."

"It looked like his 'elf-esteem' was high enough he'll probably think he's in the clear," Castle said.

They all groaned, and Beckett asked, "Really, Castle? Are you going to pull out every bad elf joke you've ever heard before this is over?"

"Ummmmm… Maybe?" Beckett rolled her eyes and sat down while Castle set up for the video.

"You sure you want us to leave you alone with him, Beckett?" Esposito asked.

"Too late. For better or for worse and all that. Go home."

"Sleep does sound good."

"I'll drop you off at your place," Ryan told him.

As they walked out, Esposito shoved Ryan away from him, muttering, "You stay over there. You make me ashamed of you."

Ryan was laughing, obviously pleased with himself.

Beckett and Castle smiled as they watched them leave and then settled into surveillance mode. Checking the time the boys mentioned, they found Ed Ekman, still in full costume, on two different cameras. He was standing in the shadows at the corner of the house as if he were surveying the area, then he stood watching something intensely and looking angry. After about twenty minutes, he left.

"I'll bet we know what he was watching, and that's an angry look there."

"You think this and the red fibers might get us a warrant?" Castle asked.

"Maybe. I'll talk to the captain. Whatever she says, though, it's almost six, and we can't do anything else until morning. Would you get me a bottle of water? I'll fill out the forms and we can go home."

"Be right back." Castle opened the bottle and put it on Beckett's desk, then he sat down and opened one for himself.

After taking the paperwork to Captain Gates, the two of them left the precinct.

xxxxx

Those velvet gloves probably felt nice, Castle said suggestively on the way home.

"Must have, judging from how many of the fibers Lanie found…"

"And in how many places," Castle interrupted. "But after this case, velvet gloves aren't likely to find their way into our toy box. Too many bad thoughts."

"Nope," she agreed. "The 'head elf' probably got quite a show."

"I keep thinking of how family centered what we saw on Friday was," Castle said, sounding a little sad. "And then seeing this… I really do love Christmas and seeing kids enjoy it, and this case kind of creeps me out if I don't keep joking about it."

"I know," Beckett answered, placing her hand comfortingly on his thigh as they drove. "Why don't we talk about something else?"

Castle suggested something they could give Alexis for Christmas, and asked Kate's opinion. Then they branched out to others they intended to buy for, and that got them home on a happier note.

Martha had an incident at school that day that made a delightfully funny story over dinner, and it was an excellent distraction from elves.

xxxxx

The following morning when they returned to the precinct, Beckett barely had time to start her computer before Gates came to let them know they had their warrant. Uniforms were sent to pick up Ekman, then Ryan and Esposito were sent to execute the warrant.

When Ekman was brought in, Beckett and Castle met him in an interrogation room; and he seemed to think they had called him in to help them.

"Would you like something to drink before we get started?" Castle asked. When Ekman answered in the affirmative, Castle asked an officer to bring a soft drink, then they closed the door and sat down, Castle across from Ekman and Beckett beside Castle.

"Mr. Ekman, would you tell us again what time you went home on Sunday?" Beckett asked.

"I left between six and six-fifteen. I told you that before."

"Do you generally leave for home wearing your elf costume?"

"Of course not. My elf clothes are strictly for the store."

"Then how do you account for this picture on Sunday night's surveillance video? The time stamp reads six-twenty, and you're still in full costume and make-up."

"Well…um…I guess I was mistaken about how long I worked before I left. Sometimes I go and sit in Santa's chair or on the sleigh while I check the reports and schedules. It's peaceful there, easy to lose track of time."

"You do understand that, in order for you to have time to remove the make-up and change clothes after that time, it would put you at the store suspiciously close to the time of the murder," Castle mentioned.

"But I was gone before then."

"Tell us again about your relationship with Beverly Coolidge."

"There was no relationship. I asked her out, then stopped asking. That's all."

"But you wanted it to be more?"

"I would have liked that, yes."

"Do you have any idea why she had the alarm code for the store?"

He sighed. "The first time I asked her out, she said she had to study. I thought it might be an excuse, that she might be intimidated by my status as head elf. Being head elf is kind of like being king; so before I asked her again, I tried to make her more comfortable with that. I told her she had been an elf longer than anyone else other than me, so she would be next in line for the red gloves if something happened to me. I told her if I was sick or something she would need to take my place, and I thought she should have the code in case she needed it. I told her not to mention it and not to use it unless I wasn't available. I let her know she was the second elf in command. She was important, too.

"So, there's an elfin pecking order?" Castle interrupted, eyebrows raised.

"Well, of course there is," Ekman answered. "There's a pecking order in every community."

"And how did she respond the second time?"

"She said she had a boyfriend. I was hoping she might reconsider; but the third time, I realized there was something between Beverly and that…beginner." He nearly spat the last word. "I told her she shouldn't date him, that he was beneath her status."

"And that made you angry, didn't it?" Beckett put another picture down in front of him. "You're facing the sleigh here. We caught you on two of the cameras. You were watching something for about twenty minutes and looking angrier as you watched. The time stamp on that has you leaving the corner of the house at six forty-five. Keep in mind that Mr. Baker has already told us what was happening on the sleigh just prior to when you left. Where you were standing, you couldn't have missed that. In my opinion, watching a couple having sex for that long is a little depraved."

"Me? Depraved? What about them?"

"They believed they were alone, and you didn't bother to let them know they weren't. I stand by depraved. And the medical examiner also found red velvet fibers on Beverly's neck, probably from your signature 'head elf' gloves."

For the first time, Ed Ekman seemed to understand they had figured it out. "Santa's house is sacred…not to be disrespected. They were both elves. He was a beginner, but Beverly had been an elf for four years. She knew better. I left when they stopped and then had to endure all the giggling and...other sounds afterward until he left. She even used the code I gave her to let him out." He leaned back in his chair in a huff.

Then there was a knock at the door, and LT handed Castle a folder. Castle read it and showed it to Beckett, and she nodded.

"Stand up," Beckett ordered the head elf. She handed Castle her cuffs and opened the door to bring an officer in with Castle. From a safe distance, she said, "Ed Ekman, you're under arrest for the murder of Beverly Coolidge."

"You can't do this," he shouted as the cuffs clicked around his wrists. You have no proof."

"We have your fingerprints…"

"Well, of course you'd have my fingerprints. I'm all over the Santa House area all day."

"These prints were on Beverly's neck…all ten fingers where you choked her to death with your bare hands. What was it that made you that angry? She was in your peaceful space when you wanted it? She was obviously attracted to somebody you thought was inferior to both of you? She turned you down and had to be punished?"

"I went to sit and work in Santa's chair and found them doing…that," he said in disgust. "I thought she was so perfect. I confronted her after he left and told her I saw them. I said she should be ashamed, that she wasn't worthy of being an elf…that I was his superior and he had no right to her…that I watched them desecrate the sleigh and the house. And she got angry with me. _She_ was angry with _me_. She said I should have told them I was there. She said my job might be superior but he was by far a more superior man. Then she said she enjoyed desecrating the sleigh, air quotes and everything. I was so angry I pushed her shoulders. Then she said she was sick of having to refuse me and of me telling her who she shouldn't see. Then she said she quit. What was I supposed to do? You can't stop being an elf. We argued and I grabbed her around the neck. I only intended to shake some sense into her, but then she went limp and wasn't breathing."

"What were you supposed to do?" Castle asked caustically. "Oh, I don't know. For starters, you could have let them know you were there instead of watching for twenty minutes. You could have stopped at reprimanding her, given her a warning, reported both of them to management, fired her. Doesn't murder seem a bit extreme?"

"It wasn't murder. I didn't mean it," Ekman insisted angrily.

"Does that make her any less dead?" Beckett asked him.

"But they were elves, and they…"

"No, Mr. Ekman, they weren't elves," Beckett corrected. "None of you are elves. They were college students who used some bad judgment. If you'd handled it better, nobody but the three of you had to know, and the Santa House could have hosted children the rest of the season. You, on the other hand desecrated your space by murdering one of your employees. You caused the whole operation to close, maybe for the rest of the season. You cost your employees their pay checks and took the visits to Santa away from all the children who had been looking forward to it. But the worst thing is the publicity that's going to happen when the newspapers report that the head elf killed another elf in front of Santa's house just a few weeks before Christmas. Little kids will see you on TV and their parents will have to figure out how to explain why. Nobody is going to love the egotistical elf who ruined Christmas. We're sending you to holding now, and you'll have plenty of time to think about that." Read him his rights, LT." She walked back toward her desk before they took him out of the room.

Ryan and Esposito met Castle as he left the room to walk back with him. "How come you're back already? Castle stopped and asked.

"It took no time to find all the evidence we needed. The red gloves were on his dresser, and Beverly's cell phone was on his coffee table. He probably sent the texts to Nick Baker after he killed Beverly."

"Oh, wait. We have his prints, but we don't have his prints. Chain of custody," Castle said suddenly. When the boys looked at him as if he were speaking another language, he explained, "We have Ekman's prints on Beverly, but he wasn't in the system. We need the soft drink can from interrogation to match them to Ekman." He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, went back to get the can, and returned to Ryan and Esposito.

"When we looked around the place, the guy had three elf costumes in the closet and at least one more in the hamper." Ryan mentioned. "It looked like he wears them at home."

As they reached Beckett's desk, Esposito said, "That is one seriously disturbed dude. Head elf is like being king? Really?"

"Yep. King. He must think he's Elfis," Castle answered, and Esposito and Ryan both smacked him on the back of the head, rapid fire, one behind the other.

Castle sat down in his chair with a little smirk, looking pleased with himself, and Beckett smacked the back of his head, too. "Richard Edgar Castle, if I hear another bad elf joke, I guarantee you there's no possibility this child I'm carrying will ever have another sibling."

"What if it's a good elf joke?" he asked, knowing he was pushing his luck.

"Bro', I'd quit now if I were you. She already whole named you and threatened no more…"

"Not that we really want to know," Ryan reminded them.

"I'm going to tell the captain we got a confession," Beckett told them, then warned, "You guys get this out of your systems while I'm gone. We have paperwork to do, remember?" Later in the morning, she announced, "My reports are all finished, and we're going to get some lunch."

"Where are you going?" Ryan asked.

"The sub shop on the next block?" Castle asked his wife.

"Sounds good to me," she agreed.

"I'm almost done," Esposito answered. "Meet you there?"

"Sure. We'll find seats for four," Beckett told them. "Want us to order for you?"

Ryan looked at Esposito, who nodded. "Yeah. The usual," he mumbled, as he made a correction in his report.

Castle and Beckett found a booth in the little sub shop and sat down across from one another.

"Have you finally told enough bad jokes to get rid of the creepy feeling?"

"It's nice to have a wife who understands me," he answered. "Are you still mad?"

"No. I was just frustrated right then and took it out on you. Sorry."

"So, I'm forgiven?"

"Nothing to forgive. Well…maybe being a little annoying, but it's been worse."

"Does that mean I can sit over there with you?"

The smile she gave him let Castle know things were good again, so he stood and slid into the booth next to her, scooting in close.

"Feeling a little snuggly, Castle?" she asked.

"Always," he answered, putting his arm around her shoulders and kissing her forehead.

"I'm glad this case is over."

"If only to get rid of the elf jokes?"

That, too. But you were right. It was a little creepy. Most Santa places are filled with normal people, don't you think?"

"I do." After a little sigh, he asked "Is there any way to bury the entire truth about Nick and Beverly and the sleigh? Just say they were fooling around or making out or something?" Being murdered should be enough punishment for bad judgment."

"I don't know, Castle. I wish we could, but if it comes up in court at the trial and we left anything out, it could come back to bite us. Maybe the DA will make a deal with him or something. We could at least float the idea."

"I love, you Mrs. Castle," he said, then leaned and dropped a little kiss on her head and nuzzled her hair briefly. "I noticed you said something about our son having another sibling," he mentioned softly. "

Beckett started to answer; but, of course, at that moment, Ryan and Esposito came and sat down with them, Ryan saying to Esposito, "Awwww. Mom and Dad kissed and made up."

"Shut up," Beckett told Ryan, but she was smiling and leaning into her husband.

The case was done, the pressure was off, and the elf insanity was behind them; so they all relaxed and enjoyed the familiar feeling of simply being partners and friends sharing lunch and conversation.


	81. Chapter 81

Chapter 81

"Mmmmm. Something smells good," Kate said as she opened the loft door. "It smells like Alexis's chicken casserole."

"That's because it is," they heard from the kitchen.

"Hey, Pumpkin. Not that we're not glad to see you, but why aren't you on campus?"

"I missed you guys, and my first class isn't until ten tomorrow. I thought I'd spend the night here and figured I might as well make myself useful."

"Anything I can do to help?" Kate asked.

"No. The casserole is in the warmer, the salad is in the fridge, and I just put bread in the oven. We could set the table while we wait. And can we talk tonight?"

"We can talk anytime you want," Kate answered.

"Am I invited to this talk?" Castle asked, having the feeling he already knew the answer.

"Not this time, but nothing is wrong, Dad; and I'm not trying to hide anything. Kate and I talked about something last weekend, and I just want her opinion. If it does start looking like a problem, I promise I'll talk to you, too. No matter how much you claim not to know how I turned out well, I know you had a lot to do with it. Sometimes things just look different from a woman's perspective, that's all."

"Then I'm glad you have Kate."

"Thanks for understanding," Alexis answered and gave her dad a hug, which he readily returned.

"Dinner first?" he asked. "It smells so good, and I'm hungry."

The meal was soon on the table, and Alexis said JD had asked her to tell them how much he had enjoyed the Christmas tree trip. Then she told them about her classes and how many assignments she had before Christmas; and she asked about the case Ryan and Esposito had called Castle into, even though Kate wasn't on call. After she heard about the elf case, Alexis was appropriately sad for the college students and disgusted with the head elf.

They cleared the table, and Castle said he needed to get some writing done after they finished the dishes. Since she wanted to talk to Kate anyway, Alexis offered to take care of the dishes; so Castle excused himself to write, and he closed himself in his study.

When Kate began to help with the dishes, Alexis protested, "You should sit down and rest, Kate. I didn't volunteer you, just me."

"Not a chance. This is so much easier than making dinner." When the dishwasher was loaded and a couple of remaining pieces were washed by hand, Kate put an arm around her child's shoulders and asked, "So what's on your mind, Honey?"

"You know what you said about Dad and JD?" Kate nodded. "Do you think that's really happening?"

"I was mostly kidding, Alexis. But I do think it might be beginning," Kate speculated as they walked toward the sofa. "Your dad does enjoy him, and I think JD looks up to Rick as much as he does his grandfather. He seems to like being with our family a lot, and I think he's getting pretty attached to you, too."

"He's mentioned that Dad reminds him of his grandfather, and that's a major compliment. His granddad is his hero. He's told me stories about his grandfather playing with him when he was little…Legos, superheroes, spy games, Disney World, all kinds of things his father never did with him. They're really close, and anybody who reminds him of his grandfather is somebody he's going to want to be around," Alexis told her as she plopped down on the sofa. "He said on the trip home that he wants a family like ours. I don't know what to think. Does he mean me, or just a family like mine? It's scary to think in those terms. I mean, that's what I want someday, too, but not now. I don't know what to do. Am I being unfair? I really enjoy being with him."

Kate sat down with her, and they turned to face one another. "You said you and JD haven't had that talk yet?"

"We haven't, but how do I start that conversation? 'Hey, are you talking about wanting to marry _me_ someday, or do you just want an eccentric but loving family sometime in the future?'"

Kate chuckled. "He's mentioned enjoying our family before. That might be all there is to it. If there's more, he'd probably say so. He's pretty open and honest about things, isn't he?"

Alexis nodded. "I just don't want to feel like I'm leading him on if he's expecting more than what I'm ready for. I don't want to disappoint him or keep him from meeting someone who is ready."

"I remember he said his birthday fell late enough in the year that he started school later than you did. By the time school starts next year, he'll be twenty-one and a very mature twenty-one at that. He probably isn't ready for marriage, either, but he seems to want to be a family man eventually. It could be a lot worse, you know.

"I know. He's great. He's the kind of guy I want one day, but I'm not ready for that yet. I'm probably worrying about nothing."

"It isn't nothing. It's your life. Listen, a lot of my advice is coming as much from a place where I've learned what doesn't work as much as what does. Does it help to remind you that I was running scared for a long time? I grew up with parents who were completely devoted to one another, but I still ended up in relationships where I kept one foot out the door…never entirely committed. Your dad actually tried for commitments, but that didn't work out, either. I think we both knew we should be together, but we both came with such relationship baggage that it took us a while to trust each other; and we were both afraid to talk about it. Once we did, we never looked back. My one unequivocal piece of advice is, when something important to either of you in terms of your relationship comes up, don't sweep it under the rug. Talk about it…and be honest, even it hurts one of you. You're both intelligent people, and you'll work things out when you need to. Until then, enjoy JD's company. But keep the honesty between you. Then, if you do break it off, you can part with respect for each other.

"Thanks, Kate. I needed to hear that."

"Any time, Kid. You know that." There was a little pause. "If your dad asks, how much do I tell him?"

"Any of it, I guess. I don't want to disappoint him, either. Dad always listens, and he's always given me good advice before. But it's easier to talk to you about boyfriends."

"Yeah. I always went to my mom with that."

Alexis looked down. "I know I have a mom; but in the spirit of this conversation, being honest…I like having a Kate a lot better." She scooted across the sofa to give Kate a hug.

"I don't exactly have a daughter, either, but I really like having an Alexis, too. And I've had you around long enough, you feel like mine." She held her for a moment and kissed her head. "This is where your dad would offer you ice cream, isn't it?"

Alexis giggled. "You know us well, don't you? I saw a new carton of Ben and Jerry's in the freezer. Shall I get the spoons?"

"Absolutely."

"I'll meet you at the breakfast bar."

They had made a serious dent in the ice cream when Castle came out of his office.

"I thought you were writing." Alexis said just before putting another spoonful of ice cream in her mouth.

"And you were using that as an excuse to eat all the New York Fudge Chunk without me?" he asked indignantly, opening a drawer to get himself a spoon. "And my own wife was in on the conspiracy."

"Sorry," Kate answered around a mouthful of the cold confection, not looking the least bit sorry. "Hey, no fair. That spoon is way bigger than ours."

"You got a head start. I get a bigger spoon," he answered, digging into the ice cream and humming with pleasure when it hit his taste buds. "I can't believe you started without me."

"Well, one more scoop with that shovel you're calling a spoon should have you all caught up," Alexis answered sarcastically.

Staying in the spirit of the moment, Kate kept eating ice cream but taking smaller and fewer bites, and before long Alexis and her dad had finished off the carton and Alexis took the carton and spoons away.

"I saw you not eating too much," Castle whispered, giving her a cold, ice cream kiss. "You didn't have to do that."

"I just wanted to be part of the family vibe," she answered quietly. "You know I don't eat as much ice cream as you do anyway. Besides, I gained another couple of pounds this month."

"The baby is getting bigger," he told her. "You're supposed to gain some weight."

"But I have almost another three months to go. I don't want to get carried away and gain too much now. Then I'll have to work harder to get back in shape."

"I don't think you have much to worry about. You're staying way more active than most pregnant women, so you're still in good shape." Still in a whisper, he added, and your boobs are bigger, that's probably another pound."

"I haven't heard you complaining about that pound."

"You haven't heard me complaining about any extra pounds, have you?" he answered at a normal volume level.

"No. Not once. You're a good man, Richard Castle."

Alexis walked toward the stairs. "Thanks for the advice, Kate. I'm gonna go see what I can find to sleep in, study a little while, and go to bed. 'Night, Dad. It was fun arguing over the ice cream again."

"'Night, Honey. I enjoyed it, too." Turning to his wife, when Alexis was at the top of the stairs, he asked quietly, "Anything earth shattering in your talk?"

"No. Not now, anyway. She said I could tell you if you asked. She just wanted to run it past somebody else first. I think it started with something I said while we watched you and JD cutting down the Christmas tree." She relayed the conversation, ending with her teasing comment about Castle and JD deciding they couldn't live without each other. "I was only half joking, though. He looks up to you, Castle, and he seems to love being with our family. Alexis says he compares you to his grandfather, who is apparently his hero. I don't want to see Alexis jumping into anything she isn't ready for; but I think I'm starting to love JD, too, and I don't want to see him hurt, either."

"I realized the day we went to the tree farm how much I enjoy his company. If Alexis decided he was her choice for life, I'd probably be on board without hesitation. And if not, I'd miss seeing him. But my little girl comes first. I'm sure he and I would cope." He looked at her and said, "I can see you wishing you hadn't mentioned it, but it's probably good that you did. I wasn't much older than he is when I was planning to marry Kyra. It's a conversation they need to have."

"But they need to have it on their own schedule, right?"

"Right. You're gonna be a good mom. Good instincts."

"I'm beginning to be confident about somebody old enough to reason with. I'm worried more about infants and the terrible twos and Castle/Beckett toddlers."

"I won't lie," he answered. "Some of it won't be fun, but a lot of it will. And that makes it worth it all the not fun moments."

"Promise?" she asked.

"I promise."

She snuggled against him and sighed contentedly. "It's too early for bed. Want to watch a movie?"

"Sure. Do you want snacks?" he asked.

"Hot chocolate?"

"Pick out a movie and sit down. I'll make the hot chocolate."

xxxxx

December decorations at the loft kept getting bigger as Castle brought in more boxes with a model train and tracks to run under the tree, things for the tables, even the bathrooms. Alexis and JD came by now and then, and the four of them would watch a Christmas movie.

"Did you do this with your parents?" Alexis asked Kate on one of their visits.

"Yeah. Movies when I was older, but lots of Christmas specials when I was little. When I was about five or six, I watched Rudolph so many times, I'm surprised they didn't take the VCR and throw it away…and let me think I'd lost it or broken it, or wore it out or something."

"You may live the parental end of that in a couple of years. You'll just be making a DVD disappear," Castle told her.

"Grandad let me watch them at his house," JD said. "He'd do all the voices sometimes to make me laugh."

"Dad did that, too…probably to get over the insanity of how many times he'd watched those Christmas specials," Alexis answered.

"That was probably Granddad's reason, too, but it was fun."

xxxxx

During December, having been told by their star writer that he would refuse any signings or appearances out of town from January to July, Gina and Paula, backed by management at Black Pawn, demanded several local book signings at some of the larger bookstores. Castle countered that he intended to provide a signing for Colleen, Kate's bookstore owner friend, who had been willing to help if needed when they were concerned about Bracken. And he insisted that Black Pawn provide as many copies of his book as she thought she would need. He and Colleen had enjoyed each other when he was there before, and he was looking forward to it.

Kate went Christmas shopping with Castle a few times and a couple of times with Lanie, but she made shorter trips than usual, tiring out a bit faster after a day at work. On her days off, she could hold out a little longer, though.

Baby furniture deliveries were made, and Rick and Kate started gradually arranging the nursery, now and then straying from their Christmas shopping to look for another accessory or something for the baby. They were still looking for the perfect rocking chair, and Kate mentioned that to Colleen when they were at her store for the Saturday afternoon book signing. She and Colleen were visiting while Castle charmed the customers who were in line for his signature.

"You don't have a rocking chair yet?" Colleen asked excitedly.

"No. We've seen some nice ones, but not the right one yet."

"There's an eclectic little shop about three blocks from here. I think about you every time I go there. Some of the things are new; There are a few antiques, some vintage but not quite antique pieces, a lot of interesting things. It's worth the trip just to look at all of it. I don't know if it's still there, but they had a rocking chair, and for some reason I thought of you."

"What is it like?"

"I'll let you find it on your own. It should speak to you. If it doesn't, I know you'd still enjoy the shop."

"Castle should finish up in about half an hour. Maybe we can stop on the way home."

Kate went to check on her husband, and he introduced her to the rest of the line, Some of the mostly women in the dwindling line and all of the men asked for Kate's autograph, as they waited. She walked down the line and signed for them, talking to each one as she did."

Colleen came back to the corner where she and Kate had been sitting and put down a tray with two cups, a teapot, and everything they needed for tea. "I really appreciate this. It's very generous of him. Sales have been phenomenal today. It's just now slowing down a little so I can take a break. Thanks for your help, too, by the way." As she poured the tea, Colleen sing-songed, "You have your own fan club. How does it feel?"

"Strange," Kate answered. "I'm not really used to it yet, but I married him and it goes with the man. He's been in dangerous situations sometimes because it goes with my job. Signing a book now and then is certainly easier."

Castle came to the counter when the line finally ended. "My smile muscles hurt and my fingers are frozen in place. Time to go home now?"

"You looked like you were enjoying it. Everybody left smiling" Colleen answered.

"People are buying my books. I want them to leave smiling. I appreciate them."

"Thanks so much for being here. My December sales will be great this year, and a lot of people who had never been here told me they'll be back."

"I was happy to do it, Colleen. This place has the kind of feeling I like in a bookstore. I'll do this again when the next book comes out."

"Do we have time to stop at one place and look for a rocking chair?" Kate held up a piece of notepaper and said, "Colleen told me about a place that reminds her of me.

The store was divided into small rooms, and Colleen had been right about the eclectic merchandise. In the third room they found the rocking chair, and Colleen had been right about that, too. It was practically calling Kate's name, and even Castle took one look at it and said that's the one, isn't it?"

They looked it over carefully, then Kate sat down, leaned her head against the tall chair back and closed her eyes in contentment. "It's perfect," she said" Then she stood and insisted, "You try it. You're going to use it, too, so it needs to be perfect for both of us."

Castle's response was very much the same as his wife's, and he opened his eyes to find her smiling and looking excited. "Should we arrange for delivery?" he asked.

"Yes…please."

He stood and gathered his wife into his arms and looked down at her protruding belly. "Hey, baby boy, we just found what's going to be the most important chair in your life for the next few years, and Mommy is really happy about it."

They took care of the purchase, arranged for delivery the following week, and went home satisfied.

xxxxx

JD's family did all their family celebrating on Christmas day, so Alexis invited him to their Christmas Eve dinner, Martha again teasing her about family gatherings before he arrived. Jim was there, as well as Meagan. She was stuck in town because of an assignment. They dressed up in honor of the holiday, a tradition Martha had started when she and her son had much less finery to enjoy. She always said a big event deserves your best, and you should dress appropriately to honor it. As he got a little older, Rick began to suspect it was just her way of getting him to expect clothes for Christmas so he'd have something that fit when she needed him to be well dressed.

Their feast was delicious, and they all enjoyed being together for it. After they cleared the table and put away the food, Martha left to join some friends for drinks, and Meagan left to give the family the chance to be together for a little while longer. Alexis and JD said goodnight, and Castle, Kate and Jim walked her to the door.

"Thanks for including me in another holiday. It was great," she told them.

They all answered with various forms of "We enjoyed having you here."

As she reached for the door, Jim leaned in and kissed her cheek, saying "Merry Christmas, Meagan." Meagan looked surprised but simply answered, "Merry Christmas…to all of you." Then she left.

"Dad?" Kate said, a question implied in her tone. "Is there something you want to tell us?"

"What do you mean?"

"You just kissed Meagan, and I don't see any mistletoe."

"Hmpf. I guess I did." He looked surprised, too.

"So, what does that mean?"

He scratched his head and looked a little self-conscious. "I guess I should ask myself that question, too."

Kate dropped the subject there, and Jim spent a few minutes with Alexis and JD before he went home.

After Jim left, JD and Alexis moved to the living room and were looking at the tree. He asked about one of the obviously child made ornaments, and the two of them were laughing at the others her father always insisted should be a part of their Christmas. Some of them had even been repaired several times so he didn't have to give them up. Rick and Kate were in the kitchen. He was standing behind his wife running his hand over her middle.

"Oh, that was a big one," he said as the baby kicked his hand.

"Yeah, it was. I think he was tired of being scrunched while I sat at the table and ate enough I should be sick," Kate answered. "He started this as soon as I stood up."

"Next Christmas, we'll need a high chair at the Christmas Eve feast."

"He'll probably be crawling all over the place by then, getting into all kinds of trouble."

"Probably. We might have to figure out how to baby proof the decorations," Rick answered with a smile, He leaned down to kiss Kate's cheek, still rubbing her stomach and saying something to their son.

Seeing Kate put her hand over her husband's and look over her shoulder at him lovingly, JD said, "I really do want that someday. I don't know if my parents ever had it. I do know I've never seen it. My granddad always looked at my grandmother like that when I was little, though. She died when I was eleven, and he missed her so much. I don't know what happened that my dad grew up with so much love and didn't seem to learn much from it."

"It looks like it skipped a generation. You're a lot like your granddad," Alexis assured him.

"Do you ever think about five or ten years in the future and what you want?" he asked

"Now and then." She shrugged

"Do you ever see me…still being there in your future?"

Their conversation was quiet, but Castle's years as a parent and Kate's years as a detective meant two sets of ears were tuned to pick up conversations.

"Uh-oh," Kate said quietly. "Looks like this might be the talk. Should we leave the room?"

"Not quite yet. We'd just be making ourselves obvious. We can ease toward the study in a minute."

"JD, I'm not ready to think that far ahead yet. I've only been in college a few months. I let myself think Ashley and I had a future together. I even told him that I loved him, and that didn't work out well. That made me realize I'm not ready to make romantic commitments that stretch too far into the future yet. I have a lot to do before I can make plans like that. I need you to understand…"

"Hey, don't worry. I have a lot of work left to do, too. I'm not proposing or anything. But in those now and thens when I think about my future? You're beginning to show up. I was just wondering if I ever turn up in your head that way…even as a possibility.

"Maybe. And I do care about you…a lot. I wouldn't spend so much time with you if I didn't. I do want what Dad finally found with Kate. Just not right away. Is that okay with you?"

He put his arms around Alexis from behind, in very much the same position her father was holding Kate. "Yeah. Don't stress over it, Honey," he said reassuringly and kissed her cheek. "I didn't mean to worry you. No pressure, okay?"

"Okay." She turned in his arms, and kissed him gently.

"Okay. Now we leave," Rick whispered to his wife. "I don't want to see that. Not good for a father's blood pressure." They had already worked their way closer to the study door, and he quietly moved them inside.

"Well, it looks like they came to an understanding," Kate said quietly. "Doesn't it help your blood pressure to know she's being reasonable about making long term romantic commitments right now?"

"Yeah. But in spite of what he said, I'm not convinced JD isn't ready to start thinking about it. He wouldn't be hanging out with us as much as he does if he didn't enjoy the feeling of family."

"They're the ones who have to work it out, though."

"Yes, they are. I'm glad you and I are over that. Come over here." He led her to one of the comfortable arm chairs near his desk, sat down and pulled her into his lap. "Why don't we think about us now? Is Peanut settling down?"

"A little bit. You know, we need to start thinking harder about names. It won't be long before we need to do better than Peanut, Baby Boy, Little Guy, or Baby Castle."

"Cosmo still doesn't work for you?" he asked with a grin, fully expecting his ear to be pulled.

"No." This time she laughed about it, though. He had mentioned it the first time they were talking about names, and her instant, adamant refusal had become a running joke between them. Kate swung her legs over the arm of the chair and snuggled against her husband, and she and Castle talked and traded kisses and small, innocent touches with an occasional word or two to their son.

Not much later, JD came to the door to say goodnight, and Alexis was there for the same reason a few minutes later.

The entire family was up early the next morning to open presents. Then they had breakfast, entertained themselves with some of their gifts, and went back to bed for a while.

When they were up again later in the morning, Castle called to confirm the delivery of the food he had ordered for the precinct, and the family met the delivery people there and helped set up and serve lunch to the folks on Christmas Day duty. They enjoyed the visit and then went back home to spend the rest of the day relaxing, playing the new video games and watching one more Christmas movie before Christmas was over.

Martha and Alexis retired to their rooms early with new books, and Kate and Castle retired and engaged in something a little more active before they slept. Castle called it one more Christmas gift between them.


	82. Chapter 82

Chapter 82

On their first day back at the precinct after Christmas, Castle was making mugs of coffee and tea when Esposito walked in. "How was your Christmas?" he asked.

"Great," Esposito answered, taking down his own mug. "The standard laughing and bickering and eating. Mami always makes enough food for an entire military platoon and sends us all home with leftovers. I know I've still got enough for another day or two."

Castle laughed. "We probably do, too…even after sending everybody there home with Castle leftovers. Did you have any time with Maria?"

"I've been seeing Maria off and on for about five months now, and the last couple of months we've stopped seeing anybody else. She's funny about letting men meet her son, though."

"I understand that. Single parents have to be careful...consider their kids."

"Yeah. I get that. I only met him that one time because the diner was crowded and she let me sit with them. But last week she let me take both of them to breakfast and then to a park for him to have some play time. She wanted him to run off some energy before she took him to see Santa. She did that without me, though."

"You look like you enjoyed it," Castle answered with a knowing smile.

Esposito smiled, in spite of the fact that he looked like he didn't intend to. "I'm happy when I'm with Maria, and he's a great kid…Gabe…Gabriel, all full of talk and questions and energy. It was fun goofing around with him. Besides, if Beckett, of all people, can fall right into being a stepmom, I should be able to handle a kid, too, right? He remembered me from the diner, and I think he likes me."

"You've really thought about it, haven't you?" Castle asked, surprised.

"I'm not ready to commit yet, but, yeah. It felt good being with them. It scares me a little, though. I didn't have a very good example to learn from."

"Me, either. Famously fatherless, remember? But we both lucked out with mothers. You'll rise to the occasion when the time comes."

"You think so?"

"I do. You're not gonna let Beckett outdo you, are you?"

Esposito grinned. "You issuing a challenge on Beckett's behalf, Castle?" he asked.

"Do I look like a fool to you? Beckett issues her own challenges. I stay out of that."

"Maybe you're not as dumb as you look," Esposito teased in response as they returned to the bullpen. "I hear you and your family brought lunch for the Christmas shift again. Don't you people know how to take a day off?" he asked.

As if in answer to his question, Beckett held up a piece of note paper with an address and told them, "We've got one already. Be sure to take the camera, Castle."

Castle put his wife's tea on her desk, plucked the camera from the desk drawer, and he and Esposito took long sips from their own mugs.

"Too bad about the coffee," Ryan teased.

"Yeah, I know," Castle sighed, then he reached for Esposito's mug and took them both to empty them in the break room sink before catching up with the others.

"The case was solved within a couple of days. It was a crime of passion, an argument gone wrong; and when confronted with the questions of what happened, the woman was so wracked with guilt, she simply confessed.

xxxxx

The Castles would have much preferred to stay home for New Year's Eve, but Black Pawn's management had decided early in the year that they would go all out for a New Year's Eve party this year. Since Castle had already informed them of his unavailability for most appearances during the first half of the following year, they insisted on having him there to meet their guests at the party.

Kate found an exquisite white dress that gathered under the breasts and draped nicely over her baby bump, but she wasn't happy.

"You look beautiful," her proud husband assured her.

"I look huge," she complained.

"You look pregnant, which you are. There's a difference. And right now you're the most elegant looking pregnant woman I've ever seen. The dress is gorgeous, and so are you. Even the unpregnant women will be jealous."

"I doubt that, but I'm ready when you are." Watching him for a moment, she asked, "Do you want some help with that tie?"

"Please? It doesn't want to set straight."

She helped him with his bow tie and watched him put on his tux jacket and adjust his shirt cuffs. Standing close in front of him, she ran her hands under the lapels of the jacket and said, "Have I told you that you wear a tuxedo very well, Mr. Castle? I think it's the other men who might be intimidated."

"Why thank you, Mrs. Castle. Shall we go and share our stunning and pulchritudinous selves with the world?"

She laughed. "Along with your modesty?"

"If we can still find it," he joked and helped her with her coat, then he put his on and offered her his arm. She slipped her hand around his elbow, and they walked arm in arm out to the waiting town car.

They arrived very shortly after the festivities began, and a couple of cameras were clicking as people entered the room. The party was well attended, well catered, and was held in a room with a good view for the fireworks later on. Castle had at least a nodding acquaintance with many of the people there; and Kate had met a few, other than the staff at Black Pawn.

Early in the evening, they were approached by a couple of reporters who asked about the baby, and Castle assured them they were both beyond happy about it and mentioned that they would have a son. When asked, Kate assured them that she and the baby were both healthy and doing well.

Castle schmoozed among the guests, introducing Kate to the people she hadn't met, and Kate was doing her best to cooperate. They danced, a bit more separated than usual, and laughed, joking that the baby was already coming between them. Alex Conrad turned up later on and they talked with him for a while. Alex was making more of a name for himself, but Castle was still the star writing attraction for the publisher. Although they would rather be home, it had been a pleasant evening. Paula was happy, Gina was happy, the management was happy…and the Castles were happy. They had handled their duty well and it was almost over. Not long before midnight, Castle and Kate had been separated for a few minutes when Kate saw another woman obviously angling to make a play for Castle while he was alone. She excused herself from the couple she was speaking to and walked confidently toward her husband.

Relieved, he put one arm around Kate's shoulders and said, "There you are." Then he ran his other hand lovingly across her baby bump and asked, "Everybody still okay?"

"Everybody's fine," she answered, and kissed his cheek.

"Connie, is it?" Castle asked, and the woman nodded disappointedly. "This is my wife, Kate…and my son," he said proudly. "We'll meet him face to face in another couple of months."

"Congratulations," Connie answered half-heartedly, and she left to look for another prospect.

"Turning to his wife, he said, "Thank you. She wasn't giving up easily."

"Neither am I. Nobody else gets to kiss my man at midnight."

"I have no problem with that," he answered. "Are you going to have a taste of champagne?"

"Just a taste…a little reward. I'm proud of myself. I've been really good about that."

'I know you have. When a waiter walked toward them with a tray of champagne, Castle took only one. "We'll share," he explained.

Then the countdown began, and their kiss at the end of it went on a little longer than most of those around them. They smiled at one other, each had a sip or two of champagne, and joined others near the windows to watch the fireworks. And then started the process of leaving the party graciously.

xxxxx

The next morning, they found themselves in two small photos on page six of _The Ledger_. The first picture was the two of them as they arrived at the party, both of them smiling and looking spectacular. The second, attached seamlessly to the first, was the kiss at midnight. The caption read, "Mrs. Castle is obviously pregnant but wears it well; and if the long kiss at midnight is any indication, it's had no effect on the romance."

"Well, look at that. They got it right this time," Castle said with a smile, planting his hands on the edge of the breakfast bar and trapping his wife between his arms. Good pictures, too. I told you that you looked gorgeous. See why I was so proud?"

"I still look huge, but maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought," she admitted. "The dress did wonders."

"It's my opinion that you did wonders for the dress," he said, kissing her head. "Can I offer you a s'morelette?"

"You can offer, but I'm still not eating one of those things."

"Fine. Then I'll make you one with boring old ham and cheese…and start the coffee."

"Definitely coffee. I'll make the toast and get out the fruit salad.

When they arrived at Beckett's desk at the precinct, they were greeted with whoops and a variety of other good natured teasing noises to accompany the well displayed, enlarged pictures from _The Ledger_. The homicide detectives had become accustomed to seeing one of their own on page six, and Castle and Beckett had become accustomed to the teasing that inevitably followed. It was now approaching standard.

The cases they encountered in January were as routine as that kind of violence against another human being could ever be. Castle saw that as a good thing because he could see that his wife was beginning to tire faster than normal. In early January, she had given in and admitted that the pregnancy pillow he had bought almost as soon as she was showing might be helpful. And allowed him to help her more often with things that required bending over…or seeing her feet. He teased her about that, and she didn't even argue. Those concessions alone let him know the last months of her pregnancy were taking a toll.

At the end of January, they again had a case that involved a robbery, and they spotted Tom Demming coming into the bullpen the morning after they had posted their information on the murder board. By now Castle had no problem with Tom. He was a good man, and with the competition for Beckett long behind them, it was easier for Castle to recognize that.

"We heard you've got a robbery attached to this case, and we think we might have information you could use. And you might find something that could help us. We've been working on a string of break-ins with high end thefts and a similar MO; and whoever it is, they're getting bolder about it. I was sent as liaison," Demming told them. "I brought the files if you want a guided tour."

"Sure. Looks like the conference room is free, Beckett said after checking. "Let's take everything in there where we can spread it all out." Castle rolled the murder board in, and Demming took his stack of files and put them on the table. "I hear you're engaged, Tom," Beckett said as they sat down.

"Yeah, I am," Demming answered, sporting a big smile. "I asked her on New Year's Eve so we could start the new year making plans. It didn't make page six like yours, but we're just as happy about it."

"I'd be just as happy not to be on page six, but it's part of this one's day job," she answered, leaning her head toward Castle.

Tom smiled. "She's an English teacher, and she had an interview at Marlow Prep right before Christmas. In general conversation it came up that she was dating a police detective at the twelfth, and your names came up. Apparently your daughter blazed an impressive trail through there."

"She did, Castle said proudly…valedictorian last year. She's at Columbia now. How did your fiancé's interview go?"

"Valerie," he said with another smile. "Her name is Valerie. It must have gone well, she just replaced a high school teacher who got married and is leaving the area. Who knows? One day she might be teaching your boy."

"Well, with this one being half me and half Beckett, she might have her work cut out for her. Maybe we should apologize in advance," Castle joked.

"I'm not apologizing for my child yet." Beckett said with a grin. "I've met Alexis's mother…and I know my husband pretty well, and Alexis still turned out just fine. There's still a chance we could pull off another miracle. Now, Let's see what we've got that could correlate these cases,"

Demming had the cases in chronological order, and Beckett and Castle could see the escalation in the chances being taken to accomplish the thefts.

"So you think the thief may have pushed too far this time and maybe killed Mr. Corsi because he caught him in the act?"

"We thought it was worth looking into that."

They showed Demming what they had so far, and the possibility looked good. "Corsi's family here in New York didn't seem involved in the murder. All but one alibi has checked out. The other one should be confirmed this afternoon when we can talk to the man who can corroborate it, and his wife and children should be home this afternoon. They were out of the country. Ryan and Esposito are out interviewing neighbors and co-workers this morning, and Castle and I will be going through Corsi's records when we finish here. We should hear from Lanie sometime today. Maybe she'll find something on the body that could help. We should also have the CSU report sometime today. Why don't you check in late this afternoon? We can compare notes again."

"Sounds good. Thanks," Demming said as he stood to return to Robbery.

As they walked with him toward the elevator, Beckett said, "Congratulations, Tom. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, Kate. I'm happy for you, too. You wear contentment well." He lifted his hand in a semblance of a wave as the elevator doors closed.

As Castle and Beckett returned to her desk, Castle seemed to be thinking about something.

"What's on your mind?"

"Demming's comment that his engagement didn't make page six like ours. It's just as important to him as ours was to us. Just wondering what we could do about that. I wonder who else has something important to them that we don't know about."

"Ann Hastings is getting married to _her_ writer next month."

"High time."

"Yeah," she answered with a smile. "I thought they'd be way ahead of us."

"And I ran into Robeson from Vice last week at the coffee shop. His daughter finishes her doctorate this month. She's finishing up a semester earlier than he expected her to. Proud daddy there. They deserve some recognition around here."

"You have a plan hatching, don't you?"

"Not yet, but something's buzzing in here," he said, pointing at his head. "If it turns into a plan, I'll run it past you."

She smiled at him then took a stack of papers from her desk drawer and gave half of them to Castle. "You take financials. I'll start on phone records."

"We'll need to see if any of the other robbery victims' phones or financials have anything that correlates with Mr. Corsi's."

"This afternoon we'll ask Demming what they already have.

After some searching and jotting of notes, Castle asked, "Have you found anything?"

"A few numbers he called often enough to want to know about, mostly his family or his business. I don't know what this one is, though. I'll need to check on it."

Castle looked and said, "It's a gentlemen's club…the old-fashioned kind you used to see in the movies. Somebody I knew was a member and took me to visit a few times, tried to talk me into joining. Men only…smoking room, game room, library, impeccable service staff…rules."

"Let me guess. Too stuffy for you?"

"Yeah. Nice place. A lot of money was represented there, but a lot of the men there were way too impressed with themselves. I guess a lot of important networking went on, business deals and such." He paused for a moment as if contemplating his next comment, but Beckett picked up on it.

"Was this after one of your divorces?"

"It's a little scary how you can do that. It was after Meredith. Alexis was little, and I never took women home. It was my child's home, too. My friend thought I could use a place away from a toddler now and then…but there were no women."

"Is that when you joined the other gentlemen's club, the one where you could take women…discreetly, I think is the word you used?"

He couldn't make himself look at her right then. "Yeah. It feels kind of cheap now, though, after what I have with you. It actually felt a little cheap back then, too, when you realized I was a member. I knew even then that wasn't going to impress you, and I really did want to impress you."

"We both have history, Babe. Different time, different circumstances. It's in the past. Let's just leave it there. Is there anything else you can tell me about this place that might be pertinent?"

"The service staff, they're ignored a lot. A lot of people who are used to being waited on constantly tend to ignore 'the servants' as if they don't have feelings…or ears. I'll bet the service staff there could tell a lot of stories."

"And pick up a lot of information?"

"Probably."

After speaking to Demming at the end of the day, they did find a connection between two of the other robbery victims and the gentlemen's club. Some further checking revealed that the other victims had visited with friends, and all of those men apparently enjoyed bragging about their possessions.

Another day's worth of interviews and investigation, they had narrowed the probable suspects down to four of the younger members of the service staff; and one of them finally broke. Not wanting to be connected to the murder, he told them two of the others had tried to recruit him; but he didn't want any part of it. They threatened to hurt his girlfriend if he said anything, so he didn't.

"How did they know which houses to hit and when? None of the families were home at the time of the thefts," Castle asked.

"All of these men have had money for a long time. They've been waited on hand and foot for most, maybe all of their lives, and they don't even realize that 'the servants' are there," he said bitterly. "We're like part of the woodwork, so they talk as if we don't exist. They only acknowledge our presence if they want something, and the guys who wanted me to help them took advantage of that. They kept track of what possessions these men mentioned and when the family vacations were going to happen. Mr. Corsi was supposed to be at a resort in the Caribbean with his family. I don't know why he was home."

"Thank you, Mr. Taylor. We appreciate your help."

"Am I going to be in trouble over this? I need my job. My girlfriend is about to have a baby, too."

"I can't make promises, but we'll check into your statement, and into your two co-workers. Management won't be contacted further until we've had time to do that. Best I can do at the moment," Beckett told him, and he nodded his acknowledgment.

Mrs. Corsi and her children were back at home, and she was working on an accounting of what was missing, being certain the housekeeper hadn't missed reporting anything. When Beckett had called her with the notification of her husband's death, she said she and her husband had a fight right before leaving for the resort, and he had decided to stay home. She had taken the children with her, and they had a few days to enjoy the resort before needing to return home. Mr. Corsi's death didn't seem to upset her badly.

When Castle and Beckett left the Corsi home, he said, "Looks like that marriage was entirely because of the money. Now I'm even happier now that I found you."

After coordinating information with Demming, Gates was given a full accounting of the situation, complete with evidence of large sums of money in the accounts of the men Mr. Taylor told them about. Reports were written up from both Robbery and Homicide, and all the cases were closed and ready for the DA's office.

xxxxx

The rest of January ran smoothly, but Beckett was actually admitting to being tired more easily…only to Castle and her family, though. For about a month, her workouts with Meagan had gradually reduced in intensity, but she was still giving it her best efforts.

At the end of the month, Castle announced that they had reservations for dinner on Valentine's Day. Kate started to protest, but Castle interrupted.

"Think about it, Kate. The day after that is your last day at the precinct before you begin your maternity leave. From then until when the baby is born is the kind of time we won't have much of for a while, time we can decide to go somewhere, get dressed appropriately, and leave. But after the end of February, we won't be able to do that without an infant and all his paraphernalia or arranging for a babysitter. And don't misunderstand. I'm beyond happy about that, but our lives will be different…good different, but very different. Please let me take you out for a romantic Valentine's Day dinner before we have to wrap our heads around having this little one out here where he needs us to take care of him twenty-four hours a day."

Kate had tried to say something a couple of time, but her husband had simply plowed ahead. She finally managed to say "Castle," before he caught his breath and started again.

"You can back out at the last minute if you don't feel up to it. I'm sure that someone who didn't start planning months ahead would be happy to take our reservations. But I want us to get dressed up and enjoy one fancy night out, just the two of us. You can wear the white dress you wore on New Year's Eve, and I'll wear my best suit…or a tux if you want, and we'll make everybody jealous again."

She finally put her hand over his mouth and asked, "Where are we going go?"

He gave her the name of a high end restaurant where she actually felt relaxed and comfortable.

"The last couple of years they've encouraged formal attire for Valentine's Day, and they provide quirky little extras to add to visit."

"I do like that place, she answered with a smile.

"Then it's a date?"

"You've got yourself a date, Mr. Castle." She turned toward the kitchen to start dinner, then she turned and looked over her shoulder flirtatiously and said, "Wear the tux."

"Does that mean I might get lucky on Valentine's Day?" he asked following her into the kitchen to help with their meal.

She laughed and lifted her chin to reach up and kiss him when he came close. "Babe, as big as I am now, if you still want this, it's all yours."

"I'll always want that. Besides, it's temporary, and we've found fun ways to work around it."

"And maybe if we start thinking about it hard between now and Valentine's Day…"

"Did you hear that, Peanut? You have to stay where you are until at least the day after Valentine's Day." Then his eyes went wide with obvious mischievous intent, and he put one hand on each side of Kate's belly as if covering the baby's ears and said, "Oh wait. He's not supposed to hear that."

Kate laughed. "You're such a dufus sometimes. And don't you think it's a little late to cover his ears?"

"Oh, yeah. Probably. Sorry Little Guy. Daddy didn't mean to take a chance on having you enter the world already traumatized. He just loves your mommy a lot." He leaned over and kissed Kate's protruding stomach, and she slid her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. "I love you, goofball."

"I love you, too, pregnant lady." Then he stood up to kiss her lips before they went to work on dinner, laughing and bantering their way through the preparations.

 **AN:** If you don't see new chapters right away, please don't assume I've given up on the story. I've just had to take a break for a while. My mother has been in the hospital and is okay but not recovering as well as we'd hoped. Several chapters were already written a week ago, but there hasn't been time for revisions or editing before I send them to someone else for a final look.

Thanks for understanding. I hope all of you enjoy the holidays.


	83. Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Valentine's evening left the loft empty. Alexis came by long enough to pick up her favorite semi-formal dress for dinner with JD, Martha was going to dinner with her latest beau, and Rick and Kate were on their last big, fancy pre-parents-of-an-infant date.

When the couple entered the restaurant, the maître d' greeted them by name and personally showed them to their table. Their server arrived immediately, introduced himself, and presented Kate with a single, long-stemmed red rose.

Rick again asked for one glass of champagne, and they settled for sparkling juice in pretty glasses after that. He moved his chair next to his wife's to sit beside her rather than across from her; and they held hands and talked, rested hands on thighs at times, and stole a kiss now and then. And he couldn't resist putting one arm around her shoulders while rubbing his palm gently across her elegantly clad middle and speaking to his baby once in a while.

During their meal, staff members turned up randomly with small, enjoyable but totally unnecessary Valentine themed surprises… things ranging from romantic to funny. There was a little word game, a cartoon, a short poem about being in love, a silly compatibility test, a soft small pair of stuffed animals…loving little cats with their arms around each other…all of them placed nonchalantly on the table by a server who simply walked by and left it without a word so the diners wouldn't be too distracted from each other. Dessert was served in heart shaped dishes, and on the way out, for those who wanted it, an area near the front door was beautifully set up for complimentary romantic pictures to commemorate the evening.

As they walked out to meet the car, Kate said, "I'm really glad you arranged this. It was as nice a Valentine's night as I could have imagined. All the quirky little surprises were fun…perfect for us, and I couldn't have had a better partner for it."

"Me, either."

She held up the two little hugging stuffed cats and wiggled them at him. "This was entertaining. I couldn't believe you put them on my stomach for the baby…in a fancy restaurant."

"And I couldn't believe he kicked them off hard enough I barely caught them before they bounced off the edge of the table."

"That couple sitting two tables away couldn't either. They were laughing as hard as we were."

"Doesn't it hurt when he kicks that hard?"

"He's never done that before. I was so surprised I'm not sure if it hurt or not. He's been pretty busy in there, but that was bordering on extreme sports."

They laughed as Darrell opened the limo door for them, and Castle told him about the kick before closing the privacy panel.

"This is a really good picture," Castle commented after taking it from the envelope to look at it. "We even _look_ like we belong together."

"That's because we do," his wife answered. Then they enjoyed a little making out on the way home.

When they woke up the next morning, they were both smugly content, stretching and smiling then snuggling back against each other for a little longer before they got out of bed.

"I like that we're creative," Rick told her, nuzzling a kiss on the crown of her head.

"So you liked my idea?"

"I _really_ liked your idea. It sounded like you liked mine, too."

She looked up at him and grinned. "Yeah. We should issue challenges now and then to see what else we can think of. "

"Deal." He gave her a quick kiss and pulled back the covers. "We need a shower before we leave for the precinct. I'll call you when the water is warm."

"Okay. Tomorrow we sleep in, right?"

"No alarm or anything else distracting," he promised. With a teasing little pat on her belly, he said, "Distracting will be here faster than you think."

Since it was Kate's last workday before beginning her maternity leave, they decided to leave early and stop for breakfast on the way to the precinct. Not long after finding out she was pregnant, she had decided that she had no desire to work long enough that her water might break at the precinct, and Castle insisted she should take off as much time as she needed, or just wanted, even if it would be without pay. He reminded her that they didn't need to worry about her income anyway and that someone else would be on temporary duty with the boys…someone who would help with the legwork. Ryan and Esposito should like that after all those months when she had been on desk duty.

Her last workday held no big surprises. The case they were working on was still progressing well. While the boys were out interviewing the victim's co-workers, Beckett's replacement came in and spent the morning catching up on what had been done on the case so far and getting a little orientation on how things were handled on their team.

When Detective Sully left, Castle said, "He seems competent and cooperative. He picked up on things pretty quickly."

"Yeah, he does." Looking distastefully at the fast food wrapper and the two coffee cups he had left behind before she realized it, she added, "He's a little bit of a slob, though. I fear for my desk."

Near the end of the day, Castle and Beckett went to the break room, Castle making himself coffee, and Beckett making herself tea; and when they returned to her desk, they found a stack of gifts, as well as a bullpen full of detectives who looked quite pleased with themselves.

"Well done, ladies and gentlemen," Castle said with a smile. "We honestly didn't suspect a thing,"

"No, we didn't," Beckett admitted, looking surprised. "Thank you."

"Well, are you going to open them?" Karpowski called out.

It seemed that each team on the homicide floor had filled one of the packages, and Beckett and Castle took turns opening them. As they opened smaller gifts within the larger boxes, they found the standard blankets and onesies, and laughed as they saw varying sizes of what must have been most of the baby sized items made with the NYPD logo, including a tiny little hoodie with sweat pants. There wasn't a single newborn size in the entire collection. Hastings said they all decided that if the baby took after his parents, he'd be too tall for that size the day he was born.

Castle called for a car, and after thanking everyone and accepting a few hugs and slaps on the back and a lot of good wishes, they left the precinct for the rest of Beckett's maternity leave. The town car driver dropped them off at Remy's for burgers and then took all the packages for Eduardo to hold for them until they were back at home.

Their favorite booth was open, and they sat down and sighed in relief.

"That was nice of everybody. The NYPD pacifier will be fun," Castle joked. "When he gets fussy, I can use it on Peanut and finally get to say, "Stop! NYPD!"

Kate laughed and called him a goofball again. "I can kind of see the NYPD logo in the middle of it bouncing up and down when he uses it." She paused a moment and looked down, then looked up at Castle with her eyes twinkling. "I can't believe this is me. I was never a baby person; but I haven't even seen him yet, and I love him so much already. I want to see him in that tiny little hoodie, I want to rock him, and hold him, and sing to him, and dress him in that onesie you bought with the goofy dinosaurs on it, and kiss his little head, and watch Alexis hold him…"

"I notice you didn't mention changing his diapers," Castle interrupted with his charming little smirk.

"I'm still pregnant. Humor me about the good stuff. The icky diapers will rear their ugly heads soon enough."

He reached across the table and took her hands in his. "Another couple of weeks and you can do all those things. We'll get to have him out here in the world with us."

"I'm a little scared of how I have to get him into the world, but I'm excited, too."

"I think that's pretty normal."

Their favorite waitress, Ruby, stopped at the table and asked, "The usual?" and they both nodded. "You both look happy today."

"Maternity leave starts today," Kate answered.

"And we meet our baby boy in a couple of weeks."

"Two good reasons to look happy, then. You're gonna bring him in so I can meet him, too, right?" she asked.

"Of course we will." Kate answered. 'Castle is a well-practiced proud daddy. I'd bring him anyway, but I couldn't stop Rick if I tried."

"Knowing this one," Ruby teased, looking at Castle, "I wouldn't be surprised if I saw his picture on a screen in Times Square." Then she pointed to her order pad, wiggled it at them, and said, "Coming right up," as she left.

After their burgers were gone, they hailed a taxi and went home. As they entered the lobby of their building, Eduardo opened the door and pulled a cart from the storage room with all their gifts on it. "Looks like there was a party before you left the twelfth," he said with a smile. "I'll take these up for you and bring the cart back down."

"No sense in leaving your post. Somebody else might need you. Why don't we take it up, empty it, and then put it in the elevator and push the down button. That way you only have to go as far as the elevator."

Just then the phone in the lobby rang, and one of the more demanding occupants of the building was firmly stating her requirements for the doorman's attention. The woman's shrill, annoying voice was loud enough for the couple to hear and distinctive enough to let them know exactly who it was.

"I'll put it in the elevator for you," Castle said sympathetically. Then he leaned and whispered conspiratorially, "Maybe it will run over her when she opens the elevator door. I'll write a plausible story to cover you."

Eduardo handed the cart over to Castle with a hearty laugh, and Castle and Beckett took it to the elevator. "Thanks, Mr. Castle," he called in parting.

They unloaded the cart when they reached the loft, and Castle took it back to the elevator as promised, while Kate listed which team gave them what for thank you note purposes.

"Do cops do thank you notes to each other?" Castle asked mischievously.

"I have two weeks with no job to go to. I might need to write them for my own sanity," she sassed.

After taking their gifts to the nursery, they smiled and commented on them as they folded all the little clothes and put them on the crib mattress and found other places for everything else. Then they stood near the door and looked at the nursery, imagining it with its imminent new resident.

"I love you, Mrs. Castle," he said, putting his arms around her from behind and resting his hands on her stomach.

"I love you, too, Mr. Castle." She turned her head for a kiss before they left the room.

They had reached the first floor, and Castle was going to get them some water when they heard a key moving in the front door as if someone were having trouble with it. Kate went to open the door and encountered a distraught looking Alexis.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

"Kate," was all she said before throwing herself into Kate's arms and holding on tightly.

"Alexis?" Castle said, coming toward them quickly from the kitchen.

"Daddy," Alexis wailed, moving to throw her arms around her father and breaking down into uncontrollable sobs.

"What's wrong, Baby Bird? What happened?"

She continued to sob while she tried to answer him, but it was almost unintelligible. She tried to catch her breath enough to speak; but Castle and Kate, who was obviously listening from the kitchen, only caught enough to think they recognized a few key words here and there. They thought they heard, "Valentine's…dinner…hotel…slept with…clothes…his place…card…broke up…terrible person…" but the sobbing never actually stopped.

At the possible words "slept with", Castle closed his eyes, looked stricken, and held his daughter tighter. And Kate started the hot cocoa since they were all likely to need the comfort drink before the evening was over.

After the sobbing had subsided to almost normal crying a couple of minutes later and the hiccupping version of speech was returning, Alexis sort of hiccupped out, "I'm…sorry,…Dad."

"Why are you telling me you're sorry?"

"I'm…a terrible…person."

"Why do you think you're a terrible person?"

With bouts of crying and hitches and hiccups in her speech, she managed to convey, "Slept with JD…broke up."

"He slept with you and then broke up with you?" her father asked incredulously.

She shook her head almost violently. "Not him…me."

"You broke up with him?"

She nodded. "Terrible person…I'm a terrible…person."

"Honey, sleeping with someone you care about doesn't make you a terrible person."

Again she shook her head vigorously. "No. Breaking up…terrible person. So good to me…"

"Let's sit down. When you calm down you can tell me everything you want to tell me." After squeezing her a little tighter for a moment, he said, "I love you, Pumpkin. Just cry it out, and then we can talk about it." He guided her to the sofa and held his little girl until the front of his shirt was very damp and Alexis had calmed enough to almost speak normally again. By then, Kate had huge mugs of hot cocoa with lots of marshmallows for them, and she wordlessly delivered both mugs to the coffee table for Castle and the end table next to the sofa for Alexis. As she started to leave, Alexis caught Kate's hand.

"Thank you, Kate."

"Gotta take care of all my babies," she answered with one hand on her middle. "Want me to leave you with your dad? It's okay if you do."

"No. Don't go."

"You just needed your dad first this time?"

Alexis nodded. "But you can stay. Not trying to leave you out." She pushed at her father to get him to move and make room for Kate between her and the end of the sofa so she was snuggled between them. Her words were still delivered with hitches in her breath and a lot of sniffling, but it appeared that it was easier to speak well enough to make sense.

Castle's arm was still around his daughter's shoulder, but Kate pulled Alexis's head over to kiss it and left her arm on her stepdaughter's shoulder as well, leaving her hand on Castle's arm to provide support for both of them. "Maybe you should start at the beginning?" she stated more than asked.

Alexis took a deep breath as if dreading what followed, then launched into her story with a less than fully dependable delivery.

"JD took me to a nice restaurant for dinner." She mentioned the name of the hotel where the restaurant was located.

Castle answered, "That does sound nice."

He said he had a room at the hotel and had champagne if I wanted to try it…but that I didn't have to. He said we could just spend some time to ourselves if I wanted to, no pressure to do anything I didn't want to do. Or he'd take me home if I'd rather not. I trust him, so I went with him. It was nice. Champagne was okay, but I only drank a little bit. He didn't try to get me drunk or anything. He left the decisions to me, and I spent the night with him, and…you know." She looked down and waved her hand around, vaguely reminiscent of her grandmother.

"I can honestly say I'd rather not know, but I do. So what was wrong? Was he too rough? Did he scare you? Did he disappoint you? I haven't heard a reason to break up yet."

"He didn't do anything wrong, Dad. You don't need to be mad at him. You need to be ashamed of me. He was sweet and gentle and treated me like I was really special. I hadn't…" her hand was waving again before she went on.

"I got it," Castle answered, kissing her head gently, "but I don't understand yet why you're being so hard on yourself."

"Dad, he was so good to me. He had even taken a bag to the hotel with new clothes for me. He had been to his grandfather's store and bought a whole outfit, so if I stayed, I wouldn't feel like I was doing a walk of shame in the fancy dress I had worn for dinner the night before. Then he checked out of the hotel, and he took me to breakfast. We had fun and took our time and walked in the park for a while. Then we went to his apartment, and he said he had a gift for me. He gave me a card that he'd signed, "I'll always love you." After a little pause to catch her breath, she added, "And he gave me a ring."

"An engagement ring?!"

"No. A promise ring. He said it was his promise that he would wait as long as it took for me to decide." She started crying again. "I couldn't do that to him. I couldn't just keep him waiting with no real promises on my side. It was wrong."

"So you think you're a terrible person because you tried to do the right thing?

Her next thoughts became increasingly more rapid fire as she spoke. "Kate said to be honest with him, and I was at Christmas. I told him I wasn't ready for long term commitments,..that I needed to put school first. I asked him if that was okay with him. Before he left, I asked him if that was enough for him; and both times he said he wasn't ready for that much yet, either, that it was okay. He said 'No pressure' and told me not to worry about it…and I took him at his word. But all of a sudden, I had a long term 'I love you' in writing…and a ring with a promise to wait until I made a decision." She stopped for a breath before she continued. "I know he was trying to be patient and accommodating…"

"But that was its own kind of pressure?" her dad answered with complete understanding.

"Yeah. And I couldn't leave him in limbo like that. I can't imagine not seeing him anymore, but it seemed better than leaving him dangling indefinitely. He should be free to find somebody who's ready to accept everything he is and everything he wants for himself; but right now that isn't me. I feel like I took advantage of all the good things he did for me, all the care he took to make me feel special, and then just walked away…but I didn't realize he was that far ahead of where I am. I must have said I'm sorry about a million times before I ran away. I feel so guilty." She paused for a moment, then said, "I skipped my classes this afternoon and waited in the dorm until I thought both of you would be home. I couldn't do anything but cry anyway."

Kate said nothing. She just kissed her upset child on the forehead and squeezed Castle's arm as he tightened it around his daughter's shoulders. They were all three hurting.

"Honey, I'm not ashamed of you. When you figured it out, you did what you thought was best for someone other than yourself. That's nothing to be ashamed of." He paused, leaned his head against hers, and said, "I know I've always told you that you could talk to me about anything, and I've always meant it...still do. We've handled some pretty heavy girl issues on our own, but you could have told me about breaking up with JD without telling me everything. This isn't the kind of thing you'd usually tell me. What made it so important for me to know?"

"Because I need to know how much I've hurt him without meaning to. You wouldn't know how to answer me if you didn't have all the facts. I hate myself so much right now."

"Do you want the truth, or shall I water it down a little bit for you?"

"The truth."

"When a man falls in love and tells a woman he loves her, it's a big thing, a big risk. It takes a lot of courage; and when the woman runs away from it, it's a hard blow to him. _De_ jected, _re_ jected, heartbroken, despondent…"

"See? I'm a terrible person."

"Honey, I think JD may see you as his Kate. I think he might really be in love with you. If you don't feel the same way, the kindest thing you could do is to let him get over that and move on."

"I really like him. I might even love him; but I'm not sure, and I'm not ready for all that yet."

"Does this have anything to do with Ashley?"

"No. Yes. Not… It isn't that things ended badly with Ashley. It's…I was ready to go to Stanford and take the same classes he was taking just to be with him, but I wasn't even that interested in those classes. It's more that it made me realize that I was more in love with the idea of being in love,,,and it made me think about my priorities. Right now it's college and classes. JD understood about being a serious student because he is, too, but I didn't realize… I've seen…"

"Some of this is about your grandmother and me, isn't it?"

Alexis looked down again. "I've seen the aftermath of the breakups. You got it right this time, Dad. You and Kate have what I want to have some day, and JD is somebody I can see wanting that, too; but I need more time, and he's ready for it now. I can't keep him waiting for me, and…"

"As long as you're sure."

"Kate, you've been awfully quiet," Alexis said.

"Your dad is doing fine without me," she answered. I'm just providing moral support."

"And really good hot cocoa," Alexis sniffled after finally picking up her mug and taking a sip. "Is it okay if I stay here tonight?"

"Alexis, it's always okay for you to come home. You don't ever need to ask." Kate assured her.

She leaned her head on Kate's shoulder, and Kate stroked her hair. "Why don't you finish your hot chocolate and see if you can get some sleep? We'll even tuck you in if you want," she teased.

Alexis gave her a watery little laugh and said, "I'm way too old for that…but it might actually be kind of nice tonight. I don't love myself too much right now. It would be nice to know somebody does."

Castle kissed her head again. "You know, looking at the gifts the homicide teams gave us for your brother might make you smile a little bit."

"Give me your mugs. I'll warm up the hot chocolate," Kate offered, and she took the mugs to the kitchen. Castle and Alexis met her at the dining table, and they finished their drinks in reasonably comfortable silence, with only a word or two now and then.

As they walked up the stairs, Alexis asked, "Where are the gifts?"

"In the nursery…and kind of spread out around the room," Castle answered.

At the top of the stairs, Alexis went straight to the nursery and laughed at the addition of a soft, stuffed bear in his NYPD dress blues proudly standing guard on the chest of drawers. "He's so cute. How… Oh, there's a little metal prop holding him up. It hides pretty well in his uniform."

"Look at these," her dad said, trying hard to distract her from her earlier thoughts for a while, and they showed her the little clothes and other assorted odds and ends.

"I had no idea you could get so many baby things with an NYPD logo. So adorable. I can't wait to hold him and dress him in some of these," she said, still smiling.

Kate rubbed her back briefly. "Neither can we," she answered. "I'm sure it's much easier to take care of him where he is now, but I'm so ready to see him and hold him." After a pause, she added, "And not being this pregnant anymore wouldn't be a bad thing either."

"I'm going to find some pajamas and take a shower…and try to sleep," Alexis told them.

"You and JD will both be okay eventually. It gets better a little at a time," her dad promised.

"You both took such good care of me." Alexis answered. "Somebody should be taking care of JD, too. His face when he tried to get me to stay and talk it out…" Tears were falling again. "I hope he went to his Granddad. I doubt his parents would be any help at all."

"I hope so, too." Kate hugged her close and kissed her head again, and Castle wrapped his arms around both of them. Then Alexis pulled away, pointed toward her room, and left them in the nursery.

"It hurts to watch her hurt." Kate said, wrapping her arms around her husband's waist.

"You're preaching to the choir, Love." Taking a deep breath, he said, "I knew it would be a rough talk when she called me Daddy. I haven't heard that in a good while." He sighed and put an arm around Kate. "Let's sit down in here. We did promise to tuck her in."

"And you need that as much as she does, don't you?"

He nodded slowly. Then he led her to the rocking chair, pulled her into his lap, and kissed her softly. They sat there for a while as Kate comforted him with soft touches and kisses until Alexis came back, red eyed but no longer crying.

"I'm going to bed," she told them.

They both stood and followed her to her room. With one of them on each side of her bed, they pulled the covers back, and Castle stood aside for Alexis to get in. Then they pulled the covers up to her chin and simultaneously kissed her cheeks.

Alexis gave them a subdued giggle. "Thanks. I have really good parents."

Kate and Castle smiled at each other and both said goodnight to their grown up child before turning out the light and closing the door.

"Tonight was as hard on you as it was on her, wasn't it?" Kate asked as they walked down the stairs hand in hand.

"Yeah. A lot to take in for a dad who raised a girl on his own for most of her life," he answered.

"Then let's get you tucked in now. Whatever you need. Tonight I hold you."

"That's all I need, Kate…just knowing you want to take care of me as much as I want to take care of you."

"Always, Rick. Always." Wrapping her arm around her husband's waist as they walked to their room, she leaned her head against his shoulder and said, "Don't you start second guessing yourself. You said all the things she needed to hear, and she came home to you with this because she knew you would. Alexis and our little boy are both so lucky you're their dad."


	84. Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Everyone was drained after all the emotion of the night before, and they all slept late. It was Saturday, there were no classes for Alexis, Kate was on maternity leave and her husband was taking time off with her. Castle made happy face pancakes for breakfast, and Kate indulged herself and joined them when they all finished off the pancakes with more coffee. Alexis spent the long weekend at home and went back to campus on Monday in time for her first class.

"You'll call me when Kate goes to the hospital, right? Not after she has the baby, but when she goes in? I know she isn't due yet, but he could be early."

"We promise you'll know," Castle assured her.

"Thanks for listening and being there when I needed you." After hugs were exchanged and Alexis left, the loft was unusually quiet, and Castle chuckled. "You ready for about another twenty years of that turning up now and then? He asked Kate "Varying age related reasons, same drama."

"Too late to back out now, don't you think?"

"I don't want to back out. I want to have a baby boy with you…with all the accompanying noise and drama. But, I promise you the sweet little touches and smiles, and the snuggles, and all the things you see through his eyes like they're new again, and watching him grow and take his first step… It's worth all the drama. And this time, I get to enjoy it all with his mom."

"Yes, you do," Kate told him gently. After a little kiss, she added, "But right now his mom wants to take a nap. Want to join me?" Castle looked like he was about to say something suggestive, and she quickly added, "Not that kind of nap."

"Okay. As long as we can cuddle."

"And as long as I get to sleep."

"I can let you do that," he said, softly kissing her brow. "Might even rub your back to make it easier."

"Mmmmm… Come on, Writer-Man. Let's cuddle…and sleep."

xxxxx

The first two weeks of her maternity leave, Kate indulged in the luxury of naps when her body simply gave in to the random feelings of exhaustion that accompanied being as pregnant as she was. She and Castle or other members of the family would take walks, go to a movie, go out for meals, indulge in a little shopping trip, visit a museum or a gallery, and allow themselves to be distracted by other things on the way home if she felt up to it. Castle enjoyed the opportunity to be spontaneous…not being on call and wondering when the phone would ring and burst their bubble; and from the look of it, Kate was enjoying it as well.

A few days into the first week, Jim called and asked Kate to meet him at their favorite diner for lunch.

"Castle and me, or just me?"

"Just you this time?"

"Is everything okay, Dad?" she asked.

"Everything is just fine, Katie Bug. I just want to talk to you about something."

Kate met him for lunch at the little diner, which wasn't far from his office. They made small talk until their orders were taken; then, while they waited for their meal, her father broached his intended topic of conversation.

"Katie, I'm going to just lay this out for you. I want your honest opinion."

"Okay." His daughter sounded concerned.

"I know Meagan has been your friend for a while now. We've been out for dinner a few times…a couple of movies… What I'm trying to ask…before it becomes anything more…is how you'd feel if it became more than that?"

"More than that? Dad, you've never even mentioned dating to me in all these years. And you've certainly never introduced me to anybody you might have dated."

"Seems to be a Beckett thing, doesn't it? If you know it isn't somebody you can see as a good, long term relationship, it's not worth bothering."

"Touché," she answered. "So it could be a long term relationship? You must…"

"I'll always love your mother. When I think of being in love, she's the first person who enters my mind, but Meagan lost the love of her life, too."

"She told me. They were both Marines…line of duty."

"So she understands how I feel because she'll always think of Mark that way. I don't have to walk on eggshells about Johanna, and she doesn't have to hide her feelings for Mark from me. Honey, neither of us is exactly wallowing in a pit of despair, but we've both been lonely for a long time; and I think there might be enough between us that we could have something together. It would never be the same thing we had before, but I think there's a good chance we could make each other happier."

"I won't say it doesn't feel a little weird, but I want both of you to be happy. Meagan already feels like family, so if you're looking for my blessing, you have it." Kate's lips quirked up in a teasing look. "She's a little younger than you are."

"With the same teasing Beckett smile, Jim quietly shot back, "Not quite as much difference in age as you and Rick."

"Touché again," Kate said with a little laugh. "No mercy for your very pregnant daughter, I see."

"My daughter is pretty tough under most any circumstance."

"Thanks for talking to me first, Dad; but I'm not seven years old anymore. You need to be in charge of what makes your life better. It would have been a real disappointment if you and Rick didn't like each other, but do you think it would have stopped me from marrying him? I love him the way you loved Mom. We still argue and annoy each other sometimes, but we love each other through all of it; and in another week or so, we'll have Peanut here to love, too. I'm really happy with my life now, and I think that would make Mom happy. And I think she'd understand about Meagan."

Jim sighed with a look of relief. "And I think that may have been what I hoped you'd say. I guess I needed to hear that."

Kate reached across the table and put her hand over one of his.

"And speaking of Peanut," her dad asked, "are the two of you going to tell us what you've decided to name him before he's born?"

"No. We're going to wait and see if he looks like the name fits him."

"Rick's idea?" Jim asked with a smile.

"Both of us, actually. A name is a big thing." Jim just grinned in acceptance, and his daughter grinned back.

"I'll settle for a healthy grandson, regardless of what you name him."

Their meal was delivered at that point, and their conversation wandered into other subjects. They left one another with a hug, and Kate went home and told Castle about her dad and Meagan.

"Well, I guess he figured out why he kissed her at Christmas without mistletoe."

"Yep. Looks like it."

Thank you notes became a running joke between Kate and Castle. She'd write one and show it to him and he'd ask where the rest were. She would say nonchalantly that they'd all be done before the baby was born.

A couple of days after talking to her father, Kate's most recent thank you note activity was interrupted by Meagan calling to ask if she could stop by the loft for a few minutes.

"So how do you really feel about your dad and me?" she asked when she arrived, getting right to the point.

"I want both of you to be happy," Kate assured her. "You already feel like family anyway,"

"We're not there yet, Kate. We're still testing the waters. But I do like Jim a lot, care about him a lot; and we're comfortable with each other, good friends. He doesn't get jealous if I mention Mark, and it's comforting to know I don't have to hide how much I loved him. Jim and I… I don't think either of us is really unhappy anymore, but it's nice to feel something hopeful again."

"Then don't let me stop you. I told Dad that if you're asking for my blessing, you have it." Then the teasing Beckett smile showed up again. "So if you decide it's time to get past testing the waters, are you ready to be a grandmother?" Kate asked, rubbing her well expanded middle.

Meagan dropped her forehead to her hands. "Just wait until you get back to sparring. I'm not showing you any mercy, either." Kate laughed as Meagan got up to leave. "I'm meeting Jim for lunch, and I don't want to be late. I just wanted to be sure you're okay with this."

"I have to admit it feels a little odd; but if you make each other happy, I'm not going to get in your way. I trust you with my dad, Meagan."

Again the visit ended with a hug and smiles.

After the door closed and they were alone again, Kate asked her husband, "So now that we have plenty of time to sit and listen to them, who else do you think is going to show up on our doorstep with stories of their love life?"

"I just hope it isn't my mother," he answered with a little shudder.

His wife laughed. "Maybe we should just not think about it right now."

"So are you ready for Meagan to be your stepmother?"

"Oh, god," Kate answered. "And I just teased her about being a grandmother." Castle smiled in response before she added, "Life is changing again."

"But getting better," he answered. "It wouldn't be so bad if adopted family became real family, would it?"

It's going to be weird for a while, knowing they could be…" She waved her hand a little bit, the way Alexis had when she talked to them about JD.

"Yeah, it will," Castle chuckled. "But I really like it when we…" He waved his hand around and then wiggled his eyebrows. "I don't know why I'm laughing, though. "That hand waving thing still feels a little traumatic."

Kate smiled and kissed him sympathetically, soothing him with little strokes on the back of his neck and up into his hair.

xxxxx

They continued to take walks, etc., but Castle was increasingly insistent that he be with his wife. He was becoming the stereotypical nervous husband of a woman on the verge of delivering a baby.

The last couple of days before the baby was born, Kate was double checking her bag for the hospital and going through the nursery deciding what should be in their bedroom where they would have the bassinette for a few weeks. The changing table was put in a corner of their room, and she organized all the supplies they would need there, getting everything ready for when she would be back home with the baby.

Castle stood leaning against the door frame of their room smiling. "He'll be here pretty soon."

"How can you be so sure?" she grumped. "It's already been forever. I think he's going to be late."

"I don't think so. You're nesting. It started yesterday."

She stopped in her tracks and looked around, thinking about what she had been doing the last couple of days. "I guess I am, and I hope that means what it's supposed to. I'm so tired of being pregnant."

Castle came into the room and put his arms around her. It won't be long before I can stand in front of you and pull you up close against me again. I'm looking forward to that."

"Me, too." She leaned her head on his shoulder for a moment, then asked, "Want to help with the nesting? I still need a couple of things from the nursery."

"Yeah," he answered lovingly. "What else do you need?" She told him, and he started to go upstairs but stopped at the door and said quietly, "Thank you for letting me share everything with you, even the times when I got a little carried away."

"You didn't do this with Meredith?"

"She always let me wait on her hand and foot, but I did most of the rest. She really wasn't that interested in being a parent. You and I have been partners in this since we knew…and…"

"We'll always be partners, Rick. Even when one of us gets a little carried away."

xxxxx

In his usual pattern of researching everything about what was important at the moment, Castle had started as soon as things settled down after the situation with Tyson; and he drew Kate into his enthusiastic efforts. He found the New York hospitals and birthing centers where less traditional hospital birth methods were allowed…things done for the comfort of the mother and baby rather than the convenience of the doctors. He was there for all of Kate's appointments with Dr. Holland, and they found that the doctor had no problem with alternative methods for labor and delivery. They brought a new set of questions to each new appointment. He made appointments with a midwife and a doula, both of whom came highly recommended, asked a lot of questions, got a lot of good advice; and he and Kate made choices about a birth plan. The hospital they chose required that they take a class that showed them all the equipment and amenities of the birthing rooms and told them what to expect, and he took copious notes in all those places and studied them thoroughly, impressing Kate's doctor with some of the questions he asked.

Then, early on February 28, right on schedule, Kate's water broke, and when she told him, Rick immediately became the stereotypical frantic, expectant father. He was ready to leave for the hospital right then.

Not too calmly, Kate ordered, "Castle, focus!" Once she was sure she had his attention, she much more gently told him, "I'm having a baby, and we both know it doesn't happen in half an hour or less. My bag is beside the front door, and everything we'll need for the hospital is in it; so we can walk out of here the minute we need to. I'm nervous about this, and our baby and I need you to help me stay grounded. Partners, remember?"

He took a deep breath and nodded. "Sorry."

"We're fine, Rick. I haven't even had a contraction yet…except those pesky Braxton-Hicks things last week.

"Those worried me enough, but we know this is the real thing. Okay…the list on my desk... First thing on it was to call the doctor. I'll do that now. He kissed her and went to his study, doing his best to stay focused, and called the doctor to notify her. After answering a few questions and getting brief instructions, he felt calmer by the time he returned to the living room, "You're right. You haven't even had a contraction yet..."

"And when I do…" Suddenly there was an intake of breath and Kate was having a recognizable contraction. "Set the stopwatch on your phone and time it to the next one."

They sat on the sofa and waited, and the next contraction was ten minutes later.

"Should they be that close together this early?" he asked.

"I didn't think so, but everybody is different. I didn't have morning sickness, either. So now we see how long it is until the next one."

Nine minutes, and thirty-six seconds" Castle reported. If the next one is nine minutes or less, we're leaving. Who knows how bad the traffic might be. I'll be there with you for every minute, but I'm not planning to deliver this baby myself if I can help it."

The next contraction was nine minutes later, and Castle pulled Kate to her feet as soon as she was breathing easier, got their coats from the closet, picked up her bag, and ushered her out the front door. He called the hospital from the car to let them know they were on their way.

During what wasn't, but seemed to them to be days of labor, they walked around and moved Kate from the bed to the birthing chair and other positions that would relieve some of the stress her body was experiencing. Along with the nurses, who were in and out of the room frequently, Castle was suggesting and coaching, remembering an impressive amount of information from his notes and questions. By the time she reached the stage of harder, longer contractions and much shorter time between them, he asked, "Is this the part where you tell me we're never going to have sex again?"

"Don't push your luck, Writer-Man. I'm getting there." She snapped as she leaned back against him where he knelt behind her on the bed.

He wiped her face and her brow with a cool cloth, kissed her head, and rubbed her shoulders and her stomach. As it became more difficult for her, he said gently, "Sweetheart, I'm sorry you have to go through all this to get our little boy into the world."

In the short time between contractions, she answered, "Yeah. Me, too." She took a breath and said, "Castle, I'm so tired."

As the contractions got stronger and closer together, she turned on her side, pulling her knees up at times, and he rubbed her back, trying to help. Suddenly, she shuddered briefly, and Castle called a nurse, who came in, examined her, and went to call the doctor. Dr. Holland had recently delivered another baby and was on her way to check in on Kate anyway, so when the nurse returned, the doctor was close behind. Dr. Holland examined her and smiled. "I think it's almost time to get that baby into the world."

"God, I hope so," Kate said through gritted teeth as the next contraction started.

"I know you're going to want to push soon, but don't until I tell you." Kate was helped to the birthing chair, Castle standing beside her holding her hand.

When she was finally told to push, she did. Another couple of pushes, and Castle exclaimed, "Kate, I can see his little head."

Between pushes, she growled, "Doesn't feel so little from here." After another push, the baby's head was visible. This time he wisely said nothing, just lifted Kate's hand to his lips for a kiss.

"Rick…" He could hear the exhaustion in her voice and put his arm around her shoulders when Dr. Holland told her she should push again.

"The shoulders are next, then the rest should be easier," the doctor told her.

"You've got this," Castle whispered to Kate. "You're almost there."

Another couple of pushes and, at seven forty-two in the evening, a slippery baby boy with a lot of dark hair joined his parents in the world outside the womb. Just as they were about to worry that he hadn't made a sound, he gave a hearty wail as he was placed on Kate's mostly bared chest where she could touch him and whisper to him while Castle was allowed to cut the umbilical cord. Then the nurses took the baby for the required ministrations and swaddled him, and Doctor Holland took care of Kate's needs.

When Kate was back in the bed, Rick kissed her brow and rested his forehead against hers. "You worked so hard to give us a healthy son," he whispered. Looking up to where the baby was being cared for, he asked, "He is healthy, isn't he?"

"He seems to be, Mr. Castle. The pediatrician will talk to you after a more thorough exam. The two of you can hold him in another couple of minutes."

Castle again wiped his wife's face and her shoulders and upper chest before she was given a clean gown; then he pulled the covers around her and raised the head of the bed to a semi-upright position. A big smile accompanied his movements as he whipped out his cell phone, and took several pictures to preserve the moment when their baby was placed in her arms,

There was a little blue knit cap on the baby's head, and he was wrapped tightly in his blanket; and Kate was quite obviously in love again. Castle sat on the bed beside his wife and son, facing them, and cupped his son's head with his hand. "I love both of you so much," he said softly as he saw Kate opening the baby's blanket to count fingers and toes and kiss his tummy and his tiny cheek.

"He looks just like you," she said with a pleased smile; and as he leaned to kiss her, she whispered, "Just as handsome as his daddy." Castle smiled his just-for-Kate smile and she returned a tired but beaming smile of her own and asked, "Do you want to hold him before we wrap him back in his blanket?"

Castle didn't argue. He reached for his son and did his own kissing and counting, then he wrapped the baby closely in his blanket and just held him with a look of awe and complete love. Suddenly saying, "Alexis and our parents," he gave the baby back to Kate, pulled his cell phone from his pocket, and texted the best of the three pictures to Alexis, Martha, and Jim.

" _When can we see him?"_ Alexis texted back.

" _I'll let you know when I find out."_

"So does he look like his name fits him?" Castle asked Kate.

"I think it's a perfect fit," his wife answered.

The pediatrician who took care of Alexis when she was younger stopped by to congratulate them and to examine their baby, letting them know that they had a strong, healthy son.

Warning them to be sure that she got some rest, Dr. Holland told them that Kate could have visitors when she felt ready.

Getting his family to follow him to the birthing room took Castle no time at all; and he promised to be back for Lanie, Meagan, Ryan and Esposito soon.

"Katie, are you okay?" her father asked," leaning down to the bed to hug his daughter.

"Want to hold him, Dad?" she asked. "You can give him an extra hug for Mom," she added, smiling even while tears were welling in her eyes. "You know she'd be stealing him right out from under your nose if she could."

Castle took his son from Kate and walked around the bed to put him in Jim's arms. After giving him a long moment to marvel at his grandson Castle told him, "His name is Richard James Castle. I always liked the idea of family names."

"Richard James?" Jim asked. His eyes had been threatening tears even before that. Then, he closed his eyes and in a whisper said, "Did you hear that, Johanna?"

"To avoid Little Rick or Little Jim, we'll call him Jamie."

"It was Castle's idea," Kate assured her father, "but I liked it, too."

"I'm honored, Rick," he answered, his line of vision never moving from the infant in his arms.

"Alexis?" Jim asked after savoring a little more time with his grandson.

"Yes! I've been waiting a long time to have a sibling," she answered with a big smile as Jim carefully transferred Jamie into her arms. She was talking to him by the time she had him firmly settled. "Hi, Jamie. I'm your big sister." He opened his eyes then, and Alexis smiled even more. "Dad, he has blue eyes like ours. He's looking right at me."

"Maybe he knows your voice?" Castle suggested.

She kept talking to him about loving him and playing with him and taking care of him; and Jamie blinked a couple of times and appeared to refocus on Martha as she looked over Alexis's shoulder.

"My turn," Martha insisted. "We need to be excited about seeing him and then let poor Katherine get some sleep. She and James have had a long, hard day." Alexis reluctantly let Martha take her little brother but stayed close to her grandmother so she could still watch him as Martha kissed his forehead and talked to him in soothing, loving tones; but now and then, Alexis couldn't resist reaching over to touch him again. Martha then insisted that everybody leave so the others could have a few minutes to visit, and she started shooing them out of the room. "I've been on Katherine's end of this, and I know she needs to rest."

Their four friends visited together and took turns talking to Kate and Castle, and enjoying Jamie, but Esposito only watched as the others held the infant.

"I know I helped take care of my brothers and sisters," he said, but I don't remember them ever being that little."

"Same here" Ryan answered. "I had to do that, too; but. I don't remember thinking I might break one of them then," he said as he gingerly held Jamie. Then he grinned at Esposito. "But we weren't as big then as we are now, so maybe they just seemed closer to our size."

After two rounds of visitors, the room was filling with flowers, balloons, cards, and small baby gifts. Kate was fading, and Jamie was getting fussy. Castle thanked their friends for coming and said he needed to let his wife and son have some quiet time. When they were gone, Kate asked him to get in the bed beside her and hold them; so he sat down and wrapped his arms around the two of them and just watched them. In no time, Kate was asleep leaning against him, and Jamie was calming. That was how the nurse found them about fifteen minutes later.

"I hate to wake her now," she told the doting father and husband, "but she's going to need sleep, and she's planning to breastfeed. If she tries to feed him now, she'll probably get more rest. Otherwise he's likely to wake her up soon."

He lifted their son from Kate's arms, and she immediately woke up, clutching for her baby. Castle explained, and she sat up and did as the nurse suggested,

His arm was still around her shoulders, and she leaned against him as the nurse explained a couple of things before Jamie's instincts took over, pretty successfully for the first try.

And Castle saw another of his dreams true. Kate Beckett…Kate Beckett Castle, he mentally corrected himself…had just given birth to their son, and she had every intention of being with them for the rest of her life. He wasn't sure he could even imagine being any happier.


	85. Chapter 85

Chapter 85

Kate was moved to her own private room overnight, and Castle stayed with her.

While she was there on rounds the following morning, Dr. Holland told Kate, "I know how much you don't like being in the hospital. However, even though neither you nor your son are showing any signs of difficulties, you're going to be with us one more night…"

When Kate looked less than happy, Castle chimed in. "Kate, in less than two years, your body has endured a gunshot that could easily have killed you, a long, difficult recovery, near drowning in ice water with an already compromised lung, as well as a pregnancy and delivery. With everything you've been through, we're lucky you and Jamie are healthy. The doctor just wants one more day to observe. And _I_ want to be sure you're okay, so please try to relax and do what the doctor thinks is best. I'll stay with you; and Jamie won't care where he is as long as he's loved and fed and comfortable. And we can manage that for him, right?"

Kate nodded, reluctantly acquiescing to Castle's sensible words.

"Speaking of Jamie, it looks like it's about feeding time again," Doctor Holland noted with a smile as the baby fussed and stuck his little fist in his mouth.

"I'll check his diaper and bring him to you," Castle told his wife.

"And, unless you have other questions, I'll see you about this time tomorrow morning," the doctor said.

"See you tomorrow," Kate answered.

A nurse came in and changed Jamie's diaper, smiling at Castle's protest that he could do it. "You'll have plenty of them to change when you take him home," she told him. Then she passed him to his father, who sat down next to Kate and put him into her arms. "I wasn't here when you fed him yesterday, Mrs. Castle. How did it go on the side that was injured?"

"I started there, and so far it seems there's enough on that side to satisfy him."

Castle again wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her head as Kate took their son and snuggled him close.

"Hi, sweet boy," Kate said softly, kissing his cheek and smiling as the nurse waved and left; and then she helped Jamie situate himself and settle into his task. She watched him for a minute or so before looking over at Castle. "We did good, didn't we?" she asked with a smile.

"We did great," he answered, swinging his feet up on the bed and tucking her closer into his side. "We make pretty babies."

"Yeah, we do." She even giggled at the thought, and Castle planted a kiss on her lips.

When they looked down at Jamie, his eyes were open and appeared to be focused on them.

Castle smiled and reached down to smooth his hand over his son's back and side, saying, "Looks like we have a baby voyeur."

"I'm sure it won't be too many years before he's saying, 'Eeeeew' or 'Gross" like Alexis. But right now, his biggest concern is breakfast…or lunch…or snacktime…"

"Well, both our children are stuck with parents who are going to kiss each other in their presence. They might as well get used to it."

xxxxx

As they were leaving the hospital the following day, a society reporter for _The Ledger_ caught sight of them as she was coming to visit a family member. Obviously unable to pass up the opportunity to try to talk to them, she tried to block their path, oozing charm and asking about the baby. They kept moving while answering a couple of the more innocuous questions before Castle said he wanted to get his family home and moved a little more quickly toward their waiting car. By then, hospital security had spoken to the woman and steered her away.

Kate's favorite nurse was pushing her wheel chair and asked, "Does that happen often?"

"Too often for my taste, but it's part of Rick's day job. I'm getting used to it."

"Hmmpf. And I used to think being famous might be fun. Maybe not."

"It has its perks, but there are downsides too," Castle told her. He held out his hand and said "Thank you, Mindy. You've been wonderful."

She shook his hand and said, "Both of you have made it easy," She was obviously pleased at the compliment.

Much to Alexis's delight, Jamie woke up when they arrived at home, and her dad showed her how to safely lift him out of the infant carrier. She took him and sat down on the sofa, contentedly watching him as he went through a variety of facial expressions, blinking his eyes and watching her back. She and Martha talked to Jamie and laughed at some of his faces, then an new, odd expression appeared on his face followed by his sister sniffing the air.

Looking at her grandmother, she asked, "Did he just do what I think he did?"

"More than likely," Martha answered, immediately calling, "Richard. Your son needs you." Then she and Alexis both giggled.

"Oh, I see," he answered, coming closer. "You only love him when he's clean."

"I used to babysit for a friend whose wife was breastfeeding," Martha told him. "Most women weren't doing that when Richard was a baby, you know," she explained to Alexis. "And those were some messy diapers."

Kate came to get her son, teasing, "Come here, Jamie. Mommy still loves you, but I have to admit it's more fun when you're clean."

Before she could take him from Alexis, though, Castle stopped her. "I've got this one. He's going to be hungry again before too long, and you should get some rest." Kate started to protest, but he argued, "I'm not trying to take over completely or indefinitely, but give yourself a break. You just had a baby two days ago, so rest while you can. He's going to demand a lot of our attention."

"You should listen to him, Katherine," her mother-in-law told her. Voices of experience…both of us."

"Did Mom take care of me at all when I was Jamie's age?" Alexis asked. "The truth, Dad. Don't sugarcoat it."

"Not much because she knew that Richard would," Martha answered with obvious disgust. "When diapers needed to be changed, she was always still 'exhausted from childbirth.' By the time she wore that out, your father was already automatically doing just about everything for you."

"Did she love me at all?"

"As much as she knew how," Castle answered with a sigh.

"But it was all about her even then, wasn't it? And she didn't like sharing the stage?"

"I'm sorry, Honey. I didn't give you the best mom."

"It's okay, Dad. You were as good as two parents. And you gave me Kate. So, before I left for college I got to know what it feels like to have a mom, and Jamie will know right from the beginning. Go get some rest, Kate. I'll help Dad. He can show me how to change Jamie. If you're gonna trust me to babysit, I'm gonna have to learn sooner or later anyway."

They convinced Kate to lie down, and Castle started the diaper changing instructions. As soon as the diaper was loosened enough to see inside it, Alexis was leaning back and saying "Eeeeeew!" and "Yuck!" and that she might be reconsidering. But she did manage to stay and then put a clean diaper on her little brother...after Castle had cleaned the messy residue from the dirty diaper off Jamie's little bottom.

"How can you stand that?" she asked.

"You made many a disgusting mess of your own, daughter," he answered as he fastened Jamie's onesie back in place and picked him up lovingly.

"And you loved me like this anyway?"

He leaned and kissed her head. "Of course I did. Well, I didn't really enjoy the diapers; but they're part of being a parent to a child you do enjoy. It was worth every 'Eeeeeew!' and 'Yuck!'" he answered, mimicking her.

She laughed and gave him a hug and asked if she could have Jamie back.

He put his son in her arms and said, "See? You're already forgetting the nasty diaper, aren't you, even though you know he's going to do it again? All you're thinking about now is how much you love him."

She kissed the baby's head, sat down on the sofa again, and said, "Yeah. You're right. He's so sweet."

Martha and Castle stood together watching the two youngest members of the family bonding, and they left them alone. They would have their time with Jamie later.

xxxxx

A couple of days later, the standard birth announcement appeared in the paper, and page six of the Ledger had a mention of the meeting with the reporter, Mr. and Mrs. Castle leaving the hospital with their beautiful baby boy.

By the end of the week, the members of the household were finding a little bit of a routine, and Kate's confidence level was growing. Castle mentioned now and then that he would get Jamie for her since he couldn't feed him himself. Sometimes he would stay close to them as she fed him, now and then putting his arms around them as the baby nursed, the way he had at the hospital. Other times he would go and write, run an errand, start dinner, or find something else to do or someone else to talk to.

One afternoon when Jamie was about two weeks old, Castle was leaning against the doorway to their bedroom watching as Kate fed their son. She was leaning back on pillows propped against the headboard and talking softly to the baby, not really saying anything of consequence, just saying it lovingly and stroking his face or holding his hand. She looked up with a contented smile when she realized he was there, and then she seemed concerned. Looking thoughtful for a moment or two, she asked, "Are you feeling left out?"

He looked down as if the toes of his shoes had suddenly become fascinating, and mumbled self-deprecatingly, "Maybe. How childish does that make me?"

Responding with something he would often say, she answered gently, "Not childish, just human. Come over here with us." When he did, she told him, "Get behind me and spread your legs so…"

He gave her his crooked smile and said mischievously, "That sounds like it should be my…"

Playfully covering Jamie's ear with her free hand, she scolded, "Not in front of the child."

Castle chuckled and got in bed behind her, and she scooted a bit forward so she could sit in the vee of his legs and lean against him.

"Now put your arms around us so he knows you're here, too, while he's nursing. Anytime you feel left out, just come in and join us. I like that you want to be an involved dad. Jamie and I are both lucky to have that."

He held their baby with her and helped her balance him when she switched him to the other breast. Resting his chin on her shoulder, he watched as the baby nursed. "Does it feel at all like when I…" he started to ask hesitantly.

"A couple of times at first, there was a little hint of something similar, but no. Nothing is the same as you, Rick. You're one of a kind…the really good kind. She turned her head to give him a little peck on the lips, and he returned it then started to talk to his child and stroke his face the way Kate had, zeroing in on a tiny hand or foot now and then.

When Jamie's tummy was full and he stopped nursing, Castle threw a cloth over one shoulder then took the baby and held him upright at his shoulder, patting his back and bouncing him gently until there was a loud burp.

"That's my boy," he said proudly. Turning toward his wife, he smiled and observed, "It's always amazed me that a sound that big can come from such a tiny little person."

She laughed as she got up to find what she needed to change the baby's diaper. "He has a pretty powerful set of lungs to let us know when he isn't happy, too." She waited, watching as Castle cuddled his youngest child, rubbing his back and kissing his temple in the process. "I love you," she said, and he looked up at her, returning the sentiment without needing the words. She leaned in and took Jamie from him, changed his diaper, refastened his clothes, and tucked him into the bassinet, where he promptly closed his eyes and fell asleep almost instantly. "Well that was easy this time."

"Could you use a nap, too?" he asked.

"Do I get a good cuddle, like Jamie did?"

"Always."

She pulled back the covers, they rearranged the pillows, and she told him, "Get in and tell me exactly what makes you feel left out."

"It's just foolishness on my part, Kate. Don't worry about it," he answered as he slid under the covers and pulled her into his arms.

"No. I want to know so I can help. I don't want you to feel left out of anything with our son. We're partners, right? Jamie needs to feel that, too."

After a couple of false starts, he finally said, "I did just about everything for Alexis. I had to fix her bottles and feed her, and doing that…it's some of my favorite memories. She'd kind of melt into a snuggle in my arms, and she had to depend on me for everything." He sighed. "This is different." Backpedaling from that statement, he assured her, "It's better, but it's different. You're doing everything a mother is supposed to do, and I love seeing that our little boy is going to have two parents he can depend on from his first day in the world. I don't want to go back to doing everything on my own, but now and then a moment hits me, and I miss doing that for Jamie…or maybe with him… It's so unreasonable."

"Did today help?"

"It did, and it means the world to me that you noticed and invited me in without my having to say a word…but it isn't quite the same." He hesitated briefly then finally admitted, "It's worse than that. I was…" He stopped there.

"Go ahead and say it, Rick. It can't be that bad. And I can't help if I don't know." There was still no answer, and she pulled his head down to her shoulder and just held him. "I really want to help."

He buried his face against her neck and admitted, "I was feeling jealous, too. It makes me feel like a really lousy father."

"A lousy father is something you'll never be, Richard Castle. You already do everything but feed him, and this baby hasn't wanted for love since the minute you knew he existed. So tell me what exactly it is that makes you feel jealous or left out."

Maybe I was feeling jealous _because_ I was feeling left out? I didn't have any reason for these feelings with Alexis. Her mother wasn't doing much anyway." He took in a deep breath and answered on a sigh, "When you're feeding Jamie, the two of you look so close, and I can almost be a part of that but not quite. And I want to feel as close to him as you do, but I'm not built for that."

"Anything else?"

"It isn't that I resent that he needs your time. I don't. Either one of us would always put him first. But there's almost no time for us…and I miss you. The family has been here more often because they love Jamie and want to see him, and babies demand their own time, and…" He nuzzled her shoulder so he didn't have to look at her. Touching her, he said, "And these used to be all mine, and… God, I sound so petty. You must be exhausted. Everything you've been through to get our baby here and healthy…Jamie needing to be feed so often…and I'm whining because I can't feed him myself yet or can't have you to myself long enough…or have enough of you to myself. You must be disgusted with me. It's so stupid, and I hate myself for it."

"I'm not disgusted with you, Castle. I'm glad you're willing to tell me. And it isn't just you, you know. I'm missing our time with just us, too. And from some things I've read, I think the rest of what you said is pretty normal, too. It isn't stupid. We'll work it out. I'm not good for _that_ kind of nap yet, but we can make out a little before we take our own nap. Our boy should be good for at least another couple of hours, maybe more, and nobody else is here. Just us." She kissed his head, and he nuzzled her neck again, growling softly but playfully and nibbling near her ear. She giggled quietly. "It's us time, Writer-Man. Let's take advantage while we can."

He finally looked up at her. "I'm so glad I have you. You're still extraordinary, you know." He followed his statement with a long, slow kiss.

"Mmmmmm… I've missed this." Looking at him flirtatiously, she told him, "I think I just melted into a snuggle with the world's best dad myself."

He grinned at her. "Want to do it again, world's best wife and mother?"

She grinned back and answered, "Definitely. You can even play with your toys a little bit if you want to."

They lavished loving attention on one another before finally falling asleep until Jamie woke up.

Placing the baby carrier where they could talk to their son as they made lunch for themselves, they managed to have their meal before Jamie demanded his own. The phone rang while Kate was feeding him, and Castle was surprised to hear JD's voice when he answered.

The young man sounded hesitant, but he said, "I saw Alexis's roommate today, and she said the baby was born a couple of weeks ago. Could I… I mean, would it be okay if…"

"Would you like to stop by and see him?" Castle asked, helping him through what seemed to be a difficult moment for him.

"Yeah, I would," JD answered, sounding relieved. "When would be a good time? I don't want to go when Alexis is there. I don't want it to be awkward for everybody."

"She's planning to be here about five, so you could come by any time this afternoon. We'd be happy to see you."

"Thanks, Mr. Castle. I'll aim for three if that's okay."

"We'll be looking for you."

"Was that JD?" Kate asked, sounding surprised.

"He's coming by at three…wanted to be gone before Alexis was here."

"I've missed him. He was starting to feel like family."

"Me, too, but we have to let them make their own decisions. It'll be good to see him, though."

When JD arrived later, Castle answered the door, and Kate came out to meet him, too. After welcoming hugs, Kate went to get Jamie, saying, "He was just waking up when you got here. I'll change him and be right back."

Castle invited him in and offered him something to drink while they waited.

"Just some water would be fine," he answered.

Castle got water for them; and as they stood in the kitchen talking, they heard Kate from the bedroom.

"Aaaaaaaaa. Yuck! Richard James Castle!"

The two men looked at each other in surprise.

"She just whole named a two week old baby?" Castle asked, looking concerned. Pointing toward the bedroom, he said, "Be right back."

Before he got to the door of the study, though, Kate met him, a look of consternation on her face. She was holding Jamie a little bit away from herself, his clean, fleece onesie in her hand and large wet splotches on her shirt.

As she handed him the freshly diapered baby and the clean onesie, she said, "Finish this for me. Your son just peed all over me. I'm gonna go clean up."

Knowing how bad it probably was for Kate's mood, Castle laughed out loud, anyway. JD somehow managed to hold back until they heard the bedroom door close.

Still chortling as he sat down with Jamie, Castle laid him on the sofa, and got him into his clothes.

"I had a girl baby before," he told JD. "All the mess went on whatever was under her. Did you see Kate's shirt? Jamie must have really hosed her down while she was reaching for a diaper." I'd been told to watch out for that, but I'd forgotten."

"Looks like Mrs. Castle did, too," JD answered with a grin, and then they were both outright laughing again.

When Castle picked Jamie up and JD sat down on the sofa next to him, Castle asked, "Want to hold him?"

"Yeah, but he's so little," JD answered, looking reluctant. Castle placed the baby in his arms and gave him a few instructions, and Jamie looked up at the young man, blinking his eyes now and then and randomly moving his hands and feet.

"I think it's safe now," Castle told JD. "That thing is only dangerous when he's diaperless," And both men were laughing again.

Kate returned to the door of the study in clean clothes, having rinsed out a curl at the end of her hair as well as the shirt, and she stood at the door where two good sized men were in her line of vision, laughing as they bonded with a tiny little man-child. "You're not going to get over this for a long time, are you?" she asked dryly.

They tried to compose themselves but were snickering again in no time. "Probably not." Castle agreed. "We should put this in the baby book, Kate. You whole-named a two week-old."

That set the men off again, but this time they wisely brought it quickly back to just grins.

"Glad I could provide you some entertainment." She sat down in an armchair across from them and smirked as she mock glared at them.

JD seemed as fascinated by Jamie as Alexis had been, and he instinctively reached to meet the tiny flailing hands and feet, smiling as he did. "This is amazing. I've never held a baby this small." Watching Jamie closely, he said, "He looks so alert. It's like he's taking in everything. He's beautiful."

"Handsome," Castle corrected. "We men are handsome, right, Jamie?"

The baby flailed his hands and feet again, and JD said, "Looks like he agrees. Okay, Jamie, handsome it is."

The atmosphere between them was as relaxed as ever, and they enjoyed sitting and talking to JD for a while. He told them about a road trip he and his grandfather took a couple of weeks after he and Alexis broke up, and it was almost as entertaining as the Aunt Eugenia stories. When he said he should go, they all stood, and he went to throw his water bottle away in the kitchen. "Could I hold him again for a minute before I go? Castle met him at the corner of the breakfast bar, and that's where they all were, laughing one more time about Kate's wet shirt experience when the door opened and Alexis came in…at three-thirty…an hour and a half early."

"Hi. My last class was cancelled, so I came to see my br…" She stopped in her tracks. "JD? What are you doing here?"

"I meant to be gone before you got here. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable." Carefully giving Jamie to Kate, he said, "I was here for so much…even got to feel him moving around a couple of times… I just wanted to meet the little guy, you know? Pay my respects." Looking terribly ill-at-ease, he stammered, "I was just leaving anyway." Looking at Kate and Castle as he picked up his coat, he said. "It was good to see both of you. And congratulations. He's beautiful. Sorry, Jamie. Handsome." Castle smiled at that, then JD put his coat on and looked like he couldn't get to the door fast enough. "Bye, Alexis," he said on his way out.

Alexis finally came out of her surprised state enough to call out, "JD?" just before the door closed.

"Do you want me to catch him? Castle asked.

Alexis shook her head and ran upstairs.

"Be right back," Castle told his wife and followed JD, catching him as he waited for the elevator.

"JD?"

"This was such a bad idea," the younger man said, swiping at his eyes as he looked down and appeared to be embarrassed.

The parent in Castle took over, and he wrapped JD in a fatherly hug.

"I miss her, Mr. Castle. I love your daughter. How long does it take to stop hurting?"

"No schedule for it," Castle answered, patting the younger man gently on the back. "Every situation is different."

"I miss your family, too. You always made me feel so welcome."

"And you still are. We miss you, too. And no matter what happens with you and Alexis, you can always call if you need one of us."

"Does she hate me?"

"No. I think she's angry with herself. She left because she didn't want to hold you back."

"What do I do?"

"There's a quotation from back in the seventies…'If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they're yours; if they don't they never were.' When you can talk yourself into it, date some other people. It may be only a distraction at first, but it's a step in a new direction. Just be honest with whoever you're dating."

JD backed away then and nodded, asking hesitantly, "Is she seeing anybody else yet?"

"Not that we know of. I'm not sure, though. The baby has distracted all of us lately, and she's been spending more time here." Castle paused a moment. "I'm not going to be a go-between for the two of you. This is something that will or won't work because the two of you make those decisions; but life is made up of a lot of other things, too. If you need Kate or me, or if you just want to visit, call us. Understand? If it doesn't work out between you, Jamie still couldn't do any better when it comes to a male figure in his life to look up to. If my son grows up to be as good a man as you are, I'll be a very proud father."

The elevator had been there for a moment or two by then, and JD lifted his hand in parting and walked away. Turning and holding the door open, he said, "Thanks Mr. Castle…for everything…for caring about me.

"Always will. Remember…any time you need us," Castle told him.

"I will," drifted out of the elevator as the door closed.

Castle went back into the loft, wishing he could help. He'd had his own romantic disappointments, and he knew how the young man felt. Now he would wait for his daughter to come back downstairs so he could comfort her, too.


	86. Chapter 86

Chapter 86

"Should I talk to her now or let her come back down to us?" Castle asked his wife on a sigh.

Before she could answer, Alexis appeared at the top of the stairs, looking around hesitantly.

"He's gone," her father assured her.

Kate settled Jamie safely in the baby carrier and went to get out a container of ice cream and three spoons while Alexis came down to join them.

Castle held out his arms and enfolded his little girl in them. She rested her head on his chest, wrapped her arms around his waist, and just accepted the comfort.

"How is he, Dad?"

"About as miserable as you look…at least when he thinks about you. We had a good visit, though, like we used to."

"Until I came barging in early?"

"He really was about to leave when you got here…maybe not quite as fast as he did, though." He tugged her hair gently to let her know he was teasing. "He's a good man, Alexis, and if he still wants to see us now and then, we'll see him. It might be somewhere other than the loft, though, to avoid situations like today. He kind of got under our skin. Kate and I care about him, so I told him if he ever needed either of us, he should call. His grandad won't be there forever, and I share your opinion about his parents. Not much support from them."

"I'm glad you did that."

"You still think you made the right decision?"

"Yeah. I wasn't being fair to him. But I miss him, too."

"I've told him I'm not going to be running interference for the two of you. You're the two most level-headed kids I know. If it's supposed to work, you'll figure it out." He kissed her head, left one arm around her shoulders, and turned them toward the breakfast bar where Kate was moving Jamie up next to the ice cream so he was close to them. "Now let's go see your baby brother."

"Jamie," Alexis cooed at him grabbing his feet and playing with them and leaning to kiss his fleece covered toes. "What are you up to, baby boy?" And then she was smiling again.

Kate handed her a spoon, and the three adults dug into the carton of chocolate ice cream.

"What do you say we introduce your brother to ice cream?" Castle whispered to his first born.

"I heard that," Kate told him.

"Are you going to be a spoilsport, Eagle Ears?"

"No, but just a tiny taste." she said with a smirk, bumping Castle's shoulder with hers.

"I knew that," he answered, bumping her back. "You want the first honors?" Castle asked Alexis.

She grinned and scooped up barely more than a drop of the chocolate ice cream on the end of her finger and put it on her brother's lips. Then they all watched as Jamie's face registered infant versions of what they saw as surprise, confusion, and curiosity. His lips pursed, then smacked, then his tiny little tongue came out and tested…and the rest of the family chuckled.

"I think he liked it," Castle said as he gave him another taste. And the whole show happened again, accompanied by a few baby noises, kicking feet, and more audience laughter.

Then Kate said that was enough, and Castle and Alexis high-fived as Kate took Jamie with her to the sofa. She sat there with the baby stretched out facing up on her legs from knee to thigh and talked to him playfully as she moved his hands and tickled his tummy.

Watching her, Castle said to his other child, "Are you aware that the woman with the baby over there was afraid she might not be a good mother?"

"Yeah," the girl answered. "She was so wrong."

Kate looked over at them with an appreciative smile and went back to playing with her baby. "Do you want to take him for a little while?" she asked Alexis.

"Yes," she answered right away. "He's so sweet." Taking him from Kate and looking at Jamie adoringly, she said, "I love that he has so much hair. Most newborns are close to bald."

"It isn't that much," Kate answered. "I mean it doesn't look like he stuck his finger in a light socket or anything. He just has a generous head of hair…like his ruggedly handsome dad."

Castle, of course, looked pleased.

"I can't believe you're encouraging that, Kate. I thought you said his ego was big enough already."

"Well, everybody needs a little boost now and then. And I love your ruggedly handsome dad," she said as she stood. "I'll leave Jamie in your capable hands. You two have fun. I'll be back in a few minutes."

As she walked into the study, Castle was saying, "I didn't tell you yet what Jamie did to your mom this afternoon. She was changing his diaper, and…"

"There's no way that story isn't finding its way to the precinct, is there?" she called over her shoulder.

"Ummmm... Nope," he called back. Then she heard his expressive storytelling voice spinning the tale of Kate's icky, wet shirt. That was followed by a peal of higher pitched laughter and a teenage voice saying, "Jamie Castle. How rude!"

Kate closed the bedroom door, went in the bathroom, and put the mostly dry shirt from that morning in the hamper, gathered up the things she needed from the bedroom, and gave Castle a little time with both his children to himself.

As she was in the study, about to go back to join the rest of her family, Alexis called, "Kate, I think he's getting hungry."

"I thought it was about that time," she said. "I'll be right there." She stopped at the end of the sofa and put something down on the table behind Castle, then she took Jamie from their daughter's arms and talked to him about always being hungry like his father.

Alexis laughed and excused herself to go and study, and to call her roommate and let her know she would be staying at the loft for the night. Then Kate handed Jamie to Castle, who looked confused until she retrieved what she left on the end table and handed it to him.

"A bottle?" he asked. "I thought we weren't going to give him anything but breast milk for a while."

"We aren't. That's the reason for the funny looking pump you gave me such a hard time about."

"So this is…"

"Yep. Still from Mommy. Your turn. Solo flight with the newest Castle."

"You didn't have to do this."

"I wanted to. I want to watch _you_ be that close to him this time. There's something about seeing a very big man being so gentle with a tiny little baby that really does it for me."

"Well, in that case… Help me make this look easy, Son. We need to impress Mommy." He settled his baby in his arms and got him to accept the bottle. When he was sure Jamie was satisfied and eating well, he looked at Kate lovingly and softly said "Thank you."

She didn't say anything, just scooted closer to him on the sofa and stroked his upper arm as she watched.

"That was it, wasn't it?"

"What?"

"The moment you were talking about…the melt? When he relaxes, kind of feels a little heavier all of a sudden and then melts into a snuggle and seems so content...like he completely trusts you to take care of everything he'll ever need."

"Yeah, that was it. I remember that with Alexis. It was the most awesome feeling in the world…and the scariest at the same time. When it happened the first time, I knew I was all in. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was all in. It was a life changing event. Do you get that same feeling"

She nodded. "You're right. It's awesome," she answered.

"Doing everything else is great, but there's something about feeding them. It's giving them what they need to sustain life…quite a responsibility. By the time I had Alexis, I could afford that without a problem; but I think about what Mother had to go through to do the same thing for me… There's no way I could ever not take care of her. She chose a rough road when she decided not to give me up.

She bent her head and kissed his shoulder, and he could tell she was trying not to break his connection to their son. Every time he thought he couldn't love her more, she gave him moments like this to prove him wrong. It was such a small thing on the surface, but she knew it was much bigger to him…and he was exulting in every second of it.

She left her hand on his arm but rested her upper arm on the back of the sofa and lowered her head to her arm.

Castle spoke softly and soothed and hummed short tunes as he waited for his little boy to finish the bottle. "He has a pretty healthy appetite, doesn't he?" He was about to lean forward to put the bottle down, but Kate did it for him, handing him a small towel for his shoulder in its place.

"Time to get rid of the bubbles," Castle told the tiny little person he held against his shoulder.

Kate gradually worked herself back into the male sphere of activity beside her, and they talked about their appointment with the pediatrician the next day.

"Esposito said he and Maria both have the day off tomorrow, and Gabe is excited about seeing Jamie. They're picking him up after school and want us to meet them at the ice cream shop after our appointment."

"He's barely six," Kate answered with a smirk. "He could easily be just as excited or more about the ice cream shop."

"True," he conceded, looking pretty content himself. They leaned their heads on the back of the sofa, legs stretched out in front of them, looking straight ahead as they talked. Castle had Jamie snuggled close on his shoulder. "It's March, but it's going to be cold and windy tomorrow. Not the best day for ice cream."

"When you were six, did you care about the weather when there was ice cream involved? I know I didn't." There was a pause before Kate spoke again. "Lanie is coming by for a little while after work tonight. That's what the phone call was while you and Alexis were with Jamie."

"How long is a little while?"

"Probably as long as it takes for Jamie to be awake so Aunt Lanie can hold him."

"This place has been like Grand Central lately."

"Apparently the boy is a big draw," Kate answered dryly.

"Apparently."

"Meagan gets home tomorrow afternoon, and you know she'll be here tomorrow night. She hasn't even seen him yet."

"That probably means your dad will be here, too," Castle teased.

She huffed a little laugh. "More than likely. She left early on the day Jamie was born, but she said that was her last obligation away from home. She calls it her pre-retirement plan."

"So, Lanie tonight, Esposito and entourage for ice cream tomorrow, and probably your dad and Meagan tomorrow night?"

"Yep." She took a deep breath. "I love them, but I'm tired."

"Me, too."

"It'll be nice when it all settles back down to us and Alexis and Jamie and our parents most of the time." Looking over at him, she said, "I think this is an order in night."

Castle simply nodded his agreement as he gently stroked Jamie's back. "Text Lanie and tell her to let us know when she leaves. We'll order when she calls and she can have dinner with us."

Alexis came back downstairs, and they told her the plan for the evening.

When Kate looked back to her two men, she said, "He's getting sleepy. His eyes are blinking and staying closed a little longer each time." Turning to Alexis, she asked, "Do you want to put him to bed?"

Big sister took the opportunity right away, and Castle sat up and transferred her little brother to her. "I checked his diaper a few minutes ago," he told her. "I think he's ready for bed."

She took him to her dad's desk chair in the study where she could sway back and forth with him, and he was sound asleep in a few minutes. After she eased him into the bassinet, she started back to her parents, looking pleased with herself, and met Kate coming toward the bedroom.

"Everything okay?" Kate asked.

Alexis nodded, then pulled Kate into a big hug, saying, "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? What happened?" Kate sounded concerned, as if she might be worried about Jamie.

"Jamie's fine," Alexis answered from Kate's shoulder. "My manners, not so much."

Kate relaxed, squeezed a little tighter and, sounding amused, asked, "What's wrong with your manners today?"

"I might have eavesdropped a little while ago…before I came downstairs. I was kind of lurking where you wouldn't see me."

"Did you hear something that upset you?"

"No. Just made me love you more."

"So what did you hear, and why did you listen? That isn't your normal MO."

"I heard everything from you and dad talking about the melt moment until when I came downstairs. He was talking about remembering that same thing with me, and he looked like he loved it so much, and you were looking at him like you loved him so much…" She pulled back, looking down. "Part of it was that the two of you looked so close, and I didn't want to interrupt. The other part was that Dad sounded like he was remembering me the same way he looks when he's holding Jamie, and I wanted to see if he was going to say more. I know my mom probably isn't capable of feeling that way about anybody, even her own child, and I…I guess it just felt good to hear Dad talk about it. My mom doesn't even want me now the same way you do. You included wanting me in what you said. And I'm a little jealous over it, but I'm really glad my little brother has been getting that from both of you from the minute he was born."

"Well, I may not have been there from the beginning, but I'd still like to think you completely trust me to take care of everything you'll ever need…as much of it as I can, anyway."

"I do. Sorry I eavesdropped."

"We'll let it go this time. Special circumstances." Alexis gave her another quick hug.

"I'm gonna just go peek at him," Kate said, pointing toward the bassinet a bit sheepishly. "I can't seem to help myself."

"Sometimes I sneak in just to look at him, too," Alexis admitted, and then she went back to the living room.

"Want to watch a movie?" she asked as she passed her dad outside the study door.

"Sure. Go pick out a few to choose from. I'm just gonna go…"

"Look at Jamie for a minute?" She grinned. "Kate and I just had that conversation."

Castle walked to the bedroom door and watched his wife watching their son.

"I know you're there," Kate whispered, and he walked over to join her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Thank you," he whispered in return, kissing the crown of her head.

"For what?"

"How you handled things with Alexis. I might have done a little eavesdropping of my own."

"Do I need to put GPS trackers on both of you so I always know where you are?"

Castle just smiled and said, "We should let him sleep. Alexis is picking out movies for us to choose from. You interested?"

"Yeah. Let's go see what she's got."

Lanie called about the time the movie ended, and Jamie woke up not long after she arrived. They brought him to the table and put him where they could play with him and talk to him as they ate, and Lanie claimed him for herself afterward. Kate and Lanie took him into the study while Castle and Alexis cued up another movie.

After asking questions about how both Kate and the baby were progressing, Lanie talked to Kate about Franklin Stokes. "I really like him, Kate, but he scares me. I think he's ready to try for something serious."

"And, in the words of someone who used to shame me about running away from relationships… What exactly is it that scares you about having a fine, fun, upstanding, good-looking man you obviously care about and who obviously cares about you?"

"I knew you'd throw that back at me one day." The ME huffed a little sigh and looked down at Jamie. "Why is the male of the species so confusing, Kid?" Jamie just watched her and batted at her lips, and she and Kate laughed. "I've always enjoyed a variety of men…in a variety of ways. Javi came closer than anybody else to being more than nice time spent together, but nobody has made me want make it permanent before. For the last month Frank and I have been skirting the issue of my going with him to California to meet his parents. He's going for a weekend next month, and I have the vacation time to take; but that feels like a pretty big step."

"It's a good idea, though. They're going to be part of your life if it gets more serious. If you can't stand them, you may need to come home and make some decisions about where it goes from there. But I think you should go. You said it's a short visit. If it's awful, you can always ditch them, do some sight-seeing, and meet him back at the plane when it's time to go home."

"You make it sound so easy."

"It was easier for me. Martha already lived here and we already liked each other."

"I wish I could be as certain as you and Castle are."

"You know that didn't come easy…until someone wisely staged a brazen intervention, for which Castle and I will be forever grateful, and made us get our heads out of the sand. Once we admitted what we wanted, things got better. Maybe a trip together will help you sort things out. But I wouldn't advise staying with his parents. It might take some just-the-two-of-you-time to keep things in perspective. And, if you have the time, maybe take an extra day or two for decompression before you get home."

"Maybe you're right." Pulling Jamie to her as he reached curiously for her hair, she said, "Your mommy thinks she's so smart now. All showing off her good sense."

Kate grinned at her. "You're just jealous 'cause you're not on the advice giving end this time."

"You're probably right," Lanie admitted. Then, in a totally un-adult move, she stuck her tongue out at her friend, and they both laughed. Lanie kissed Jamie on the forehead then, and said, "Frank is supposed to come over when he gets off at nine. And, yes, I promise to talk to him about the trip to California. Then, if that isn't a complete disaster, I guess I have to take him to meet the hopeful Ma and Pa Parish in New Orleans. Not high on my list of possible good times."

Kate took Jamie from her and lifted him to her shoulder. "Keep me posted?"

"I will," Lanie said as she left the study. "Thanks for listening."

"Anytime. I'm glad you came by. Tonight was fun."

'Night Castle, Alexis. Thanks for dinner," Lanie called on the way out.

When it was just the family again, Kate fed Jamie; and when he went to sleep, she and Castle went to bed, too. It had been a long, day with a lot of emotional ups and downs, and they were both wiped out.

xxxxx

Jamie's report from the pediatrician the next day was glowing, and both parents left feeling proud of themselves.

The next stop was for ice cream, and Javi, Maria, and Gabe were already there waiting for them. Mr. Rick is here. Can we get ice cream now?" Gabe asked his mother.

"Told you," Kate whispered with a grin.

"Is that the baby in there?" Gabe asked, temporarily forgetting the ice cream.

"Maybe not," Castle whispered back to her.

"Why is he under a blanket? Doesn't he have a coat on?" the six year old asked.

"He has a coat and hat," Castle told him, "But the wind is blowing, and it's really cold, and he's just a tiny little baby. The blanket keeps the wind out. Want to pick it up and peek in?"

He smiled excitedly. "Yeah."

Castle put the baby carrier on the table and said, "You have to be careful. Can you do that?"

Gabe nodded, his big, soft brown eyes showing his excitement, and asked, "Do I pick it up here?" he asked, touching a corner.

"Good thinking. I'll get the other side, and we'll put it on top of his seat." They lifted the blanket and put it on top, and Gabe smiled.

Kate reached down and opened Jamie's coat, taking off his hat, too.

"Mommy, he's really little, just like Orlando's little brother."

"Orlando is our next door neighbor," Maria explained. "He was born the day before Jamie."

"But Jamie has hair," Gabe added with a giggle. "Orlando's brother is kinda bald."

Everybody laughed, and Jamie kicked his feet and made little cooing sorts of sounds. When Gabe reached his finger out to Jamie's hand, Jamie grabbed it and held on. Gabe smiled and said, Orlando's brother did that, too." Turning to his mother, he asked, "Mommy, can we get a baby, too?"

Conversation stopped momentarily, and Maria was left to answer the question. "You can't just go somewhere and get a baby any time you want to. There's more to it than that. Maybe someday, but not now."

Then Kate came to the rescue. "You can't just go somewhere and get a baby, Gabe," she said with enthusiasm, but you know what you can just go and get?"

"What?" the little boy asked.

"Ice cream. Come on. Let's see what flavors they have."

Gabe happily got up and went with Kate to check out the flavors. Maria mouthed, "Thank you" as they passed, and Kate gave her a conspiratorial smile. Then Maria gave Esposito her ice cream order, and volunteered to stay at the table with Jamie.

"Good move," Castle said softly to Kate as the men joined them. By then, Kate had Gabe actively involved in discussing ice cream flavors.

When they were all back at the table with Gabe facing Jamie, Castle said, "Jamie likes ice cream, too, but he's really little so he can only have a little taste." He did the same thing he had done the day before, put barely enough to taste on Jamie's lips, and got the same response from both Jamie and his audience, Gabe giggling hard at all the faces and sounds.

"Do it again?" he asked, and this time Kate took care of the ice cream…and let Jamie take care of the entertainment.

When the ice cream was finished, Maria and Gabe left. Her mother was expecting them that night, and that served Esposito's purpose well. He wanted to talk to Castle and Beckett anyway.

"Looks like you and Maria are okay now," Castle said. "You're spending more time with Gabe, aren't you?"

"Yeah. I'm getting attached to the little guy. If we split up now, it would be a double whammy. Hard to believe, huh? Me this attached to a little kid?" He stopped and took a deep breath. "I've been thinking about it a lot lately. I think maybe I'm ready to settle down. I think I'm going to ask her."

"Javi, that's great," Kate exclaimed, putting her hand over his.

"Yeah, it is," Castle agreed, slapping his friend's upper arm easily. "When are you going to ask her?"

"See, that's part of why I mentioned it. I need to get her a ring, and I don't even know where to start. It can't be so expensive I can't afford to take care of them, but I want to give her something nice. And I want it to be something she can wear at work without having to worry about it. You got any suggestions, Beckett? What would make it work for her as well as look good?"

"Want me to go with you to look around? I still have a month of maternity leave."

"Yeah, That'd be good," he answered, looking relieved.

"Mother will be back from her auditions tomorrow. I think she knows where to buy any kind of jewelry available in New York City, everything from things she'd only use for costumes all the way up to things that could destroy all my bank accounts. I'll ask her for some suggestions, and I know a couple of guys myself."

"Thanks. Both of you. I want her to feel special, you know. And if I'm gonna do this, I want to do it right. I don't want to be like my dad. I want to help teach Gabe to be a good man…to respect his family."

"And you will. No doubt in my mind." Kate told their friend. "Call when you have some time off, And, the more I think about it, better be prepared for company. If you're not careful, you could end up shopping with the whole Castle family."

"Hey, at least you'd know we care," Castle teased.

"We need to get Jamie home and settled. Us, too, actually. It's likely we'll have company tonight," Kate told Esposito as she buttoned Jamie back into his coat and pulled his hat back on him. Then Castle pulled the blanket back over the baby seat and picked him up to leave.

Once they were home, they got Jamie out of his outdoor clothes and into the bassinet. And when it looked like they might get away with it for a while, they stretched out on the bed side by side and smiled at each other.

After a couple of minutes, Castle whispered. "The quiet is nice,"

"Let's see how long we can enjoy it, Kate whispered back, "before anybody else tries to enlist us as relationship consultants."


	87. Chapter 87

Chapter 87

Meagan and Kate's father arrived at the loft together a little after dinner.

After hugging Kate, Jim asked, "Is my grandson awake?"

"Nice to see you, too, Dad," she answered, but she still smiled.

"Castle is changing him. Go on in. Get in on some of that male bonding time." She turned back to Meagan as Jim went to see the rest of the men. "Welcome home. How was the assignment?"

Meagan didn't answer the question, just smiled and commented, "So the man is rich, good-looking, brilliant, loves you to a fault, cooks, _and_ changes diapers? You do know how lucky you are, right?"

"Not a doubt in my mind."

As she said that, the sounds of two grown men, who were laughing and communicating with a tiny male who seemed to be doing the little bit his age allowed to reciprocate, came drifting from the master bedroom.

"They're having too much fun in there," Meagan said. "Let's go crash the party. I want to see this baby."

Kate chuckled and led her friend through the study to the bedroom, where they encountered a proud Grandpa holding Jamie.

He turned when they came in and said, "Meagan, I'd like you to meet Richard James Castle." Kissing his grandson's head, he continued, "And, Jamie, I'd like you to meet Meagan. I think she likes you already."

"I think she does, too," Meagan said, directing her words to Jamie. "I think she's going to like you a lot." That was said with a baby talk sound that no one expected to hear from the ex-Marine, causing smiles and surprised looks among the other occupants of the room. "What?" Meagan asked. "I may not have my own children, but I have six nieces and nephews who all think Aunt Meagan is the best thing since the invention of the wheel. And they all got a little bit of baby talk."

Jim shifted Jamie toward her, and she took him carefully into her arms, talking to him as she walked around and bouncing him slightly.

"It does look like you've done this before," Jim commented, still looking amused.

"Tell Granddaddy to wipe that smirk off his face," she said to Jamie in the same voice. "A little baby talk never hurt a baby did it, Mr. Adorable?"

"He's fed, clean, and dry. Let's take this where there's more room," Castle suggested, smiling, and led them back to the living room. They had their conversations around enjoying the baby, and eventually Kate and Meagan ended up on the sofa with Jamie positioned safely between them. The two women had time to talk while Castle got advice from Jim about a legal situation in the next chapter of his book.

"Did the assignment go well?" Kate asked.

"It was fine. I was there for the last weeks of PT and training before the client was allowed back on active duty. Her parents wanted her at home, and they're a long way from the closest VA Hospital. They could afford us and wanted to be sure their rebel child was in the best shape she could be in before they sent her back to the Marines. I admit it was good seeing the new respect the parents gained from watching her work her way back. They regarded the Marine Corps as the worst mistake of her life, but she showed them a different side of her decision and a determination they had no idea she had. It was a rewarding assignment."

"It sounds like there's a 'but' in there somewhere."

"You must be a detective," Meagan answered wryly. "But…I've decided I'm categorically exhausted with being away from home so much. This is a big security company, one of the good ones. Lots of branches and departments, and I've worked with most of them. The company pays really well, and the more difficult or hazardous assignments come with definite financial benefits, but almost all of them have me away from home a lot."

"So what happens next?" As they talked, both women were responding to Jamie's sounds and movements and playing with him.

I don't know. I've been thinking about that. When I started with the security company, they made good use of my military training, and they offered additional training for things they needed from me later on. The pay was great, especially with nobody to take care of but me. It didn't take long for me to realize I could use my entire military retirement check for savings and investments, and that's worked out well for me, too. When your work takes over your life and it's just you, it isn't hard to do. So the gist of it is that I have good options. I've gradually eased down to safer assignments for the most part, and I've thought about retiring from this too; but I don't want to be bored. I've built a good reputation. If I want to stay busy, I could certify to teach in the areas I've worked in. Maybe open a small training center…self-defense classes up to more advanced training with individual sessions offered. Other things have crossed my mind, too, but it's all just vague notions right now. There's a lot of thinking and weighing and balancing to be done. I… It just feels like it's time for a change. It's been building for a while now." Looking down at Jamie and playing with his little hand as he watched her, she asked in the sing-songy voice she had used earlier, "What do you think, baby boy? Is Meagan having a mid-life crisis?"

Kate laughed. "Wouldn't that mean you'd be looking for a boy toy, not interested in somebody my dad's age?" she asked quietly. Both women giggled, and Jamie kicked and made use of the extremely limited conversational responses of a newborn as if joining the teasing. "So how long have you been feeling this need for a change?" Kate asked.

Honestly, I think it started slowly creeping up on me when I was working with you after you were shot. I began to realize that Mark would have treated me with the same kind of care as Castle treated you. I had stayed so buried in work that I had let friends drift away and had to consciously carve out time to see my brother and sister and their families. And I hadn't let myself realize how much I missed it…that connection to somebody else. You and Rick can be quite an inspiration sometimes." There was a calculated pause before she spoke to the baby again. "Other times you make us all sick with all that sweetness, right, Jamie?"

They giggled again, and Rick took notice. "Uh-oh, Jim. Two kick-ass women are across the room from us giggling. That can't bode well. Maybe we should look into this." The men went to join them, and the four of them talked for a little while before Jim and Meagan left.

"Give me my boy," Rick said, taking Jamie from Kate. They walked to the bedroom, piled pillows against the headboard, and then the adults leaned back and enjoyed having their baby to themselves for a while.

xxxxx

There was finally another morning when the loft was empty except for Kate, Castle, and Jamie; and again, they took advantage of the time Jamie was sleeping to simply hold each other, indulge in loving touches, and enjoy some time together, as well as a little extra sleep while Jamie was napping.

Martha was back at home that afternoon, making her entrance as Kate sat on the sofa feeding the baby.

Martha put down her suitcases and peeked over Kate's shoulder at her grandson. "I've only been gone three days, and I'd swear he's already bigger."

"The doctor was happy with his progress," Kate reported.

"And how are you, my darling girl?" Martha asked, planting a kiss on Kate's head.

"Fine, Martha. Your son and I are both recovering from a few days of almost non-stop visits. There was quiet time this morning, though, so we both slept while Jamie did."

"Good. You have to take that time when you can." She sat down next to Kate and lovingly stroked her grandson's arm and shoulder. "It's like a whole new life, isn't it?" she asked.

"I was thinking about that this morning. On the one hand, I can remember life without having Jamie in my arms. But, on the other hand, it's hard to imagine not having him."

"It doesn't take long for them to slip in and assume a place in your life, does it? Or for you to know you wouldn't have it any other way?"

"No, I wouldn't." Kate agreed. "He's… Martha, I don't have the words."

"I understand. We annoy each other regularly, but I still look at Richard sometimes…" After a sigh, she added, with a chuckle, "However, just wait until this one is a teenager. There will be plenty of words for a while."

"I thought I heard the dulcet tones of Martha Rodgers making her entrance," Castle said, coming back into the living room with a burp cloth. He sat down on the other side of Kate and put an arm around her shoulders. "How was the audition?" he asked his mother.

"I got a call back on the second day, and I have the role. It isn't a huge part, but it's a character who's very important to the plot; so it's good exposure without keeping me away from the school for too long. I think it's good publicity for the school to have my face out there now and then. Credibility, I suppose."

"It probably is. And, if I haven't said it lately, Mother, I'm still impressed with the effort and expertise you've shown in establishing your school. I don't know what I expected; but, whatever it was, you've surpassed it."

Turning to Kate, with a hand over her heart, Martha said, "And even now, sometimes I still don't have the words." Standing to get her bags, she said, "Thank you, Richard. That was a fine welcome home."

"I'll get those for you," he offered and got up to take her luggage to her room.

"I might rest for a while. That was a long flight, and I'm not getting any younger," she told Kate as she went up the stairs behind her son.

Castle came back downstairs just as Jamie had decided he was full, and took him from Kate after throwing the cloth across his shoulder. They were establishing routines already. "Come on, Son. Let's get rid of that bubble."

"You just like that big, manly belch he makes, don't you?"

"What can I say? It's a guy thing. Ryan and Esposito thought it was pretty cool, too. Even your dad was impressed."

"Why am I not surprised?"

Castle gave her a quick kiss and resumed rubbing and patting his son's back until the big burp happened. "Do you feel up to a walk around the block? It's a nice day…warmer than yesterday. We can see how he likes his stroller."

"Sure. Might as well go now. Maybe he'll be ready for another nap by the time we get back. I'll get his warm clothes and bundle him up."

With no deadlines to meet, they stopped and talked to Eduardo, who fussed over Jamie the way he used to over Alexis. Then they walked around the block, taking their time and enjoying the occasional interaction with others they had often encountered on their walks while Kate was pregnant. They stopped at the coffee shop on the way back and got hot chocolate, and there was more attention for Jamie from the owners.

"I think he's going to have his father's charm," Kate commented.

"Well, of course he will," Castle answered.

"Martha has already warned me about the teenage years."

"I'll do my best to point him in the right direction," he promised.

"I'll trust you to do that," she answered.

He put his hand over hers and simply said, "I know you will...and thank you."

They both smiled, then in silent agreement, stood to go home.

As they walked back to the loft, Castle said, "I mentioned Esposito's ring shopping request to Mother, and she immediately seemed to have several ideas for places to look. I probably won't need my guys this time. She was a little too excited, though."

"I can see it now. Javier Esposito ring shopping with Martha Rodgers. He'd probably love it and hate it all at the same time." Kate said with a grin.

They both smiled at the thought before Castle said, "For future reference, strollers and fresh air are often good baby nap encouragements," he mentioned as they approached their building."

"I'll remember that, Obi Wan," she answered with the smile she reserved just for him.

When they got Jamie out of his outerwear and he snuggled sleepily into his father's arms, Castle looked at his wife and said quietly, "I'm the baby whisperer."

"I think you might be," she whispered back. "And just for the record, the big, ruggedly handsome dad snuggling the tiny little baby still totally does it for me. Can't wait to be able to do something about that again."

"Me, either," he answered and kissed her forehead, reciting, "Patience, patience, patience."

xxxxx

During the next few days, Martha was so excited about the engagement ring project that she used her off time for scouting missions to several shops she thought would be appropriate for what they were looking for. When Esposito called, he did indeed have the Castle family, minus Alexis, helping him out. Other than looking a little overwhelmed, he took it pretty well, though.

Martha took Kate into the first store, but Castle stopped Esposito outside the door and gave him his accountant's business card. Before he could explain anything, however, Esposito told him, almost angrily, "If you're about to offer to help me buy this…just…no. A man needs to buy his woman's ring himself, even if it won't be as big as what you bought Beckett."

"I know that, Javier, and I wouldn't insult you by offering. All I'm offering is a no interest loan if you want it. I'm out of the process completely, but the money's there. Might as well use it. You call my accountant, and you handle everything through Tyler. I've told him I'd make the offer but that you're a proud man and might not take it, so if you decide to call, he'll know who you are. The two of you set it up on your terms…payment amount, number of months, your choice. Take all the time you want. I'll never ask. I'll never even see it. It'll be like you're paying it back to somebody else. Pick out the ring you want, call Tyler, work out your payment terms, and he'll take care of a cashier's check so you can come back and pick it up."

"Thanks, man."

"No problem. If things were reversed, you'd do it for me, right?"

"Yeah," he agreed, then he smirked. "Probably."

Castle laughed and backhanded Esposito's arm. "Let's go find Maria a ring."

Martha had done her scouting well. She had suggestions at three different jewelry stores. They looked at the entire selection of rings in each store; but Kate agreed with her choices every time, and Esposito took Kate's word for the practicality of them. Back at the first store, he ended up with just Kate for backup and left feeling confident about his choice. He asked for it to be held for him and immediately called Castle's accountant.

xxxxx

Two weeks later, Kate was bemoaning the fact that her maternity leave was fading fast, and it was clear to Castle that she was simultaneously looking forward to getting back to work and dreading it.

After a longish thinking out loud session noting what she did and didn't want, she ended with, "But I don't want to leave you and Jamie."

"And if you think you'd be happy being home with us all the time, you don't have to. You never have to go to work again as long as you live if you don't want to. You married a rich guy, remember?"

"You saying you'd be my sugar daddy, Castle?"

He wiggled his eyebrows and grinned. "Any time you want, Sweetheart." Then he paused, sounding more serious. "But I'm not sure that would make you entirely happy."

"Does everybody go through this much guilt about liking their job but still wanting to be a good parent?"

"'Fraid so. Babies don't come with an owner's manual, but they do come with a full guilt package. Periodically, for your entire life, you're going to feel guilty about something child related. It's part of being a parent."

She flopped down on the sofa and growled. Jamie was asleep, so Castle flopped down on the sofa beside her to talk her down. "I know you feel guilty about leaving Jamie. What else really bothers you? And what do you want to do…or think you should do…or need to do for your own satisfaction? What worries you the most? Do we need a pro and con page?"

"I don't even know where to begin."

He already knew the answers, but he put the questions to her anyway. "Then let's start with your job. Why do you want to go back…not considering anything other than going back to work? You could have quit after you were shot, and nobody would have blamed you. Why does the job draw you in?"

She thought a few moments before she tried to answer. "Because I know how it feels for a family member's murder to be unsolved. I know how good I am at finding answers, and I like being able to provide that to victims' families. It doesn't make it any easier to live without your loved one, but having your questions answered helps. And I don't want another family to have to depend on a detective like Raglan. As a lieutenant, I've had a hand in training a few of the younger new detectives, and that gives me a chance to influence them in the right direction…and share techniques that we know work. I'm contributing to something bigger than just our family, and I like the way that feels. And I enjoy the challenge of solving the mystery, finding the pieces and putting the puzzle together."

"When your mother went to work in the mornings, did you think she loved you any less because she was at work?"

"Not that I remember, no. That's just how it was. Mom went to work."

"Did you love her any less because she went to work?"

"No. When I was little, I was just excited out of my mind when she came home and hugged me like I was the most special thing she ever saw. And all the way up until I left for college, she always found time for me."

"Were you proud of her?"

"Yes." She smiled at the memory. "And once I was old enough to have a better idea of what she did, it was more like, 'Oh, my god, yes.' She was a good lawyer, Castle. And on a business day, she looked the part…always work appropriate stylish, and her demeanor looked like she was always right on top of things; she always looked so…in charge. I didn't always like her telling me what I should do, but I loved knowing that she could go into a courtroom and stand up to a judge or a tough opposing attorney and that she could hold her own. I saw her in action in court once…one of those 'take your daughter to work' days. She was impressive."

Castle smiled as he heard her speak of her mother in such glowing terms. "You don't even recognize that you've just described yourself in your job, do you? Think back to that case we worked with Karpowski's team, the one with two families murdered. We all saw the news footage of you speaking to the press, containing the reporters, controlling the questioning process so it didn't turn into a free-for-all, concisely presenting the information, looking completely together and in charge. You shouldn't think for even a minute that Jamie won't grow up thinking of you the same way you felt about your mom. Alexis already does, and so do I. Sometimes I'm so proud of you I feel like I might explode with it."

"So you think I should go back to work?"

"I think you're an asset to best part of the NYPD; and, if you want to, you should go back. You have a lot of options ahead of you before much longer. Another year and you can consider sitting for the captain's exam. Or, with your record at the academy and since then, you could probably teach there…find opportunities to work in positions that give you more predictable hours. You could consult on your own terms. There are all kinds of other possibilities to keep your foot in the door if you want to back away from working full time later." Giving her his little smirk, he added, "However, if at any time you decide that you want a sugar daddy, I'm your man. I wouldn't try to talk you out of it."

She leaned in and kissed him lovingly. "You're my man anyway."

"Mmmmm. You're right about that," he answered, landing another little kiss.

"I feel guilty about you, too, you know."

"Why?"

She took his hand and started in normal conversational mode, but as she spoke it took on a different tone. "I love working with you, but I know you love being with your children. And I don't want Jamie to be with only babysitters…or be without either of his parents all day. And I know you got more writing done when you stayed home with Alexis, more than one book per year. But I know you like working with us at the precinct as much as I like having you there, and I hate that you can't do that anymore if you go back to being a stay-at-home dad, and I love that you're willing to do that, but I…"

"Hey…shhh…shhh. Slow down," he said gently, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "It doesn't have to be the end of working together. I can probably still find a way to come in once in a while when you get a tough one, or a really weird one. Or you can bring home a copy of the file and bring the boys over. We can work on it here. We'll figure it out."

"And then there's leaving Jamie… Guilt with a huge capital G. I…"

He pulled her into his lap and held her close, feeling her settle trustingly against him. Nuzzling her hair, he said, "We haven't done this since Jamie was born. It feels good." Then, kissing her head sympathetically, he reassured her. "It's going to be okay, Kate, I promise. Try not to worry so much. Whether you're working or not working, it's all going to be fine. We're all going to be fine."


	88. Chapter 88

Chapter 88

Jamie had smiled a few times before, and on Alexis's latest trip home to visit, she asked, "It looks like he's smiling, but is he really? One of my friends said it's probably just gas."

"It may be that he's learning how to use all those muscles he doesn't know how to control yet." Kate answered. "This time they turned into a smile. We may never be sure, but it's fun to watch," she said as she washed lettuce for their sandwiches. "It shouldn't be too much longer before we get real ones, though."

"You think so?" Alexis looked excited at the idea.

"I'm basing these answers on using my detective skills to piece together what I've read and what people with actual experience have told me. You should ask your dad when you started smiling for real. I don't think he's forgotten anything about you…probably never will."

"He won't forget anything about Jamie, either, will he?"

"It's people he loves, Alexis. He remembers everything. He amazes me."

So, two more weeks before you go back to work and he stays home with Jamie?"

"Looks like it. I had a huge crisis of conscience a couple of days ago, and he talked me through it. He's good at that."

"I know. He got lots of practice on me."

"I've talked to Gates, and I'm going back half days for the first two weeks. Then I'll be full time again. There will probably be some long days where I won't see either of them as much as I want to."

"I can tell that bothers you. Would you rather be a stay-at-home-mom?"

Kate was suddenly misty-eyed, and Alexis immediately apologized and hugged her stepmother. "I'm sorry, Kate. I didn't mean to make you cry."

"Every time I think about work, I want to cry. I love my job. It's important, and I'm good at it; but I love my family, and I'm better at that than I thought I'd be, too. I just can't figure out how I can do a good job of both."

"You've been doing a good job of both for a while now. Take it from a recipient of your skills. Jamie won't doubt that you love him." She wrapped her arms around Kate tighter for a long moment before backing off. "You already know she loves you, right, Jamie?" She tickled his tummy, and he reacted with baby sounds and all his little appendages moving. "See. He said yes."

Wiping her eyes, Kate answered, "There's a lot of your father in you, Kid. He always knows how to make me feel better, too."

They finished assembling sandwiches about the time Castle got home from his meeting and heated the soup Castle had made the day before. Then they all sat down at the table and played with Jamie as they spent some time catching up.

"Do you trust me to babysit on my own now?" Alexis asked. "Jamie's just been fed, so I wouldn't have to worry about that. If the two of you want to take a walk or do a little shopping or something, I have most of the afternoon free. It looks like you could do with a little fresh air and relaxing, Kate. Have the two of you been anywhere at all alone yet?"

"No, we haven't," Castle answered then turned to his wife. "Is something wrong, Kate?"

"Job, Jamie. Jamie, job. Guilt. Same story."

"Then let's take Alexis up on her offer…get out for a little while and get your mind on something else. It's a beautiful day. "

"Are you gonna be wearing that suit? You look great, but I'm a little underdressed for it."

"I'll go put on some jeans. That's more comfortable anyway. Be right back." He stood and kissed Alexis on the head. "Thank you, my perfect child. I think we both needed this."

"Maybe I'll take Jamie up to the nursery later and try out the rocking chair while you're gone."

"We've done that a few times. I like it," Kate answered with a smile.

"When are you going to move him up there to sleep?"

"Probably when we're sure he's sleeping through the night."

"Or when he outgrows the bassinet," Castle amended from the door of the study. "Whichever comes first, maybe."

"Go change clothes, Dad. Take advantage of the time while you have it," Alexis scolded.

He and Kate promised to be back in half an hour or forty-five minutes, kissed their little boy, then their little girl, and left the loft.

As they walked through the lobby, Eduardo asked, "On your own this afternoon?"

"Alexis is babysitting," Kate answered.

"More like she threw us out so she could have her brother to herself," Castle corrected. "See you soon.

"Enjoy your freedom," Eduardo joked as he held the door.

Once on the street in front of their building, the couple looked at one another, and Kate gave her husband a smirky smile. "I may have forgotten how to do this."

Castle gave her his lopsided smirk in return. "Shall we just pick a direction, start walking, and see if a plan presents itself?" When Kate nodded, he offered her his arm, she took it, and they strolled leisurely along the sidewalk with no plan at all in mind.

They soon found themselves passing a little park where Castle took Alexis to play when she was little. They stopped and sat down on a bench just inside the gate, and he said, "By this time next year, I'll be bringing Jamie here. And we can bring him in the evenings when you get home so you can enjoy it with us."

"I'm glad I married you. I would have been a different person without you. Not nearly as happy."

"Same here. I'm glad you married me, too."

"You want to walk around the other side of these two blocks and stop for coffee on the way home?"

"Sounds good. This is nice…remembering how it feels to be out and just us again…just for a little while."

"Yeah, it is."

They finished their walk at the coffee shop on the corner, lingered and talked a bit, then went back home. When they arrived at the loft, no one was visible anywhere they expected to find them; so they went upstairs quietly, in case Jamie was asleep. The sight was priceless to them, and Castle eased his phone out of his pocket to preserve it.

Alexis was holding Jamie, and he was swatting at her face. She was making faces back and nibbling his fingers when he chanced to tap her mouth.

Castle caught a little of it on video before she realized they were there and looked up with a smile. "Thank you, Pumpkin. That was a nice little break."

"It was a nice little break for me, too, but I should probably get back to the dorm and do some reviewing for my test tomorrow. Call me if you want to get out for a little while again. Jamie and I got along just fine." She kissed her brother's forehead. "He was a little fussy for a few minutes, but rocking him calmed him right down."

Castle took his son, and Alexis went downstairs to get her backpack before she left. They saw her to the door, exchanged hugs, and they were alone with Jamie again.

"You fix the pillows on the bed. I'll bring him in," he told his wife. He followed her into their bedroom, positioned Jamie among the pillows between them and they enjoyed being parents before they tucked him in.

xxxxx

Kate and Castle had talked about the fact that her maternity leave time was limited and about the kinds of things it would be helpful for her to do before she went back to work. Given the kind of hours detectives sometimes have to work, they both knew from the beginning that breastfeeding would probably be derailed soon after she returned to the precinct. Therefore she had been preparing for that problem while she could, hoping to extend the benefits to Jamie as long as possible…even if it might not be for very long.

She spent time rocking their baby in the nursery, and she and Castle would put him in the crib while they read or folded his clothes, etc. Having decided reading could never start too early, they sat with him there and read to him, loving doing it and agreeing that it didn't feel as silly as one or the other of them periodically reading or telling stories to her pregnant belly. They both believed babies and small children absorbed much more than a lot of people might give them credit for. And they played with him, showing him his toys and encouraging him grab at them. They hoped that his room would feel like a comfortable place for him when they moved him from the bassinet in their room to the crib in his own room.

Castle knew that having a plan and preparing for changes always helped Kate adjust, and he was relieved for her that it seemed to be helping this time, too; but no way was he saying a word about that. He was going to enjoy that she was calming down and adjusting to the idea that things were about to change again.

At the end of March, Jamie slept through the night for the first time. Kate woke up feeling a little uncomfortable, needing to feed him, and she immediately reacted with panic when she realized what time it was. It was well over an hour later than Jamie usually woke to be fed; and when she exploded from the bed to check on him, Castle woke up, too.

"Kate? What's wrong?" he asked, instantly sitting up.

From her position leaning over the side of the bassinet, she answered, sounding quiet but worried, "He didn't wake up to be fed yet. I was afraid…" Castle was by her side by the time she had finished breathing her long sigh of relief, wrapping his arm around her waist. "He's okay. I just had to check and make sure he was still breathing," she told him, looking a bit embarrassed about it.

"I did the same thing the first time Alexis slept longer than usual," he assured her. "This could be the beginning of a good thing, you know; so let's not wake him up. Why don't I make us some hot cocoa and we'll wait him out together. See if he wakes up soon or actually makes it until morning."

"Hot cocoa sounds good…but I'll wait in here."

Castle huffed a little laugh and nodded his understanding. "Be back soon."

"Rick?"

"Yeah?" He stopped at the doorway.

She walked over to him and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for not making me feel stupid about it."

"Hey, if you hadn't been awake first, I'd have been the one flying out of bed checking to see if he was breathing. It's a parent thing. You just checked off another box on the parental to-do list. You're doing a fine job." He kissed her head before he left on his cocoa mission; and when he brought back the hot chocolate, he smiled when he saw that she had rolled the bassinet as close to her side of the bed as she could get it. The two of them propped on pillows against the headboard and sipped their drinks slowly as they waited to see what would happen.

"We could try to sleep ourselves," Castle suggested as he put his empty mug on the nightstand, "but we probably wouldn't. "Maybe we could take turns trying to sleep?"

"You get comfortable. I'll take first watch," she answered.

"Still too wired to sleep?" he asked as he took her hand.

"I think so," she admitted. "This is all new to me. I love him so much, and I was so scared until I knew he was okay. Having him over here next to the bed tonight helps. I can reach over and touch him if I need to…just to be sure."

"Okay. Wake me up in an hour, or if you think there's anything to worry about. Maybe by then you'll unwind enough to get some rest." She nodded, and he kissed the side of her head and said, "Love you," before he slid down under the covers and closed his eyes.

Jamie finally woke up close to six in the morning, hungry and letting the world know it. Castle got up and changed him, talking to him quietly because he knew Kate had barely slept. "Can you tone down the noise, buddy? You scared your mommy and kept her up half the night, and she's probably not ready for all this racket. Daddy's not too happy about it, either; but if you start sleeping through this much of the night from now on, Daddy could be persuaded to forgive you." He put Jamie in Kate's arms and told her, "You feed him, and then I'll take him in the other room so you can get some decent sleep. I'll go put us together some breakfast."

He found his mother in the kitchen having coffee and reading a magazine.

"Morning, Mother. You're up uncommonly early today. Want scrambled eggs and toast?"

"Well, don't you look bleary-eyed this morning? Rough night, Daddy?" she chuckled.

He explained the way the night had gone, and she nodded. "I remember that panic myself the first time you slept through…and the phone call at two in the morning when Alexis did. Poor Katherine. She must be exhausted."

"That and relieved to see that he's acting normal…as well as relieved to get her arms around him instead of keeping hands off and waiting to see how long he'd sleep."

"Is she adjusting to the idea of going back to work yet? And yes, I'd like some breakfast, too, by the way."

"I think so. I've left the decision to her. We've joked that I'd be happy to be her sugar daddy, but I don't think that's her. She likes having her own identity, but now it's within our identity together. Add Jamie to the mix and… Hmmm… Maybe it's an identity crisis."

"My girl is pretty special," Martha answered. "She'll figure it out."

Castle just smiled and nodded in agreement as he broke the eggs for breakfast.

"Last night was tough, huh?" Castle asked as he returned with breakfast for his wife. "You're looking a little droopy."

"Gee, thanks, Castle. Way to boost a girl's confidence." Looking up from her son, she said," Not exactly the way we used to spend our time when we woke up in the middle of the night. Sorry I've been so worthless in that department lately."

"Sorry? We'll get back to that in no time now, but look what you've given us in the meantime." He put her plate and coffee on the nightstand and slid in behind her on the bed so he could hold both his wife and his son. He squeezed both of them closer to him briefly to make his point.

"Dirty diapers, sleepless nights, and a wife wavering between responsible motherhood and instability?" She leaned her head back against his chest for a moment, looking lovingly at Jamie. "Look at what we did, Rick. We made this tiny little human being who's going to take his pieces of you and me and put them together to be his own unique person."

"I know. It takes my breath away every day."

Jamie finished his breakfast, and Castle held him and kept Kate company while she finished hers. When Castle went back with Jamie to take the dishes to the kitchen, Martha took care of the dishes and then confiscated her grandson and told Castle to get some sleep, too. She said he looked incapable of parental duties.

xxxxx

After the sleeping through the night continued for most of the week and Kate began to acclimate to the idea, the couple decided it was time to move Jamie into his own room with the baby monitor. "Through the night" actually amounted to about eleven-thirty at night to five-thirty in the morning; but it was as much sleep as they often got when they were working, and much better than waking up every three hours.

Once they were alone with extra hours of sleep available, thoughts strayed to other activities Kate's recovery hadn't allowed for the past few weeks. The affectionate kisses and touches were gradually taking on a different tone. Their kisses were becoming more intense, the touches were getting bolder, and the need was becoming more demanding…but Castle was using a level of self-restraint that was driving Kate crazy.

"Why?" she asked. "I feel fine. I've heard other people say they only waited a month. Don't you want me anymore? Does the birth and the breastfeeding make me less attractive to you?"

"No! Don't waste another minute thinking that. If I thought… Kate, the doctor said to be careful to let you heal…"

"So frustrating me like this is for my own good?"

"No. Believe me, my own interests are shamefully in the forefront. The next time we make love, I'm going to want to do it again...and again, and again. And I don't want to have to stop because we…I don't know…break something and have to wait for it to heal again."

"Break something? Really? What are we going to break? The stitches are supposed to have dissolved on their own." There was a little quirk of her lips, and she added "And that other thing? That was broken a long time ago."

Rick chuckled and rested his forehead against hers with a sigh. "Kate, I'm a large man. No part of me isn't a little larger than average."

"Mmmmhmmmm," she answered, reaching for him seductively. "I know, and I kind of like that."

"I know you do," he answered with a smirk as he grabbed her wandering hand before it reached its target. "But you see the doctor again day after tomorrow. As long as she thinks you're doing as well as you think you are, we'll take full advantage, I promise. I just don't want to hurt you, or cause even minor problems. That's why we made this appointment for five weeks instead of six, remember? We knew we'd reach this point." She growled in frustration and flopped over on her back. "But you have no idea how it strokes my male ego to know you want me this much."

"Not the kind of stroking I had in mind," she grumbled; but he distracted her with some playful kisses, and they eased their touching back down to a bit more soothing and a bit less stimulating. Neither of them was entirely satisfied, but they both felt loved and wanted.

xxxxx

They decided to make the day of the doctor visit a good day out. The appointment was in the morning, and they had worked out a feeding plan for Jamie between the doctor and their next stop. Knowing Ruby always worked that day, they had lunch at Remy's, providing their favorite waitress with her promised introduction to the newest member of their family. They left the car seat in the town car when the driver dropped them off at the precinct, and Kate strapped Jamie in the baby carrier she had used at home now and then. It seemed comfortable for both Kate and the baby, and Castle liked the look of it. A winning combination.

The desk sergeant, a father of several children, insisted on stopping them to see their new addition. Gotta tell you, Beckett. Never thought I'd see this, but it looks good on you.

"Thanks, Sarge. It feels good, too."

"Congratulations, Castle," the sergeant called as they entered the elevator.

"Beckett!" Ann Hastings all but shouted when they walked onto the homicide floor, and she came toward them looking delighted. "You look great."

"She does, doesn't she?" Castle said. "She won't believe me."

Several of the other detectives who were there came to meet them as well.

"The newest Castle, I presume," Jennings said, smiling as he peeked at Jamie in the baby carrier. Jamie had grown enough to wear his tiny NYPD hoodie and footed sweatpants, and she adjusted their bright-eyed baby boy to a position where he could see and be seen in his NYPD gear.

There was laughter at the outfit, and there were comments of enjoyment at interacting with the baby, of congratulations, and of amazement that Beckett already looked so good; and the Castles enjoyed talking to the others.

Karpowski finally said, "That Ring Sling lets you wear that baby like a fashion accessory. Must be all that height. My sister loved having one for both her babies."

"He looks just like Castle," LT commented with a grin. "Hope he doesn't give you as much trouble as Castle does."

About that time, Captain Gates came out of her office to see what the commotion was about and immediately softened at the sight of the baby. Putting the file in her hand on the closest desk, she asked, "May I?"

Kate placed the baby in Gates waiting arms; and as she looked at Jamie, the captain smiled in a way the members of the twelfth didn't usually see. "Are you our newest rookie, Mr. Castle?" she asked Jamie. "You're certainly dressed for the part. At that point, Jamie managed to grab her hair, and she expertly extricated his little fingers from it and played with his hand as she talked to him gently. "He's a handsome little fellow," she said to Jamie's proud parents. "And he seems so alert, looks like he's taking in everything." And Jamie flashed a smile. Whether it was actually in response to Gates or not, the timing was perfect; and she smiled back, looking delighted. Then she pulled herself back to business. "While you're here, come in and let's discuss your return to duty."

Seeing that the momentary break was over, the little gathering that had formed dispersed, and Castle reached to take the baby from Gates. Jennings gave Castle's arm a brotherly pat before he walked away. "They feel good in your arms, don't they?" he asked, one father to another.

"Nothing else quite like it," Castle answered in the same spirit.

Gates led the Castles into her office and indicated they should sit.

"Is there a problem with my return, Sir?" Kate asked.

"Not with your return, but I need you to know I've made a decision. Detective Sully will be staying with us. He works hard, he's dependable; and from what I've observed, he's a good detective. Detectives Ryan and Esposito both say they can count on him in the field when the chips are down."

"Who will he be working with? When I'm back, I assume I'll return to my team."

"He's going to be working with your team. I'm assigning him as your partner until further notice."

"Sir, I don't think that's necessary. I…"

"Well, I do think it's necessary. I had enough trouble with the idea of sending you out with an unarmed civilian for backup, but I eventually realized he was sharp, inventive, and had every intention of keeping you alive. I also have every intention of keeping you alive. Since Mr. Castle won't be here now, there won't be any compromise on this."

"But we've discussed the possibility that Castle might be able to come in now and then to help out."

"And as long as your team agrees, that's fine. But I will insist that Detective Sully stay nonetheless. He's a good man, seems to be in the job for the right reasons, and he could benefit from training with all of you, Mr. Castle included if he can come in to consult now and then."

"But…"

"Non-negotiable, Lieutenant. I'm trying to see that you get home to your husband and that beautiful little boy every day. Mr. Castle should have no objections to that."

"She has a point, Kate. If the boys trust him… We'll talk about it later. No need to upset Jamie with stress vibes."

Kate nodded but looked anything but appreciative. "Am I dismissed?' she asked her captain.

"Dismissed," Gates affirmed.

As Kate eased Jamie back into the baby carrier, Castle texted their driver to pick them up.

"Kate," Gates called as the couple reached the door. "I know you don't like this, but it's for the best. Deep down you know you need backup now more than ever. Give it a fair chance."

"Yes, Sir," Kate answered and left without looking back.

When the elevator door opened, Ryan and Esposito were there, just coming back from a crime scene.

"Hey Jamie," Ryan said when he saw them, then took a better look at Kate. "Did I do something wrong, Beckett? You look mad."

"I have to have a new partner when I get back. Gates just told me it's non-negotiable."

"Do you know who it's going to be?"

"Sully."

"We know you'd rather have Castle, but Sully's not a bad addition. He's done a good job," Esposito answered.

"We'll talk about it later," she said as she and Castle entered the elevator. "We need to get Jamie home."

"You get the feeling she didn't want to hear any good things about Sully?" Esposito asked after the elevator doors closed.

"Not a doubt in my mind," Ryan answered. "But it's a good idea."

xxxxx

Martha understood the significance of the doctor's visit for them and for a change wasn't making a teasing issue of it. She was waiting at the loft when they returned, but the bigger surprise was that Alexis was there, too.

"How was the appointment, Darlings?"

"Exactly what we wanted to hear, Mother. Kate is fine. The doctor was impressed that she's in such good shape already."

"I guess the yoga helps," Kate added. That's about all the working out I've been doing since I started feeling better."

"We went to Remy's and stopped at the precinct, and Jamie got a lot of attention, too," Castle reported. "He used his smiley face enough today that I'd swear he knows what to do with it now."

"I took the liberty of thawing a bottle from the freezer while you were gone," Martha told them. "Alexis and I are going out to dinner, and I thought I might as well take both my grandchildren. The diaper bag is already packed, after all. I think we can manage him between the two of us."

"Are you sure you want to do this?

"We have an early reservation at Arturo's. You know he's going to want to see the baby anyway. We can feed him while we wait for our meals, there's a changing table in the rest room, and after being on display all afternoon, he'll probably fall asleep as soon as his tummy is full. Come on. Give him up." She wiggled her fingers at them, and Kate took Jamie from the carrier and passed him to his grandmother. "Come to Grams, James." Martha continued to talk to him and patted his little bottom as she walked toward the door. "Your sister and I are taking you for a little walk and then to your first nice restaurant."

Alexis put her brother's seat into place on the stroller and they left, saying they'd be back in about three hours.

"She's onto us, isn't she?" Kate asked with a grin.

"Probably. Who cares? And why are we standing here talking?" Castle asked, taking her hand and pulling her toward the bedroom. He locked the door behind them and wiggled his brows at her, saying, "Let the games begin."

Kate giggled, and clothes were in the floor and bodies in the bed in no time.

"You might need to go a little easy at first."

"Wouldn't consider anything else."

"I was beginning to think we'd never get here again."

"I repeat, Mrs. Castle. Why are you still talking?"

She cut him off with a kiss. "Just trying to say 'I love you' before I ravish you."

"Well, that might be allowed."

Then the talking became small sounds of pleasure or repetitions of the each other's names to accompany other activity until they were both feeling boneless and sweaty and satisfied.

"Maybe we should pass on round two this time," he suggested.

"I guess we should, but it's so not what I want. Maybe tonight?"

"If you're okay for that tonight." He propped himself up on one elbow looking down at her. "Don't worry about telling me if you're not, though. Right now, how about a nice, warm bath?"

"In a few minutes," she answered, snuggling against him.

Holding her close, he said, "I like snuggly Kate. At first, before we were together, I used to think you might not want to snuggle."

"And when I imagined it, I always wanted to stay close to you. I wasn't always like that." After a little pause she asked, "Was it still good? Is it the same?" She seemed shy about asking. "I mean, that part of me went through some major drama not too long ago."

Emphasizing every word by following it with a kiss to her lips or some other random part of her face, he answered, "Amazing. Fantastic. Stupendous. Extraordinary. Astounding. Incredible. Phenomenal. Awesome… He kept up the thesaurus worthy list of adjectives, as well as the number of places he found to kiss her face, until he had Kate giggling again and had them both looking forward to that night after their son's bedtime.


	89. Chapter 89

Chapter 89

Jamie was six weeks old. He was a happy baby, understandably fussy when he was tired or needed something, but most of the time agreeable. He was easily engaged, responsive, active, and snuggly, and his family thought they saw the beginnings of curiosity as well in his tendency to watch things closely.

"Richard watched things that way when he was a baby. People would comment on it now and then," Martha remarked as she watched her grandson one evening. "So we don't know yet if that's good or bad," she teased.

"I think it's good," Kate said in defense of her husband. "His father is interested in so many things…one of the things that impress me about him.

She had to go back to work the next day, and she had barely put Jamie down or let him out of her clutches since he woke up that afternoon. She had tucked him in the Ring Sling, and her goals were being accomplished while periodically rubbing his back, patting his little bottom, kissing his head, or nuzzling his soft brown hair. She went about her preparations while talking to him animatedly about her to-do list, her wardrobe choices for her first few days back at work, the box of things she needed to return to her desk, and reassuring him/herself that she would be home early all week and would spend lots of time with him when she came home. The other two residents of the loft left her to her coping mechanisms and didn't try to separate Jamie from her attentions.

"He's hungry," Kate told them eventually when the little one began to cry. "I think I'll take him to his room and rock him while he's nursing."

Castle kissed her head and then Jamie's and told her, "I'll start dinner and come up and check on you later."

"And I'll come back and help once he's sleeping." She released a sigh. "I know I've kind of monopolized him this afternoon."

"Take your time. I know you're anticipating missing him already. Understandable."

She leaned her head against Castle's shoulder as she soothed her complaining son and answered, "I love you so much. You…"

"I know, and I love you, too. No explanations needed. Go take care of our boy before he gets too worked up. Dinner is mostly leftovers, so I'll be up before long to see if you need anything." He leaned and pecked a little kiss on her lips and swatted her backside gently pushing her toward the stairs, and she smiled over her shoulder before going up to the nursery.

They had dinner while Jamie slept, then Castle enticed his wife to share a long, warm bath with him.

"You're going to smell like a girl again," she said, holding up the bubble bath he had used because he knew she liked it.

"If smelling like you is the worst thing that ever happens to me, I won't complain," he answered as he stepped into the half-filled tub. Now get in with me. I've been looking forward to this. We should have at least another hour of quiet.

After Jamie's late feeding, they went to bed; and, as he had promised, Castle did his best to make Kate forget for a while that there would be another new change in their lives come morning.

xxxxx

"Time to go back and be Beckett again," Kate said after Jamie was fed and she had gathered what she needed to take with her that morning. She put her things on the coffee table and, with a mist of tears in her eyes, took her little boy from Castle and held him close. "I'll miss both of you," she said softly.

"We'll miss you, too" her husband answered and placed a soft, slow kiss on her lips.

She planted a longer than usual kiss on Jamie's forehead before giving him back to Castle and picking up her things. Castle opened the door for her, and stole another kiss for himself before she left, looking much more like a mom than the tough detective he had met several years before.

He went upstairs to get Jamie into fresh clothes for the day, and Kate had Eduardo hail her a taxi to take her back to her job.

xxxxx

Beckett arrived early to reorient before most of the other detectives were in. The night shift folks were on their way out, and the early birds on her shift were sitting at their desks in various parts of the bullpen. There were scattered greetings from both shifts welcoming her back, and she acknowledged them with smiles on the way to her desk. Her desk was spotless everywhere she looked, as was her computer. The desk next to her, not so much; but at least there were none of the used food wrappers and empty cups she remembered from the only time she had met Detective Sully.

Not long after she put the box she'd brought from home on the corner of her desk and turned on her computer, Ryan and Esposito left the elevator and moved straight toward her.

"Hey, boss," Esposito greeted. "Ready to get back to work?"

"Ready as I'll get, I guess."

"Aaawwww, you didn't miss us, Beckett?" Ryan teased.

"You're here early," she answered. "Are we in the middle of a case? What are you working on?"

"Sorry. Finished paperwork on the last one yesterday. Next one, you're in from the get-go," Esposito answered.

Ryan hesitated briefly and said, "We kind of wanted to get here before Sully."

Beckett had a look of annoyance on her face at the mention of Sully's name.

"See, that's why we wanted to talk to you," Esposito started. "He's done a good job, Beckett, and he works hard. Try to give him a chance. He's a good guy…cares about what he's doing. And the captain did say it's non-negotiable."

Ryan chimed in then. "We know you don't want a partner. Hell, we're still getting over the fact that you let Castle stay all this time; and we'd rather have Castle, too. But this isn't Sully's fault any more than it's yours."

Beckett rolled her eyes but didn't look quite as harsh as she did before.

"Sully's desk was moved in yesterday. He was about to go home last night after he moved all his stuff out of yours, and we mentioned that you always kept your desk looking better than that. He looked at it; and when we left, he was getting things from the break room to clean it up."

Esposito chuckled as he took a better look at the desk. "Looks like he spit shined it for you before he left. It kinda glows. He might have been a little scared, to tell the truth."

"Good," Beckett answered. "'Cause I need my car keys back. That's non-negotiable, too."

The elevator dinged, and the next face they saw was Sully's. He looked a bit less than confident about approaching the seasoned team, but he plowed ahead anyway.

"'Morning, Lieutenant Beckett," he said extending his hand in greeting. "Detective Ron Sully, in case you don't remember me. I've been assigned as your partner, and it's an honor for me; but I was told you didn't want a partner. The captain said neither of us has a choice, though. So, sorry, I guess. I'll do my best."

Shaking his hand, Beckett said, "Thanks for the desk. It almost looks new. The guys said you cleaned it up." Beckett seemed to be holding out at least a small olive branch.

"Needed a little work. Neat isn't exactly my strongest point," he said, rubbing one hand across the back of his neck and looking uncomfortable.

The boys fist bumped, and went back to their desks looking satisfied.

"I'm gonna put these things away," Beckett told them, indicating the box on her desk as she started moving things to the drawers. There weren't too many things in the box, so the first layer was gone quickly, and there was something wrapped in tissue paper under it, something that she hadn't put there. In the tissue, there were four delicately painted elephants in four different sizes, standing together on a dark, polished wood base, the two smaller elephants in front of the larger ones. The trunks of the two larger elephants were around the two smaller ones. The note with them read, "We love you. Rick, Alexis, and Jamie". A new elephant family to replace her mother's, which had once occupied a place of honor. "Be right back, guys," she said, and made a bee line to the rest room where she called her husband and worked on getting her tears under control.

"Hey, Beckett. Miss us already?"

"You know I missed you before I even left this morning. Thank you for the elephants. I love them. Not thanking you for making me almost cry in front of the boys and Sully, though."

"So, where are you?"

"Hiding out in the restroom until I get myself together."

"I was hoping to make you smile, not cry."

"I'm smiling, too," she sniffled. "Damn hormones haven't all moved on yet."

Castle laughed. "No more surprises, I promise. Go on back and smile at your elephants and reclaim your desk. We love you."

"I love you, too." She ended the call and took some deep breaths to pull herself together. "Thank goodness for waterproof mascara," she muttered to herself. After assessing, she doctored the rest of her eye makeup the best she could, pulled herself to her full height plus heels, and strode back to the bullpen in full Beckett-in-control mode.

"Who's going to catch me up on the last couple of cases, so I'm in the loop if anybody asks me something."

"Umm…I could do that, Sully offered. "If that's okay."

"Looks like we're going to be working together. Might as well start. But first I want the car keys back because I do the driving. Then I need to know what's been going on."

Sully quickly found the keys and handed them to her, and Beckett accepted them with a slightly friendlier look than before. Apparently the elephants had softened her up. "I'm listening, I'm just going to finish emptying this box."

Ryan was back again and looking in the box as she uncovered the bottom layer. Why do you need a camera, Beckett?"

"Camera?" she asked, looking in the box. And there was Castle's camera, the one he had used to record the crime scenes. "The camera. That's it!"

"That's what?" Esposito asked, but Beckett was already calling Castle.

"Hey, Castle."

"Two calls in less than twenty minutes? You must miss me more than I thought," he answered mischievously.

"Yeah, well that, too. But I'm calling to see how you'd feel about being on desk duty?"

"Desk duty?"

"Yeah. I just got to the bottom of the box and found the camera. I had forgotten it was there."

"Maybe you should do the first couple of cases without me…unless it's too interesting to pass up, of course. You're going to have to work with Sully, no choice, and it might not be a good idea to start by making him feel replaced before he even has a chance to show you what he has to offer. And I kind of need a few days to fall into a routine here."

"But you're interested?"

"Definitely. Talk to Gates. Let's do this right…stay out of trouble as long as we can."

"Okay."

"Love you."

"Same here."

"What just happened?" Esposito asked.

"I'm talking to the captain. In a couple of weeks, Castle's on desk duty," she answered, wiggling the camera at them. "Explain to Detective Sully. I'll talk to Captain Gates."

Gates had just walked into her office, coffee in hand, when Beckett knocked on the door casing. "Could I take a minute of your time, Sir?"

Gates appeared to be on the offensive. "If this is about having a partner, I've…"

"No, Sir. It's about having two."

"Now you want two partners?" Holding her coffee in one hand, Gates bowed her head slightly and pinched the bridge of her nose with two fingers of the other and sighed before looking up. "It's early, Lieutenant. State your purpose more clearly."

"When I was on desk duty and couldn't go to the crime scenes, Castle recorded them, and…"

"I remember. Go on."

"I'd like Castle to work with us on desk duty from home, starting in approximately two weeks."

"With all this enthusiasm, I'm surprised you're not asking to start now."

"Castle suggested it might be bad form to make Sully feel replaced before he's had a chance to do more than introduce himself."

Gates smiled and shook her head. "Seems Mr. Castle is trying to set a good example for that adorable little boy of yours. As long as your team agrees, that's fine. Use your good judgment and let him begin whenever it seems appropriate."

"Thank you, Captain."

Gates raised her coffee cup in parting, and sat down at her desk; and Beckett returned to her team, saying, "He can start whenever we think it's a good time."

"So I'll be working with both of you?" Sully asked. "That's great. I've heard stories."

"You don't mind?"

"Not at all. I want to see how it all works. The camera is a great idea. Where did you see that?"

"She thought of it herself because she couldn't stand to be left out," Ryan told him. "Then when Hastings was out of commission, we showed Lupinski's team how we handled it. A couple of other teams have used it since then…even one down in robbery. They've started calling it The Beckett System."

"Really?" she asked. "Did not know that."

"You can take this woman out of the field," Ryan added, "but then she just finds herself a pair of binoculars and spies on you."

Sully laughed, Beckett finished emptying her box, and with a little input from Ryan and Esposito, Sully filled her in on the most recent cases. About nine, they got a call, and Beckett was there in person for the initial investigation at a crime scene for the first time in months.

It was an easy case, a street shooting after an argument. There were a number of witnesses. The victim's friends had nothing to say, but one woman recognized both the shooter and the victim as customers from the nearby restaurant where she worked. And she identified three of the other witnesses as friends of both. She agreed to work with a sketch artist and returned to the precinct with them. As it turned out, she was a college art student and sketched the man herself on the way to the precinct. Since the sketch artist already had a head start, they refined the facial features and handed over copies of a sketch quickly. Then, copies of the sketch in hand, the homicide team split up like compass points and canvassed the area around the restaurant where the young woman worked; and two of them found people who knew him. Beckett was a few minutes later getting home than she intended, and she had to apologize for nearly knocking someone down as she left the elevator in the precinct's lobby in her haste to get home. However, when she left, her team had a name, an address, and plans to bring the man in for questioning as soon as they found him.

When Beckett arrived at home, Castle heard the door open and met her there almost by the time she was inside the loft. After wrapping his arms around her and bestowing her with a mind-rattling kiss, he declared, "I missed you."

She returned the same sort of kiss and answered, "I missed you, too. Where's my baby?"

"Well, at least you kissed me…enthusiastically, I have to admit…before I was completely upstaged by the young whippersnapper."

"Is he asleep?"

"Not for long. I just checked, and he was moving a little bit and making little sounds." He left his arms around her loosely as they talked, and she didn't remove her arms from around his neck.

"I missed being able to hold him. And I love his little sounds."

"Wait until he starts asking 'Why?' every time you say something. There might be a period of time there when you want to reconsider. Anything interesting happen today, other than figuring out a way to keep me involved? I can't believe we didn't already think of that."

"I can't, either. But we've been distracted lately by the young whippersnapper and his groupies." She told him about her morning and the case. "So, as soon as we find him, the case should be closed pretty fast. What about you? Did you get any writing done around taking care of Jamie?"

I wrote from when he slept until you got home. I got Nikki into a fine mess. Now I have to write her out of it. And then she and Rook can have a little fun." He wiggled his eyebrows, and she laughed.

Their son made enough noise that they knew he was awake, and Kate said, "Be right back," and left the room. She returned shortly with a clean and dry but hungry baby and was wearing one of her nursing shirts instead of the button down she had worn to work. When she moved the opening to feed the baby, her husband pointed out that those shirts didn't need to be retired when she didn't need them for Jamie anymore.

"Something about that feels intrinsically wrong, but I can't argue with the interesting possibilities," she answered with a mischievous grin.

Jamie was fed and held and played with and happy; and Kate felt much better about her day. They took him for a walk, enjoyed the feeling of spring in the air, and stopped for coffee on their way home.

Jim and Meagan visited that night, and Meagan told them she had decided she was taking some time off from everything for a while. She planned to have some freedom in her newish apartment, which she hadn't had much time to enjoy since she got it. And she offered to babysit if Castle wanted or needed to go in to the precinct.

xxxxx

During the next few months, Castle got a lot of writing done. Gina and Paula were happy, and it felt good to him, too, to have so much of his book finished in what now seemed like so little time. He consulted mostly from home, and went in to be involved with the case more personally at times. That isn't to say he wasn't at the precinct a couple of times a week. He and Jamie were regular visitors, taking coffee for Beckett, coffee and pastries for the entire team, or picking Beckett up to take her to lunch.

Alexis was still maintaining her outstanding school record and was dating again. The current boyfriend had lasted longer than the other few and seemed to be a nice young man, but she didn't bring him home often, and the family hadn't warmed up to him yet.

Lanie had finally decided to try a more serious relationship with Dr. Stokes, and at least from what the Castles could tell, it seemed to be progressing well. Kate didn't tire of teasing her friend about listening to her own advice when Lanie had periodic doubts, though.

Jamie was growing fast, and developing his own personality. He was steadily gaining better control of his appendages, the process providing frequent entertainment for his family. As new sounds were gradually being added to his "vocabulary", he seemed to love trying to use them to communicate; and everybody in the family responded to him as if he were actually talking to them. With the exception of his first bout with teething, he was still easygoing and responsive. He began to laugh, which delighted everyone who heard it; and by six months old, he was trying to sit up. It involved a lot of keeling over to one side or the other, but with some support and a little help from his friends, he could manage to sit up for short spells. He was curious, searching out things within his reach, grabbing at his toys, and watching things with some intensity…and with more focus than before. And finding a babysitter from among their family and adopted family was rarely a problem when his parents now and then needed some time away on their own.

Castle saw that the house in the Hamptons was ready for use all summer, but he reserved most of the family visits for the times when Kate could go with them, spending their time there when she had a couple of days off. His mother spent time there during semester breaks at her school, and he and Alexis and Jamie visited the beach during Alexis's free time before and after her study trip to Costa Rica. Kate took a couple of days to add to her weekend off so she could have a long weekend before Alexis had to go back to school at the end of the summer.

At the end of August, they had a low key celebratory family get together at the loft when Jamie was six months old and enjoyed the evening together; and the next morning, Alexis went back into the dorm at Columbia.

The next afternoon, they got a phone call from JD.

"Mr. Castle?" His voice wasn't as steady as Castle was used to hearing it.

"JD? What's wrong?"

"It's my grandfather."


	90. Chapter 90

Chapter 90

"Talk to me, JD. What's going on?"

The younger man sounded distressed, speaking a bit more quickly than usual. "I don't know yet. I just got here. My granddad is in the hospital, and the doctors are with him now. A car barreled up onto the sidewalk in front of JDF as he was leaving about an hour ago and hit him. The manager at the store said it looked more like the side of the car threw him against the wall…didn't hit him head on; but she said he grabbed his chest right before he fell. She…Fran, called me after EMS got there. My parents are somewhere in Europe, but neither of them has answered the phone yet." There was a pause as he breathed in an unsteady sounding breath, and he added hesitantly. "I left them a message, but there isn't any other family to call, so it's just me. You said I could call if…"

"Where are you?" Castle asked. After getting the information he needed, he assured JD that he and Kate would both be there as soon as they could arrange babysitting for Jamie. Then he called Meagan and went to change clothes.

Alexis arrived at the emergency room before the other Castles did, and she spotted JD pacing in front of the windows at the far side of the large ER waiting area. She took a deep breath, sighed, and walked over to him hesitantly.

"JD?"

"Alexis?" he asked in surprise.

"I hope you don't mind that I'm here. Dad called because he knew I was closer than they are, and he said it sounded like you could use a friend," she explained. "I've always enjoyed your grandfather, and I wanted to be here for both of you…if you want me to be."

He held out his arms, and she willingly moved closer and gave him a hug.

"Thank you for coming. I really needed a friendly face…somebody who knows me." He didn't let her go right away, and she made no move to leave him.

"When will your parents be back?"

"When Dad called me back, he said they're not coming, at least not right now. Dad said Granddad didn't need them…something about me being the only one he needed. It's my dad's father. I don't understand why he'd say that. They said to let them know what happened, that they'd come home if it was really bad."

"Sorry, JD, but I think I hate your parents."

JD made a nondescript sound, maybe of agreement, from where his cheek rested on the top of her head.

"Let's sit down and you can tell me what's happened so far," Alexis suggested.

He led her to a short row of chairs near the window where there weren't too many others close by, and they sat to talk. "If your dad told you what happened, there really isn't much more to add. I haven't been here too long, Grandad's with the doctors right now, and nobody has told me anything yet."

"Then we'll just wait until they do."

About ten minutes later, Castle and Kate arrived, and JD stood as they approached him. Castle pulled him into a fatherly hug, saying comforting words, and Kate followed with a hug of her own before they sat down with him and asked if he had heard anything.

"Nothing. They said they'd come and let me know."

"Did they offer to let you go back with him?" Kate asked. "You're an adult, and you're family. They should allow that."

"I've never had to do this. I didn't know, and I guess I was too distracted to think to ask."

"Do you _want_ to go in and be with him?" Castle asked.

"I'd already be there if I'd known I could. Granddad's always been there when I needed him."

"Then let's see what we can do." Castle approached the woman in charge at the desk, who appeared to be several years older than Kate. He looked at the woman's name badge and said with respectful charm, "Excuse me, Janet, but this young man's grandfather is being examined right now, and he'd like to be with him. Can you help him work that out?"

Taking his cue from Castle, JD stated, "My grandfather is John Danton Farnsworth, Sr., Ma'am. He was hit by a car and may have had a heart attack. I'm another JD Farnsworth. My parents are out of the country, and I'm the only available relative to be with him at the moment…and he's important to me."

"I'll see what I can do. If you'll take a seat, I'll call you as soon as I can contact someone working with him."

As they walked back to their seats, JD asked, "Would you go in with me when they let me see him, Mr. Castle? I don't know what condition Granddad is in, and I've never had to deal with hospitals for anything like this. If I didn't know I had the right to be with him, I don't know what else I might miss. And you and Mrs. Castle have had a lot more experience with this sort of thing."

"Unfortunately, you're right," Castle answered ruefully. "If they allow it, I'll be glad to stay with you as long as you want me to."

JD just nodded, and Alexis took his hand and held it in both of hers, just sitting with him, providing support.

A few minutes later, someone came out and spoke to the woman at the front desk, and Janet waved JD over. "You can go on in now. Jason over there will take you to your grandfather," she told him, pointing at one of the male nurses.

"I'd like Mr. Castle to come with me," JD stated firmly. "I'm new at all this, and I might need his advice."

"That's why you looked so familiar," Janet said, looking delightedly at Castle. "You're on the cover of some of my favorite books." Then she pulled herself together after her fangirling and said, "Sorry. It was just a surprise. Mr. Castle, are you also related to Mr. Farnsworth?"

"No. I'm a friend of the family. Since JD was alone in this, my family came to keep him company."

"If the younger Mr. Farnsworth is sure his grandfather won't object…"

"I'm sure my grandfather won't mind."

"Then Jason will take both of you to him."

Castle thanked her, then quickly leaned and whispered, "The brunette over there…that's my wife and my inspiration for Nikki Heat, and the redhead with her is my daughter." The woman answered with as close to a giggle as she could manage without looking completely unprofessional, and Castle winked at her, saying, "Thank you very much for your help. All of us appreciate it," and he hurried off with JD.

"Looks like your father has his charm campaign going again," Kate observed with a smile.

"Nothing new there," Alexis answered mischievously. They sat quietly for a couple of minutes before Alexis hesitantly said, "Kate?" When her stepmother looked up, obviously having recognized the serious tone of her child's voice, Alexis asked, "How do you know you love somebody enough to make a commitment?"

"That's likely to be a little different for everybody, Honey. And I may not be the best person to ask. I was a one-foot-out-the-door kind of girl for a long time."

"I never thought I'd have trouble with it, but I think maybe it does scare me. With Ashley, I was more idealistic. I think I realized that not long after it was over, but JD was real. Maybe Ashley had more to do with it than I thought, or maybe seeing Grams and Dad after…well, a lot of things…" She hesitated again before asking softly, "What was different enough about Dad to change your mind?"

Kate was slow to answer, seeming to be thinking through her words before using them. "We were attracted to each other from the beginning, but that kind of attraction doesn't necessarily build a long-term relationship; and long-term isn't something I'd ever been good at anyway…and then there was page six to consider. Once I got to know your father, though, we got along well most of the time. The other part of the time, we drove each other crazy…still do now and then. But I could see that he was a good man, someone I could respect, and someone I knew would respect me…someone I trusted enough to talk to him about things I wouldn't even mention to anyone else, let my guard down sometimes. Trust was hard for both of us then, and trust is an important factor. But we were already friends…already cared about each other. Then I realized that when he was happy, it lit up my world, and when he was hurting, I hurt just as much. The times when he was in physical danger, I thought my heart might explode with the fear of being without him. Then, when he held me the first time, it was like coming home…like that was the place I had always belonged and I'd just found it. He was always there…supporting, forgiving, loving. I think I knew I loved him way before I was brave enough to let myself admit it, and I wanted to be a better person for him…to be able to give him as much as he gave me.

"And you do. You're everything he needs. I can see it…everybody can see it.

"He's everything I need, too. So, any special reason you're asking?" Kate asked gently.

"When I first got here, JD was still glad to see me. As awful as I was when I left him, he held his arms out for a hug, and he looked so lost and alone I wanted to cry." She paused a moment. "Then he just held me like he needed it, and let me hold him, and rested his cheek on my head like he used to." There was another little pause. "And it felt like I was home after a long trip away…like the world was the way it ought to be again. And I just wanted to take care of him." There were quiet tears falling then, and Kate pulled Alexis into her arms while her child's tears fell. "Have I ruined everything, Kate? Do you think it's too late?"

"Too late to change your mind?" Alexis nodded, and Kate smoothed her hand over Alexis's hair before she answered.

"JD is a lot like your father, I think. He loves deeply, and hurts just as deeply. If he forgives as easily as your dad, maybe it isn't too late to change your mind…but only if you're absolutely certain that's what you want to do. If you're not, it's better to leave things as they are, not give him false hope. If JD wants to try again, you can start by doing everything possible to let him know it's worth the effort. But let whatever is happening with his grandfather settle out first. Then talk to him and see what he thinks. Until then, he could use a good friend who cares about him and understands how important his Granddad is to him."

"I can be that."

"I know you can," Kate answered, holding her stepdaughter for another moment before handing her a tissue. "You know, we're probably going to be out here for a while. I'd like some better coffee than we're likely to get from that little pot over there, and I'd like more of it than those miniature cups will hold. Shall we go and look for decent coffee? Looks to me like you could use some right now."

Alexis nodded and wiped her eyes.

"Wonder if the object of your father's charm campaign would like some, too? She's been pretty busy," Kate noted. She stood, picked up her purse, and said, "Looks like she's having a rare moment when no one is asking her a question or harassing her over something out of her control. She walked to the desk with Alexis, and said to Janet, "From what we've seen, you've barely had time to breathe since we got here. We're going to get some coffee a grade or so higher than the machine in the corner, and we'd be glad to bring some for you…or hot chocolate or tea. What would you like?"

"Really? That's so nice of you. I'd kill for a really good cup of coffee right now. Oh, wait. I didn't mean that. You're a homicide detective, aren't you?" Her almost giggle rose to the surface again, and Kate and Alexis laughed with her. "Mr. Castle pointed the two of you out after I realized who I was talking to."

"Don't worry about it," Alexis chimed in. "Dad and Kate fully understand the feelings that go along with being under-caffeinated."

"Now, what can we bring you to ease those homicidal thoughts?" Kate asked. "I'm not on duty tonight, and I'd like to keep it that way." That brought another laugh and a coffee order. When they returned about twenty minutes later with the largest cup of coffee the shop sold, they were called saints and witnessed a thoroughly blissful look on Janet's face as she took the first sip.

"Well, it looks like we just cemented ourselves into her good graces," Alexis commented.

"Yep. Our good deed is done for today."

"I think being here for JD is the real good deed today. I'm glad he called Dad. He really doesn't have any other family to call." Then she grinned and added, "Other than Aunt Eugenia, and I don't see that phone call happening anytime soon."

Kate chuckled, remembering the stories. "JD was still looking pretty lost when we got here."

Alexis nodded. "He's scared, and his parents aren't coming home unless 'it's really bad'." She said the last few words with air quotes and disgust. "He's supposed to call them when he knows something more."

"I guess there's some sense in that. But your dad and I would be booking a flight in an instant if it were Martha. In all fairness, though, we don't know that his parents aren't already looking into international flights."

"We don't…but I'd take bets they aren't," Alexis answered. "You'd think they'd want to be back just to take some of the pressure off their son. I don't understand how the child of a man like Mr. Farnsworth could be so uncaring toward his own family."

"I don't know, either, but we'll be around for whatever JD and John need. We like his grandfather as much as you do."

When Castle and JD reached John Farnsworth, they did not find a happy man. He was cooperating with necessities like the x-rays, tests, and scans he'd already had; but he hurt, and he was grumpy.

"Granddad," JD called as he entered the room. I was so worried about you."

"I'll live, boy. But it's not much fun right now."

Fran said you grabbed at your chest before you fell and passed out. We thought you'd had a heart attack." He leaned in and gave his grandfather a careful hug.

"I guess it probably looked like that...old guy grabs his chest and passes out. That crazy driver must have knocked the wind out of me. I grabbed at my chest because I couldn't catch my breath…kind of panicked. I guess my body took over the breathing after my head hit the wall and I passed out."

"Is anything broken?" Castle asked lightly from the doorway after he could see that John didn't seem to have life threatening injuries.

"Rick, what are you doing here?"

"I told JD to call if he needed us, and he did that. Since he didn't know how badly you were hurt, I'm came to keep him company. He wanted me along for advice if he needed it."

"Thank you for that. I appreciate it…and I know JD does."

"What's wrong with my grandfather?" JD asked the doctor.

"Well, I can tell you with certainty that he didn't have a heart attack," the doctor answered, and he smiled at JD's look of relief.

Castle smiled, too. "Well, John, at least with that look of relief on his face, you know the boy isn't just here waiting to see if he gets his inheritance yet."

"I'll need to talk to you about that later, JD," John Farnsworth said to his grandchild. "Now don't go looking all worried on me again. You don't get it anytime soon if I have any say in things. I'm planning to be around a lot longer…if they ever let me out of here. If they don't, you might as well go on and take it now," he grouched and glowered.

"Well, don't plan on going too far on your own for at least a couple of weeks," the doctor responded. That leg isn't broken; but I've told you it was a close call, and you're going to have to stay off it for a while.

"Will he need a wheel chair or crutches?" JD asked.

"A wheel chair. His arm was injured, too, sprained badly. And he has a concussion. It could have been a lot worse. He was a lucky man to have come out of it with no more damage than this. Because of the concussion, we're going to keep him overnight, just to be on the safe side."

"Grown man here. Still in the room," John reminded them acerbically.

"JD turned to his grandfather with a grin. "Stop being an old grump, Grandad. I asked him a question, and he answered me. You were here when he told you all this. I wasn't."

"Watch your mouth, boy," John answered, but he smiled back at the grin on his grandson's face in spite of himself.

"If I'm going to help you out until you can get somebody else to come in, I need to know what to expect," JD reminded him.

"Your parents aren't coming home, are they?"

JD's demeanor sobered, and he shook his head, not looking up.

"They probably won't even call me, but you don't need to be embarrassed about that. It's not your fault. It's theirs…and mine. I need to talk to you about that, too…tomorrow maybe, when I'm in better shape than right now. Rick, if you're willing, I think I'd like you to be here for that, too."

"Whatever the two of you need, John. I know how it is to have a very small family."

"But you can count on everybody in yours," he answered cryptically before he was interrupted.

"We have a room for you, Mr. Farnsworth," the doctor told him after speaking briefly to a woman who had just called him to the door.

Shaking John's hand, the doctor excused himself to move on to another patient, assuring him that nurses would see that he was settled comfortably into his room. One of the nurses told JD and Castle they should move to the waiting room near where Mr. Farnsworth was being assigned.

Stepping out of the room as the nurses prepared to move JD's grandfather, Castle told JD, "I'll be back as soon as I let my family know what's going on; and if they can, they'll probably want to see John for a few minutes before they go home."

"I'll be in the waiting room until you get back. I should know where he'll be by then."

Castle returned to the waiting area of the emergency room and took Kate and Alexis to JD.

Once John Farnsworth was settled in a hospital room, JD joined him, and John asked that Rick come, too.

"While they were moving you, I called Mom and Dad to let them know what the doctor said, and I told them what you're going to need. They told me to see that you got it. And Dad said what he did when I talked to him the first time. He said I'm all you need now. I don't understand that."

"Tomorrow, JD. We'll talk about it tomorrow. Right now I'm just too tired."

"I'll be around for at least a while longer. Do you feel up to seeing Kate and Alexis for a couple of minutes before they head home?" Castle asked.

"Alexis is here?" John asked with a smile.

Alexis heard him and peeked in the door. "Hi, Mr. Farnsworth," she said shyly, as if afraid she might be reprimanded.

When she and Kate approached the bed, John took her hand and smiled at her, though. "It's been too long, Honey. I've missed seeing you. You doing okay?"

"I think I'm supposed to be asking you that," Alexis answered.

"Hi, John," Kate said from behind her. "We just wanted to see that you're really okay. If you need anything, let us know and we'll take care of it. Anything at all."

"That includes me," Alexis added.

"Does it include those cookies you made at Christmas?"

"Granddad!" JD scolded.

"What? You have to take your opportunities where they show up. How else do I get more of those cookies?"

Everybody but JD laughed. He turned and said, "Alexis, you don't need to make cookies."

"Can't blame a man for trying," John answered with a teasing smile, but he was looking tired.

"Kate and I should go and let you get some rest. We'll check in tomorrow," Alexis promised.

"I'll look forward to it," John answered.

"Get some rest," Kate advised. "Believe me, you'll need it for recovery. Voice of experience. I'm glad it wasn't any worse than this."

"Thanks, Kate. I appreciate your being here."

She squeezed John's wrist in sympathy, and Alexis waved as they both left; and Castle followed them into the hall and gave Kate the car keys.

"I'll stay with JD at least a little longer, overnight if he wants me to, and take a cab home. He's twenty-one, but he's still basically a kid who's worried about the only relative he has that he can count on. He needs his friends right now."

"Another of the reasons we all love you, Mr. Castle," Kate told him and placed a lingering kiss on his lips.

"Love you, too, Mrs. Castle," he said, and returned her kiss. Grabbing Alexis's head, he pulled her to him, said, "I love you, too, Pumpkin," hugged her tight, and planted a firm kiss on top of her head. "On my way to bring you and Alexis up here, I talked to Mother, Kate. She said she can arrange to be at home tomorrow morning until you get back from the precinct. So Jamie's covered if I'm still here.

"I was going to talk to her before Meagan left tonight to see how to plan tomorrow, but thanks for taking care of it," his wife answered.

"I'll see you when you get home after work tomorrow, if not before."

"Take care of JD, Dad," Alexis said as they left.

When Castle went back to John's room, he found him asking his grandson to see if he could get him something to drink other than water. "Even if they let me have it, I don't want caffeine, he was saying. I want to be able to sleep."

"How about lemonade?" JD asked. "You always liked that."

"That sounds good. I can see you about to offer, Rick, but let the boy go. He's younger."

JD laughed. "The cafeteria should have it. Be back before long,"

When JD was out of sight, Castle sat down next to John's bed, crossed one leg over the other knee, leaned back, and asked, "Why do I get the feeling you wanted him out of the room for a few minutes."

"Not much gets past you, does it?" John released a long, sad sigh. "That boy is the most important thing in the world to me, and I feel so bad for him. On top of this car accident scaring the kid half out of his mind, I have to figure out how to tell him that his parents have been stealing from his education fund. That's why they aren't bothering to come home right now. They're angry that I'm cutting them off in a few years."

"They did what?" Castle asked incredulously.

"Stole from their own child. I had enough in that fund to pay for JD to be in school long enough to have a doctorate from any school in the world he wanted it from. They were working with my accountant. The accountant would get a cut every time he worked out a payment to them. Between them, they had pared it down to not a lot more than what it would take to pay for JD's undergraduate degree from Columbia. I guess they thought as long as the bills for Columbia were being paid, I wouldn't notice. And they were right."

"I don't know what to say. How did you find out?"

"Somebody at the accountant's office accidentally caught the tail end of a conversation between my son and my accountant, suspected, and had enough respect for me and the business to let me know to check. I went to the head of the accounting firm, told him what I suspected, and he looked into it and found it was true. When I asked you for the name of your accountant, that was the reason. Your man, Tyler, is handling my accounts now, too. Bad memories at the other firm. My son…" John heaved another deep sigh. "Johnny's always spent his money by the time he's seen it in his bank account. I can't say I haven't been disappointed in him, but I never expected anything like this. I'm sure he took it from there because he knew I wouldn't refuse to replace JD's college funds. They know I'll take care of anything that boy needs."

"I'm sorry, John. I can only imagine how much that hurts."

"Yeah. I was hoping things would work out between JD and Alexis. He enjoyed being around a family that acts like a family…told me what Alexis said about adopting new family members now and then. He fell in love with all of you. Hell, if I thought Martha could be wrangled into another marriage, I might have asked her by now just so you'd adopt me into your quirky little family, too."

Castle chuckled. "I have to admit, I was beginning to hope it would work out between Alexis and JD, too. I never imagined I'd think anybody was good enough for my daughter, but your grandson is pretty good son-in-law material. He grew on me. I care about him, too. Not our call, though, John. They have to make it work…or not."

"Too bad, huh?"

"Yeah," Castle agreed.

"Anyway, I wanted you to know what's going on. I've told Johnny he no longer has access to any of my accounts or JD's. I had established substantial trust funds for him and for JD. JD has one. Johnny had two. One was available for him at thirty-five, and he and his wife blew through most of that with no provisions for their son's education; so I set up the college fund for them to manage for JD a couple of years ago when he entered Columbia. Theoretically that was only for JD. There's another trust that was available to Johnny in a couple of years when he's fifty. I foolishly thought he'd have it figured out by then, but I've seen my attorney and reworked that. He gets half of it now and the other half is invested for him. He gets that five years from now, and he's on his own after that. He has to figure it out himself…sink or swim.

"This accident reminded me that I may not always be here for JD, and he has a lot of respect for you and your family. Rick, if you're willing, I'd like you to mentor him if I can't. His father certainly won't do him any good. You and I both earned our sizable amounts of money through our own abilities, and then we shepherded it well. Other than Johnny's trusts, everything I have goes to JD now. I think he can handle it when the time comes, but he's going to need guidance from somebody he can trust. I think you and your attorneys and accountant can help him. He seems to have good sense and integrity. Looks like that skipped a generation in my family."

xxxxx

The next morning, John's head didn't hurt so much. He felt a little better, and Castle went to get coffee and pastries to allow John to talk to his grandson alone. When he came back, JD looked stricken, and Castle put everything down on the table at John's bedside and again enveloped JD in a fatherly hug. That was when Alexis came into the room with the cookies she had made when she went home with Kate the night before.

Like Castle, she put them down on the same table, turning her entire attention to JD as he pulled away from her father.

"I'm going to take a walk," JD said fuzzily. "I'll be okay, Granddad. I just need to clear my head…see if I can make some sense of all this," he said as he walked out the door.

"Go with him, Honey," John said to Alexis as he lost sight of JD in the hall. "He needs somebody he can trust."

"I don't know if that's me anymore," she answered sadly.

"If it helps to know it, he blames himself for everything…said he broke your trust and pushed you too hard. I don't know what your side of the story is, but right now he needs somebody he can trust; and that's you, whether you think so at the moment or not. I'm in no shape to follow him. Don't leave him by himself right now."

Alexis turned and walked quickly out of the room, by now nearly half the length of the hall behind JD and his long strides.


	91. Chapter 91

Chapter 91

Alexis caught up with JD at the end of the hall near the elevators. "Do you want somebody to talk to?" she asked. "Can you still stand having me around?"

As they entered the elevator, he answered, "I still love having you around; but I'm not very good company right now."

"Can't be any worse company than I was when I left. Could you use somebody to talk to? Somebody who still cares about you?"

He nodded. "Take a walk with me?" He hesitantly put his arm around her waist, and when she didn't resist, he pulled her a little closer. She wrapped her arm around his waist, too, and they exited the hospital and walked down the sidewalk silently for a while. When they reached a couple of empty benches in a tiny amount of green space next to a children's play area, they sat down; and he finally told Alexis what had happened.

"Sorry again, JD, but I no longer just _think_ I hate your parents. I _officially_ hate your parents. They have somebody as great as you are in their lives and…"

"You sound like you'd fight for me."

"I would," she answered shyly. "I intend to."

"Don't get my hopes up, Alexis," he said sadly, turning away from her slightly and resting his elbows on his knees. His head was bowed and his hands hanging with his fingers loosely entwined. He wasn't touching her at all anymore, seeming to create intentional physical distance between the two of them. "What are we doing, Alexis? I don't think I could take another fear or disappointment right now. Is all this attention you're giving me only because you feel sorry for me…just being a friend? 'Cause it's starting to feel like more; and as much as I want that, I can't let myself hope for it and then have to give it up again."

"I was going to wait and talk to you after your granddad is better, but maybe now is when I need to…"

"Just say it, whatever it is," he pleaded, running the fingers of both hands through his hair and leaving them there as he spoke. "One way or another. I need to know."

"Last night after you and Dad left us in the waiting room, I asked Kate how she knew Dad was the one she should commit to, and what she told me was almost everything I felt when I saw you again…attraction, friendship, concern, respect, trust. She said when he's happy, it lights up her world, and when he hurts, she hurts just as much. A couple of months ago, Dad was playing with Jamie, just being goofy and happy and having such a good time. He caught us watching him and looked at us with a huge, beaming smile, and Kate was giving him the exact same smile right back. She caught me catching her at it and laughed. Then she looked serious, hugged me, and said, 'I'm so glad your dad gave me a second chance to understand how lucky I am that he chose me.' So I'm asking you if I'm lucky enough that you'll give me the same kind of second chance. 'Cause I do know how lucky I am that you chose me. And you look like you could use somebody around to back you up while your granddad gets better. And I'd like that person to be me. Have I ruined everything? Do you think you can trust me again?"

"You're sure? I need you to be sure. I trust you completely; so if you tell me that, I'll believe you."

"When I saw you last night, all I wanted to do was hold you and take care of you, and I was so relieved when you didn't push me away. I want to be around to take care of you for a long time, JD. I'm sure."

"You're sure?" There was a little pause followed by a look showing the joyful recognition of her words. "You're sure!" He stood and wrapped his arms around her waist and shoulders, pulled her up from the bench, and swung her around in a circle. Then he kissed her without letting her feet touch the ground. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too."

"You're sure about that, too, are you?" he asked with a big smile, still holding her off the ground.

"I'm sure," she answered, laughing, and she kissed him back. "Do I get to touch the ground again now?"

"Not quite yet. I'm afraid you'll disappear." He kissed her again, long and tender. "You're not going to run away again, though, are you?" he asked confidently. "I trust you not to do that to me."

She shook her head gently. "Not even thinking about it. I might still be a little nervous about it, but I'm not even thinking about running."

He smiled at her again, a beautiful, vibrant smile.

"See? That look right there?" she said. "It lights up my world."

"Then I guess it's time to put you down so the two of us can start by having both feet firmly planted on solid ground...side by side. We'll work it out together."

"I promise," Alexis answered as her feet touched the ground again. "Together. But first we take care of your grandfather." JD slid his arm around her waist again and she wrapped her arm around him, too.

"My grandfather is going to be so excited to have you back," he said as he led her back to the sidewalk to return to the hospital. "I think he missed you almost as much as I did." There was a short suspension of words before he smiled down at her mischievously. "Actually it was nowhere close, but he did miss you a lot. He likes the rest of your family, too…has a lot of respect for your mom and dad."

"I missed your granddad, too."

"You made him cookies last night, didn't you?"

"You do realize we just got back together again after all these months, and we're already talking about cookies?"

"What can I say? I love the feeling of us, and 'us' frequently involved cookies…and I'm hoping we can turn them into celebration cookies if Granddad hasn't scarfed them all down in frustration before we get back."

Alexis laughed. "You think like my dad sometimes…convoluted logic."

"Worse things could happen." He dropped his arm from around her and took her hand to avoid separating them as they had to move single file around others on the sidewalk.

"If your Granddad ate them all, I'll make more just for you."

"You gonna do that for a long time, too?"

"You gonna keep loving me for a long time?"

"Yeah. Definitely."

"Then consider cookies a part of your future."

"I knew I picked the right one."

"Thanks for the second chance."

"Thanks for wanting it…and for the cookies." He laughed as she swatted his arm playfully.

"You know reality is going to hit us again when we get back, right?"

"Let's ignore it while we walk, though, okay? I want to savor 'us' a little longer. Other than that, this has been a lousy couple of days." He tugged her toward him and planted a kiss on her head.

"If that's what you need right now, we'll talk through reality later," she agreed. "But we shouldn't put it off too long. I'm getting a free pass way too easily."

"That's not how I see it, but please…not now. A few days?" he asked. "I know we need to talk, but there's too much going on right now, and I need a little time to adjust to everything else that's happened. Let me enjoy the one entirely good thing while we walk back."

"Okay. Then we'll talk about cookies again, or whatever else appeals to you." She timed her pause perfectly and asked with an evil smile, "Did you call Aunt Eugenia yet?" And she was rewarded with a full laugh.

JD and Alexis had walked several blocks from the hospital. It was warm and sunny, and they took their time, enjoying their brief respite outside reality for as long as it lasted.

When they were back at the hospital and returning to Mr. Farnsworth's room, John looked up from where two nurses had just helped him into a wheel chair, and he softly exclaimed, "Rick! I think good news may have just walked around the corner."

"Good news?" Castle moved over to his friend and curiously looked to see what he was talking about.

Coming from the elevator at the end of the hall were JD and Alexis, his arm around her shoulders and hers around his waist, both of them smiling and completely oblivious to anyone besides each other. The nurses looked up, too, and smiled.

"Cute couple," the female nurse, Gloria, commented.

"Those yours?" the other nurse, Lamont asked. When John and Castle nodded in pleasant surprise, the male nurse chuckled. "I take it you've been rooting for them."

"I can't speak for him, but I sure have," John answered. "My grandson is back now. How much longer am I going to have to stay here?" he asked, turning to the nurses. "I thought you said I'd be gone this morning, but it's pushing one o'clock."

"The wheels of bureaucracy," Gloria told him. "We're waiting for the last signatures on the paperwork, Mr. Farnsworth. And you said your grandson will be taking you home, so we'll need to go over the post release instructions with him. I take it that's him in the hall?"

"Yep. That's my boy."

"Then you should be out of here soon," Lamont assured him.

JD and Alexis released one another before they entered the room, giving appropriate attention to JD's injured grandfather.

Castle kissed her head and said quietly, "Hi, Pumpkin. The two of you look happy. It's nice to see that again."

Then Lamont said appreciatively, "Wow!. I'd say that's good news for somebody, too."

This time, when he looked up, Castle saw Kate, with Jamie in the baby sling, striding toward John's room, and looking sharp, baby included. "That would be my good news, Lamont," he answered proudly. "John, it looks like you get to meet _my_ boy now."

"Hey," Kate said to her husband as she entered the room, and Castle gave her a kiss before he took the baby carefully from Kate and introduced him formally to John and the others.

"So both of these are yours?" Lamont asked, looking from Alexis to Jamie.

"They are. It took me a while to find the right woman to make me want to be a daddy again."

"Well, I guess you two are pretty proud of yourselves. That's a fine looking young fellow there," John said to the married couple.

Then Castle wandered off, bouncing Jamie gently and saying softly, "Hey, Buddy. Daddy missed you and Mommy." Then he blew a raspberry on Jamie's neck, making him laugh.

Turning to Kate, John asked, "What are you doing here? I thought you were working today."

"I was, but I started back on half days. It was slow at the precinct this morning, so I called to see what happened with the driver who hit you. Thought I might as well let you know; and when I called, JD said you were still here."

"Was the guy drunk?"

She nodded. "They let him sleep it off in holding. I was told that when they brought him in, he was 'drunk as a skunk'. The officer's words, not mine. I never figured out that phrase, myself. It's an odd situation, though. That driver has had a license for forty-four years and doesn't have a single moving violation on his driving record until this one. A couple of parking tickets is it. No criminal record. I checked. Except for yesterday, he's squeaky clean."

"Lucky me," John said sarcastically. The completed paperwork arrived before he could answer her further, and he exclaimed, "Hallelujah! JD, go round us up a cab."

"No need, John. I called the car service and asked for two town cars." Looking at her husband, she said, "I knew you'd be tired, and it gives you room to be comfortable and somebody else to drive. And I thought some extra space and a driver to help John and JD out when they get home wouldn't be a bad idea. And I got my wheelchair out of the storage room for him to use until he has one of his own. Darrell put it in the trunk. Looks like we should let Alexis decide who she rides with."

"I'll go with JD," she told them. "I can help him set things up for Mr. Farnsworth."

"I thought you might," Kate answered with a smile. "You'll be in good hands, gentlemen. These Castles are natural caregivers. It's like it's in their DNA or something."

"Does she always think of everything?" John asked.

"She does that a lot," Castle agreed.

"Well, I appreciate all the help…from all of you. Gloria, Lamont, I wish I could say it was a pleasure. You did a fine job, and I enjoyed your company; but if we meet again, I hope it's under other circumstances. Lamont took the reins for the wheelchair, and John and his entourage left in their town cars.

Kate had spoken to Meagan the night before; and as a result, John Farnsworth went home with the names of several assistant/caregivers to interview who could help him during the interval when he would need it. He insisted that JD had enough on his mind without having to miss classes to take care of a grandfather who could easily afford to pay for assistance.

xxxxx

When Castle and Kate were in the town car on the way home, with Jamie's car seat tucked between them, Castle looked at her and said, "An eventful couple of days."

She leaned across and kissed his cheek where his head laid back on top of the leather seat. "You're a good, generous man, Richard Castle. I could tell JD and John appreciated your being there. Everybody needs some support now and then, and you were there when they needed you."

"They needed a listening ear more than you know." Castle told her about JD's parents, and she reacted with the expected disgust. "They'll get through it, though. John and JD make a good team. And it's looking like Alexis will be around to back them up again. She and JD both looked happy this afternoon. You know anything about that? John said JD blames the whole breakup on himself…thinks he pushed too hard and scared her away."

Kate told her husband about the conversation with Alexis in the waiting room the night before, and his ego was well supported as he listened to what she had told his daughter. "Alexis must have decided what she felt for him checked enough boxes on the list. They'll figure it out. JD and Alexis are a good team, too. Did I give her a dad approved answer?"

"It was an excellent answer. It still awes me sometimes when I hear you say things like that…about me. I love hearing it." She leaned in to kiss him again, and he sighed contentedly. "So I guess we get to see more of JD again. I'd missed him, and I had no idea that John was so attached to Alexis."

Jamie was sound asleep by the time they got home, so Kate put him to bed while Castle showered, and they both slept while their son did.

xxxxx

Before Kate left work the next day, she called again about the man who had hit John Farnsworth. "I appreciate your patience yesterday, and I don't intend to keep bothering you, but I'm curious to know how this happened. A detective thing I guess. Did he have any explanation for it when he sobered up? Did he look like somebody who's been able to hide his drinking and get away with DUI's somehow?"

"Damnedest thing, Lieutenant. I was totally disgusted with him when I left yesterday, but this morning I kinda feel sorry for him. This morning he knows what he did, and it sure looks like real remorse to me. He said his wife died suddenly last week…completely unexpected. They'd been married for thirty-seven years, and it was the first day since then that he was going home to an empty house. He'd just dropped his oldest son off at the airport, and he stopped at a twenty-four/seven bar on his way home. Drank himself well over the limit before lunchtime, walked out on his own, and got behind the wheel. I don't get the feeling any of that's normal for this guy. His younger son was almost back home in Albany when his dad called him, so he's on his way back to help his dad and work out bail. I don't think I ever saw a man look so ashamed as he did when he had to tell his son what happened."

"When did he talk to him?"

"About half an hour ago."

"Thanks, Nardelli. "I promise not to bother you again."

"No problem. Hope your friend is doing okay."

"Yeah, He's going to have some pain and discomfort for a couple of weeks, but none of it is life threatening."

"Hey, boss," Esposito called as he came back from holding. "I got a statement from the guy we picked up last night. He's come down from his high now, and he was a lot more cooperative. He's in the scheme up to his neck, but I think he's telling the truth about not being involved in the murder."

"Did he have anything to say about who did?"

"Sang like a bird as soon as we told him he was going down for accessory to murder. It's all right there, signature and everything," Ryan announced proudly.

"I'll type it up before I leave," Beckett answered. You two go pick up this Raymond Brescher he says killed our victim and bring him in. I'll be gone when you get back, but send a text or call me if you need to. Good job, guys. Hey, where did Sully disappear to?"

"He's checking with Robbery to see if this scheme was already on their radar or not."

"Good call. We needed to do that. Maybe we can help each other out again."

She called her father before she started typing the statement the boys brought her. "Hey, Dad. I've got an odd request for you. It's kind of time sensitive. I know you may not have time, and I'm pretty sure I should leave it alone; but…"

"Another one of those gut feelings?" he asked, picking up on what she was trying to say.

"Something like that." She went on to explain, and he understood.

Then she turned back to her computer, typed the statement, and went home to her family.

xxxxx

Hey, Sweetheart," Castle said, meeting Kate at the door with Jamie.

She kissed her husband and then took Jamie eagerly when the baby leaned toward her.

"Are you glad to see Mommy?" she asked. "Mommy is soooo glad to see you." There was plenty of playing and snuggling after that as Castle plated the lunch he had ready for them.

Right after lunch, Jim called, and Kate listened before smiling and saying, "Thanks, Dad. You got the same feeling from talking to him?" After another moment, she said, "You're the best. And, yeah. I hope so, too."

"Is it okay for me to ask what that was about?"

"I might have stepped out of the department's comfort zone today." She told him about her phone call to the officer she spoke to the day before. "I called Dad to see if he might have time to visit the man before his son bailed him out. "It's one thing to ask Dad to visit him in holding. It's way too far outside policy to give him the man's address and send him to knock on the door. The story sounded way too familiar; and if talking to dad can save another family from going through what we did, it might be worth taking a little heat for it. Hopefully it won't come to that."

"Are you going to tell Gates, or will you just hope she doesn't find out?"

"I haven't decided yet," she said with a mischievous smile.

"So your dad thought it went well?"

"He did. He told him his own story, listened to the other man, Lloyd Hopkins, and told him he'd tell John how sorry Hopkins was about the accident. I think he liked the guy. He left him his card and told him to call if he needed to talk. He also offered to help him find representation more suited to that sort of case than a corporate attorney."

"I hope it helps."

"Me, too."

While they talked, Jamie was making conversational baby sounds and playing with his feet. Kate smiled as she watched. "I love those socks with the paw prints on the bottom." About that time, Jamie surprised himself, pulled one of them off, and waved both hands excitedly, losing his grip and throwing it on the rest of his mother's sandwich in the process.

"Good thing you like them so much," Castle teased as Kate laughed, picked it up, and put it back on his foot. "Well done, Mommy. No drama, just took the sock off your sandwich and put it back on him."

"You'd see more drama if he were old enough he'd been tromping through mud puddles before it landed."

"He'll get there."

"But for today, my sandwich is safe," she answered, taking another bite. "After this I might nibble his toes."

"I'm available for nibbling if the spirit moves you."

This time she was the eyebrow wiggler. "Later. I'll want more time when we start that."

Her husband smiled. "Then do you feel up to a walk? We'll pick a new direction today, and Jamie can kick his paws at the world and make people smile."

"Sure. You get the stroller, and I'll take care of the dishes."

As they walked through the lobby, Eduardo leaned and took Jaime's hand, patted it briefly, and said, "Enjoy your stroll, Master Jamie." Then he smiled and nodded at Kate and Rick and lifted two fingers as if touching a hat brim as he opened the door for them.

"It's fun sometimes that he's so old school about things like that."

"It was always 'Miss Alexis', even when she was a baby, too. And she loved him. She'd run to him with a big grin and a hug when she was little. He always had a smile for her…sometimes even a cookie or a lollipop. Another year and Jamie will probably be doing the same thing."

They took their walk and talked about things randomly, carrying on their conversation around saying a few words directly to Jamie now and then, talking to him about sunshine and birds and cars and walking, and whatever else crossed their minds and their path.

"I like being able to do this…take walks, do things spontaneously. I know you know that. You must be wondering what's wrong with me not to take advantage of being able to stay home when it would be so easy," she said as they stopped in a shady spot for a few minutes. She looked down and leaned her elbows on the stroller handle as she took Jamie's hands and stroked them, engaging him with her facial expressions, which showed him no sign of the weighty content of her words.

"You know you don't have to defend your choice to me, Kate. I'm neither complaining nor judging."

"I know you aren't, but I might be."

"When you judge yourself, you're always harder on yourself than the rest of us are. Are you having second thoughts about going back to work when you did?"

"Not exactly, but not exactly not."

Castle chuckled. "That was cryptic."

Kate chuckled, too. "I guess it was." She sighed and said, "I just feel like I'm letting everybody down one way or another. An equal opportunity disappointer."

"Come over here. We're going to get something to drink, sit down somewhere quiet, take turns holding our baby boy, and see if we can make you feel better. How does a milk shake sound?"

"Sounds great."

Castle ordered, picked up their shakes, and joined Kate and Jamie at one of the outdoor tables. It was an unusually mild, dry late August afternoon, a perfect day for being outside. The outdoor area of the small restaurant wasn't too busy at that time of the day, so it was easy for them to talk.

"Let me start by saying that I love my children, I love spending time with them, and I'm lucky enough that my real job lets me work at home," Castle began. "You love your children…and that was plural because I know you couldn't love Alexis any more if you'd given birth to her…and you love to spend time with them, too; but your job _doesn't_ allow you to work from home. You also love your job, and you do it extraordinarily well, it's important to the city, and you shouldn't give it up unless you're tired of it. We made this choice together, remember?"

"But I don't seem to be able to do enough in either place. Jamie is growing so fast, and I don't want to miss any of it. I know there are women who would do anything to have the options that I do, and would take them in a heartbeat. What's wrong with me that I can't talk myself into doing that?" By then, she was holding Jamie, who was snuggling sweetly and looking a little drowsy, his forehead in the crook of her neck and one hand flexing randomly, grabbing and releasing the fabric of her shirt. The two of them were a picture of contentment.

"Why don't you tell yourself what it _really_ is about your job that makes it so important to you to get back to it now. And tell yourself out loud where I can hear it, too. We talked about it once, but there's more to it than what you said then. You need to figure out what that is before you drive yourself crazy."

"You know you're the only person in the world who can get away with talking to me like that and…"

"Yeah, I do," he answered with one of his crooked, smirky smiles. "Well, maybe Dr. Burke, too, but…"

"And you take terribly unfair advantage of that smirk."

"Yeah, I know that, too," he answered smugly, taking a sip of his shake. "Now think about it and then talk to me."

She nuzzled at Jamie's hair, kissed his head, and hummed to him softly, looking thoughtful. She finally said quietly, "That job was my life for a long time, Castle. The academy and then the job. Through all the trouble with my dad, that was what kept me going. Then when he sobered up, I was nothing but ambition to be a detective. I made it, and moved up by degrees until I had my own team. I worked so hard, gave up so much, to get to where I am. This is _my_ team, Castle. You were part of it almost every day for four years, and you know how much we all put into it. I built that from the beginnings of my partnership with the boys, and I don't want to be gone long enough to lose it."

"Ah. Now we're getting somewhere."

"I've already let them down for too long…

"Wait. How did you let them down? I was there, too, and I don't remember you letting them down. I never heard either of them saying any such thing, either."

"I was on desk duty after I was shot. Then a year later, they were having to make concessions because I was pregnant, then I was on desk duty again from right after Thanksgiving until the middle of January, then on maternity leave. Now I'm on half days. They had to depend on Sully instead for a couple of months." She stopped, looking a bit ashamed, then she added, "And they liked him, worked well with him, defended him to me."

"And how did you fail them there?" Isn't that what you've been working to instill in every team on the homicide floor? Teamwork? Taking what you need to do and figuring out how to make it happen? You're the one who worked out how to use the camera at the crime scene when you couldn't be there. You're the one pushing the idea of playing well with others. They did exactly what their captain has been praising their lieutenant for drilling into them. They rose to take charge when you weren't there, did their jobs well, worked well with Sully, and apparently praised you while you were gone. I think you should be pretty proud of that. Weren't they glad to have you back? Wasn't Sully anxious to work with you? Didn't they fall right back into their habit of seeing you as the team leader? What's so terrible about the way things are now?"

"Well, when you put it that way, it doesn't sound so bad."

"Kate, the precinct has been reaping the rewards of your work, not just the boys. Even when you weren't there, the results of your efforts were. Has anybody been complaining?"

"No, but you haven't, either, and I know you could use a break from taking care of Jamie now and then."

"Let's stick with the job for now. Are you feeling your team slipping away? Is that what this is about?"

"Maybe? My team is kind of like my first baby." She smoothed her hand over the back of Jamie's head and nuzzled his hair again. "It's something special that I was part of creating. I built it from the seeds of cooperation and ability into one of the best teams in the city, and all three of us are proud of that. We started out all young and determined and there to do some good. I'm almost too proud of what we've accomplished."

"And you have every right to be."

"But I think lately I've known it can't last much longer. It's sort of the beginning of the end. I'm already a lieutenant…more responsibility to the homicide division in general…saddled with more paperwork than before. With Esposito about to get married, and getting a six year old stepson in the process, and Ryan and Jenny trying to have a baby, the boys are both going to need to up their pay grades soon. Promotions could take them to other precincts where there are openings, And you were right about my options for promotion…more predictable hours…but with command responsibilities...even more paperwork…more responsibility for even larger parts of the precinct…and playing politics to get things done. Definite pros and cons there. Maybe I'm trying to hold on to the team and the field work as long as I can."

"I think you just answered your question."

"I suppose I did. Thank you. You knew that all along, didn't you?"

"I suspected a lot of it. Does figuring it out ease your conscience at all?"

"Not a lot, but I don't feel quite as guilty about the boys. They did do a fine job without me, which does mean I built a good team. And I guess I have to admit that Sully isn't so bad. He's a good, dependable detective, and we get along okay. I think most of the reason I fought the idea was that it's _my_ team, and Gates forced him on me. There wasn't a discussion. It wasn't a collaborative decision. I had no input. It was just an order."

"Sort of like the mayor insisting I needed to be in her precinct?"

Kate huffed a satisfied little laugh. "Yeah. Kind of like that. Only that was a lot more fun." She hadn't stopped stroking Jamie's back or touching him in some way since she sat down with him. After another moment, she admitted. "And I resented him because he wasn't you. I miss working with you, Castle."

"I miss that, too, but we've managed a few cases actually physically together and collaborated on things you've brought home. And that means Jamie usually has a parent at home with him. Best of both worlds for me. And how many women in your job position could say that? Most of their kids are in day care centers or with neighbors or relatives all day. That's normal for most people. We're good, Kate. You're out saving the world, and I get to help now and then. Jamie is happy and healthy, gets all the attention he needs from us, and it sure looks like he knows his mommy loves him. We're good. Relax. It's all going to work out."

"I love you so much, Ricky Rodgers."

"I know." The smug, teasing smirk was back. "Now let me have my son so you can finish your shake before it turns to strawberry milk. I finished mine while you analyzed your guilt."

"Dr. Burke would be proud," she said with a grin, as she eased their sleepy baby into his father's arms.


	92. Chapter 92

Chapter 92

Over the next month Beckett finished her two weeks of half days and was working full time again. But, unless a body dropped or a huge break happened just before it was time to go home, she usually sent the team home pretty close to the end of work hours. The lives of everybody in her original team were changing…for the better…and all of them were ready for that. Esposito wasn't married yet; but in effect, he had a family. That's the way he was thinking now. Sometime in the next year, Ryan and Jenny would probably have a baby, too. And Beckett was certainly feeling the difference.

Their approach to schedules was adjusting accordingly, but the work wouldn't suffer from that. They were all too conscientious for that. Soon after getting over her snit and giving him a fair chance to prove himself, Beckett discovered that Sully fit well into their work ethic. The camera was getting a workout. Castle wasn't consulting for every case, but the record of the original crime scene was there if they needed it for either him or themselves. The team still worked hard and communicated after hours if one of them had a question, an idea, or a sudden revelation; and their closure rate was still impressive. Gates wasn't complaining.

The times Castle had been working with them on a case, it had generally been just a day, or maybe part of a second one; but they had recently asked him to help with the murder of an elderly couple, a man and his wife who had been killed in their home. Their son was devastated, and after the initial necessary questions, they had no thought that he would have been involved. But nothing about the situation seemed to fit. This time Castle was at the precinct for several days. Meagan was staying with Jamie, and the entire family was adjusting their schedules to help as well so she could have a break now and then.

Sully had met Castle when he came into the precinct before, and they got along well. With the extended time that Castle was there this time, though, Sully was getting a feel for what the team was like before he was there; and he understood why their closure rate was so high. Castle and Beckett seemed to share the same mind sometimes, finishing each other's sentences, sometimes making their points to one another in phrases that were barely long enough to make sense to anyone else. Ryan and Esposito were so used to the other two that they picked up on a lot of it and asked questions or volunteered to check on things. When he noticed them falling back into their old patterns, Sully watched for a while, hesitant to break into the energy between the four of them.

That lasted until about an hour into the following morning when Beckett looked at him and asked, "Did you resign and forget to tell me? I haven't heard much of anything out of you since yesterday morning. I know Castle talks a lot, but it's okay to butt in. I do it all the time."

"I can hear you," Castle sing-songed at her from where he was taking another look at the murder board.

"I guess I was just observing," Sully answered. "It's interesting to see how it worked before…when Castle was here all the time."

"Beckett ran a hand through her hair. "Sorry, Sully. We've been working around you, haven't we? The four of us do work well together. We had four years to get it down to a science. I'll admit I like working with Castle, but having him here now is temporary. You need to be willing to step in the way you usually do. You're part of this team, so keep thinking that way."

"Well, I was wondering…"

He asked his question, and Castle bounced one back at him. Then the boys joined them at the murder board adding speculations fueled by the previous questions, which set Castle's mind in a new direction.

"We looked at the victims' financials and the son's. Did you look at the son's wife's?" Castle asked.

"Of course we did," Ryan answered. "You must have seen that. Her business was in a little trouble lately, but not enough to kill for. There were a couple of good sized withdrawals from the beauty shop's account, but she said they were for equipment she had to replace. She said she'd paid cash for used equipment and she'd look for the receipts when they got back home."

"His wife was the son's alibi," Beckett reminded them, suddenly sounding a bit suspicious, "but they live out of town. It's about an hour's drive once you're out of the city."

Castle answered, "The son said he slept like a log that night…hadn't slept all night like that in months…"

"Which means the wife…" Sully chimed in.

"Exactly!" Beckett interrupted, and Castle bumped fists with Sully.

"What just happened?" Ryan asked.

"I think Sully just broke into the mind meld," Esposito answered.

They all laughed, and Beckett told the boys, "While the son and his wife are busy here taking care of the estate and the paperwork, you drive up and talk to the people who know them, especially the wife. See if anything unusual was going on with either of them. I'll call ahead so the local precinct knows you're coming."

"Road trip," Esposito said, and he and Ryan grabbed their jackets and and left.

Before they started their trip back home, Ryan called to let Beckett know that the wife had been gambling. She had confided in a friend that it was a shady gambling operation and she had been losing big. She said she owed way more than she realized and was being threatened. Actually, her children and grandchild were being threatened, and she believed the threats. "Sounds like motive to me," he concluded. "There was a lot of money in the victims' estate."

"Stay there until I see if I can arrange for a warrant today," Beckett ordered. "If I can, we'll join you there and get it out of the way." She handled the paperwork, made the arrangements, and hand delivered the warrant for a signature; and by early afternoon, they were on the road. They left ahead of the worst of the outgoing traffic, made good time, cleared the warrants with the required people, and went to work.

By the end of the day, their warrants for the home, the shop, and the vehicles had paid off. When they returned to the precinct, they had the gambling records, the wife in custody, and the murder weapon. The woman obviously wasn't a practiced killer.

It didn't take too long in interrogation for the wife to admit that she killed her in-laws for their insurance and estate. "They were old," she explained, "and I couldn't let my children or my grandchild be hurt or killed because of me. I didn't know what else to do. I put something in Garry's hot chocolate to make sure he'd sleep through my leaving, drove down here and killed them. I cleaned up and changed clothes and dumped the ones I was wearing on the way back, and got back home before he woke up. Gary didn't know anything about any of it. He's never going to forgive me."

It was well after working hours, but they called and Meagan agreed to stay longer with Jamie. After work, Jim had joined her at the loft to help with his grandson; so she had good company. Knowing Jamie was in good hands, Castle treated the team to drinks at The Old Haunt to celebrate before they all went home.

"Never thought an evening out without the kids would turn into tossing somebody's house looking for a murder weapon," Castle said to his wife.

"Good times, huh? The price of marrying a homicide cop," Beckett responded with a grin.

"Worth it," he answered, draping his arm around her shoulders.

"What? Tossing a house isn't as much fun as you thought?" Esposito teased.

Castle chuckled and turned to Kate. "We should go home and relieve Meagan and your Dad. I don't want to take advantage too often. She's been pretty generous with her time this week."

"Yeah, And I miss the kid. If he's asleep, I may have to pick him up and hold him anyway," Kate answered wistfully.

"Stay as long as you want, guys. The bartender knows to put it on my tab," Castle offered. "And Sully, I added your name to the those-who-drink-for-free list."

"One of the perks of being on this team," Esposito said to Sully.

"Thanks, Castle," Ryan answered. "Jenny's out with her sister tonight. I might stay for one more."

They heard appreciative sounds from the other two men, too. Castle waved at the bartender on their way out; and he and Kate went home to their baby. He planned to stay home with Jamie the next day and lavish attention on his little boy. And the two of them would treat Kate to coffee and a short Jamie visit mid-morning to help make up for getting home too late to tuck their little one in the night before.

xxxxx

During the same month, John's injuries were gradually healing. JD went to his classes, and he and Alexis took time for themselves during the day; but after classes, he stayed with his Grandfather, and Alexis was a frequent visitor.

Jim had a couple of phone calls from Lloyd Hopkins, the man who was responsible for John's injuries; and they met for coffee a couple of times. After John was moving around on his own again, he met them at the coffee shop one day; and Lloyd apologized to him more than once.

"My wife died within a month of the diagnosis," John told him. "My twelve year old grandson was what kept me sane. The boy didn't realize that I needed him as much or more than he needed me right then, so I understand how it could happen. Of course, my aging body wishes it didn't."

"I'll still never get over that I did such a thing."

"Well, son, it's sad that this is the club we all belong to, but we've all found ourselves suddenly without the women we loved. If it turns out this accident is what keeps you from falling into what Jim did, I guess it's worth a few weeks of recovery time to me. I did get a lot of extra attention from people who care about me. Some of that was a revelation. And it got my grandson back together with his girlfriend. I can't say it was all fun, but it wasn't a total waste."

The three of them had a good conversation before they parted ways, and on an impulse, Lloyd went from the coffee shop to the twelfth precinct.

"Beckett, I have a Lloyd Hopkins here. He said you did him a favor and he wants a couple of minutes of your time. Should I send him up?" the desk sergeant asked.

"Sure. Tell him it may have to be pretty short, though. We're swamped right now."

"Will do. He's on the way."

When Hopkins arrived on the Homicide floor, he was directed to Beckett and extended his hand, introducing himself. She turned from where she was adding something to the murder board and accepted the handshake with Sully standing nearby.

"I needed to do this face to face, Lieutenant Beckett. What you did probably saved me from throwing my life away, and I needed to thank you for taking the time to care. It was over and above, and my family and I will be grateful to you as long as we live. I've been to some meetings with your dad, and everybody there has been helpful. I was afraid they might see me as an outsider who doesn't really belong, but they've applauded my foresight in accepting that I might have a problem and dealing with it before it gets worse. I have a good support system now that I wouldn't have had without you, and I wanted to look you in the eye when I told you that. I'll never forget it."

"I admit to checking on the disposition of the case, and your story sounded too familiar to ignore. I'm glad Dad could help. For me, it was just a phone call. He did the rest."

"But without your intervention, he wouldn't have known I existed. I know you said you were busy today, so I won't keep you. I just wanted to thank you properly."

"It seemed like the right thing to do."

"I'll make every effort to see that you don't regret it."

"From what Dad has said, I think I believe that. And thank you for taking the time to stop by."

Hopkins smiled and nodded and went back to the elevator. That was when Beckett, who had decided not to mention the situation to the captain, noticed Gates, who had apparently been paying attention to the exchange.

What was that about?" Sully asked, and Esposito and Ryan indicated their interest, too.

"Later," she answered under her breath. I have the feeling I'll need to explain it to Gates first.

Sure enough, Gates raised an eyebrow and pointed toward her office. Beckett nodded and followed.

"Any idea what's going on?" Esposito asked. He and Ryan had come back to their desks in the middle of Hopkins' appreciative speech, and Beckett hadn't mentioned anything to them, either.

"Looks like it could turn out to be another case of no good deed going unpunished," Sully answered as Beckett followed Gates to her office. "Sure sounded like she made a big difference to somebody."

Gates closed her door. "Care to explain Mr…" Her voice ended with the upward inflection of a question.

"Hopkins, Sir."

"Well? He seemed very grateful that you sent your father, but I have the feeling that it has something to do with being in law enforcement."

"I may have overstepped a little." She took a deep breath and then explained what she had done in relation to John and his injuries. "I only meant to check on the circumstances, but the story was so familiar…"

"And what story would that be?"

"You already know that my mother was murdered when I was nineteen. What you may not know is that my father handled his grief by drinking himself into oblivion when I went back to Stanford. By the time I came home again, he was too far gone for me to make a difference. He finally got treatment, and he's been sober for almost ten years now. Mr. Hopkins wife had died, not violently, but just as suddenly. He got drunk, drove his car up on a sidewalk, and injured a family friend of ours; but other than that, he had no record at all. It was a gut feeling. While he was still in holding waiting for one of his sons to arrange bail, I called and asked Dad to talk to him before his son got here from Albany."

"What were you thinking, Lieutenant?!"

"That I might be able to save another family from the years of torture I went through with my dad. It was a gut feeling, and I went with it. The officer I spoke to said Hopkins was really ashamed to have to tell his son. From what Dad has said about him, it sounds like my father…a good man who made a bad choice. I had to at least try."

"You know this could have easily gone in a different direction…created problems for the department?"

"Yes, Sir."

"But it certainly sounds like you were lucky, and it seems that Mr. Hopkins both appreciated and took advantage of the intervention. I trust that if any such thing comes up in the future, you will speak to me before making any more unsanctioned efforts?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Dismissed."

Beckett got as far as the office door before she heard, "You didn't tell anybody else here about this either, did you?"

"No, Sir. If there were consequences, I wanted them to be only mine."

"Officially. Don't do it again. Unofficially? It's good to know that one of my officers has made the difference it sounds like you made for that family."

Beckett looked back and smiled. "Thank you, Captain."

Gates made a shooing motion. "Finish this case. Keep our numbers up."

When she returned to her desk, all three of her partners were waiting impatiently for an explanation, and they got it, including the captain's two conflicting opinions. Then, after a few words of encouragement to Beckett, they got back to work on the case that was driving them insane.

xxxxx

After John was able to care for himself on his own, JD moved back into his own apartment closer to the Columbia Campus. He took Alexis to dinner once he was settled back in, and after a little alone time at his apartment, she stayed for the night.

They spent a few minutes saying "Good morning" and just being quiet and close before they got up to make coffee.

While they waited for the coffeemaker to do its job, JD put his arms around Alexis from behind and said, "Last time we did this, I had hoped you might stay an extra night. I wanted to keep you close as long as I could, so…"

"I'm not running away this time," she assured him, leaning her head back against his shoulder. "But I do need to go back to the dorm and change clothes."

"That's what I was about to say. I have other clothes here that you can wear to class. I had them the last time you were here, and I couldn't make myself get rid of them after you left. There's a garment bag in the back of the closet on the left if you want to use them. I even have decent food in the house again. We can have breakfast here and take our time."

"That sounds like a great way to start the day. Might even earn you some homemade cookies."

"Waking up with you is way better than cookies."

"I like waking up with you, too." Alexis seemed thoughtful for a moment before she said, "I told Dad what I had done because I felt so guilty. I needed to know how much I had hurt you…and I told him everything so he'd know how to answer."

"He knows about this?"

"Well, he knows about the other time."

"Everything?" he gulped.

"Eeew! No. Not _everything_. That will always be just between us. But I told him the things you did to make me feel special…like the clothes, the respect…"

"Does he hate me?"

"No. I defended you. He knows you let it be my decision…no pressure. Did he act like he hated you any time you saw him after that?"

"No."

"He has to back me up, but I think he's been secretly hoping we'd get back together."

"Good. I'd fight for you if I had to, but not having to is good. Granddad hasn't been so secret about it. He's been right up front about hoping we'd get back together."

"Did he hate me?"

"No. I defended you, too. I told him I had promised no pressure and then pushed you too hard and scared you away. He just shook his head and said I should have talked to him. He said maybe it would work out in time. Then he hugged me like he did when I was little…and didn't say anything at all about it when I cried. I missed you so much, Alexis." He pulled her close and hugged her tight, and she turned to face him and responded the same way.

"I'm sorry, JD. I'm so sorry. I'll never do that to you again."

"Looks like we both need to get over feeling guilty, but we're gonna be okay. I feel it…like you and I are supposed to happen.

xxxxx

The team had caught a case the day before, and were in the middle of discussing what each of them had found so far when Lanie called Kate.

"I found something that might help, and there's something I want you to see," she said. "Can you come down now? Maybe we can squeeze lunch in, too. It's about time for it."

"Let me see what I can do about that. Either way, I'll be there in about twenty."

Turning to the rest of her team, she explained, "Lanie found something, and she said she has something she wants me to see. She wants to go to lunch while I'm there, too. Are we at a good enough stopping place for that?"

"Yeah, sure," Ryan answered. "We've got another couple of things to go through. Sully can help with that, and we can talk through all of it when you get back. We'll get something to eat while you're gone."

"Okay. Be back as soon as I can."

When she walked into the morgue, Lanie told her what she had found.

"You could have told me that on the phone. You said you had something to show me. Did you find something weird?"

"That's not what I wanted to show you," the ME said, smiling as she removed her gloves and dropped them in the trash. There was a flash of something that caught Kate's attention when Lanie moved her hand, and Kate reached out to grab it.

"Is that…"

"Yes!"

"When did this happen?" Kate asked with a big smile.

"Last night. Sorry to get you here under false pretenses, but I couldn't wait to show you," she said excitedly. "I met Frank's parents, and it wasn't bad at all. And at this point, my parents would love anybody who gave me a ring and said he'd marry me…as long as he's a good guy and has a decent job. I called them this morning and told them, and my mother squealed so loud I'm surprised she didn't wake you up at the loft. My hearing is just now getting back to normal. I already had time off for Christmas. Frank has the weekend after Christmas off and managed to get one extra day, so he's coming then. I think he and my dad might actually get along pretty well. Then there's my mom. Never know what to expect there."

Kate gave her a big hug. "We're definitely going to lunch, and you can tell me all about how he asked you and any other details you want to part with. I can't believe somebody has finally pinned down the elusive Lanie Parish."

"Me. either. I'm scared to death and so excited I can hardly stop smiling all at the same time. Girl, I never thought I'd be asking _you_ for advice on how to get past that; but I'm open to suggestions."

"I'm so happy for you, Lanie. Hurry up and get your stuff together so we can go. I want to hear it all."

At lunch they talked with purpose. In the short time they had, they skimmed from the engagement to Kate's advice to possible times for a wedding.

"When I pick a date, I'll expect you to reserve it, 'cause I'm not having a wedding without you there to hold me up if I get weak kneed. You understand me?"

"I wouldn't miss it, and neither would Castle. Whatever you need, Lanie. I guess we'd both better get back to work. We'll have a girl's day soon and take time for more conversation. And put your wallet away. Today is on me. Congratulations."

They walked to the corner together then went back to their respective jobs, both smiling.

"So what did Lanie find?" Sully asked.

"She said everything she found confirmed our suspicions. Textbook perfect."

"She could have told you that on the phone. What did she want to show you?"

"The engagement ring Frank gave her last night."

"Wow!" Esposito answered. "Quite a step for her."

"Yep." Speaking of rings, when are you going to get around to offering Maria the one you were in such a hurry to buy?"

"I was going to do it right after I got it, but then her mother was in the hospital for a few days and she had her hands full while her mother was recovering. She was exhausted taking care of her mom and Gabe both. It just wasn't the right time, but her birthday is coming up in two weeks. I thought I'd take her somewhere nice and ask her that night."

"So you're basically giving her yourself for her birthday?" Ryan razzed. "Think you're that special?"

"Yeah. I'm not a bad catch," Esposito answered with his typical swagger. "And she gets a nice diamond, too. I even got something for Gabe. Thought I'd ask him if it's okay for me to marry his mom. He likes me. I think he'll be okay with it."

"What did you get him?"

"He loves baseball, and I managed to get his favorite player to autograph a ball. I took the ball to the stadium on a game night…made sure I had my badge around my neck to make a little connection with security. The man I talked to was an older guy, former cop, looked like somebody's grandpa. When I told him what I was trying to do and why, he ran interference for me. After the game, the pitcher not only signed the ball, he signed one they used in the game that night; and he wrote a short note to Gabe on a picture…thanked him for being a baseball fan and helping to keep him in a job. He came out to talk to me, congratulated me, and everything...said he was honored to be part of it. Didn't cost me a thing. Real nice down to earth kind of guy."

"I'm impressed," Beckett told him. "They're both gonna love what you're planning."

xxxxx

When Kate got home to her own two males after work, they were both happy to see her. She and Jamie had their rocking chair time, and she played with him on the floor of his room for a few minutes before she took him back downstairs. She and Castle worked on dinner together and kept an eye on their son while Jamie entertained himself with the toys Castle had out for him.

As they had dinner, she told Castle about her day, including their friends' new plans. And he told her about his progress on his book and something Jamie had done that afternoon, the storytelling making her laugh as much as her husband had when it happened.

"I can barely remember not having him," Kate commented later, watching Jamie play. "And I don't want to try. We did good, Castle," she said, holding her arms out to her son as she sat down near where he was playing.

Jamie smiled and crawled over to her, and when she picked him up, he said, "Ma-ma".

She turned to Castle in hopeful surprise and asked "Did he just…"

Castle smiled a satisfied smile at her and said, "We've been practicing."


	93. Chapter 93

Chapter 93

After answering a call to a crime scene relatively early that morning, the detectives found Paul Clifford's body lying on its side between the overturned coffee table and the sofa. The lamp that appeared to have been on an end table close by was smashed on the floor next to the body, and a large, sharp shard from the lamp was lodged in the side of the victim's neck. They talked to Lanie, surveyed the scene, and canvassed the neighbors who were at home at the time.

When they finished at the crime scene and Beckett's homicide team returned to the precinct, Ryan asked mischievously as he secured his weapon in his desk drawer, "What's the smile about, Beckett?

"What smile?"

"The one that's been popping up randomly all morning."

"Bro', maybe we don't want to know," Esposito said with a grin and a shudder.

Beckett whacked him on the arm before she answered, "Jamie said 'mama' last night."

Esposito elbowed his partner and smirked. "The boss is going all soft on us because Little Boy Castle called her Mama. Never thought we'd see _that_."

Beckett didn't even try to be adult about it, she just stuck her tongue out at Esposito and then chuckled. "He's barely eight months old, so he's still learning to copy the sounds we make. I don't even know if he's associating the sound with me yet, but it felt good to hear him say it for the first time when he was excited and crawling over for me to pick him up." There was a pause, and she smiled again. "Castle says they've been practicing, and I can imagine it…my child and my man-child playing with sounds."

"Yeah, I can see that happening," Esposito answered, still smiling.

"She's even admitting to being sappy," Ryan teased. "She's got a bad case of motherhood." And Beckett stuck her tongue out at him, too.

Sully was just leaning back in his chair grinning as he watched the show.

Then Beckett sighed and switched gears. "Back to work. Ryan, did they have cameras?"

"I got what they had. I'll start on it in a minute," he answered, turning on his computer.

"Anything worth hearing from the neighbors on the other floors?"

"We got a name. Definitely worth looking into, but he wasn't there. Some of these folks work night shift and weren't home yet. Other people had already left for day jobs. I got a list of residents from the super, and the ones we don't catch at home this afternoon, we'll call," Esposito answered. "Looks like there was some bad blood between the victim and another guy in the building. It's been going on since the other guy moved in a couple of years ago."

"What's the problem between them?" Sully asked.

"Politics," Ryan answered. "Seems their opinions are polar opposites of each other, and they're both volatile. The neighbors are all sick of it. Apparently, they're both loud, belligerent, and have actually come to blows over it a few times…once in a neighborhood bar, once outside the entrance to the apartment building, and once in the lobby. A twelve year old almost got hurt that time. Police were called all three times. The second guy moved in alone; the victim's wife took the kids and left him last year to get them all away from the constant ruckus."

"Glad I don't live there," Sully commented before moving on. "Guy two, a Mr. Spaulding, wasn't home. We'll try again later…bring him in if we have to. We need to see the neighbor across the hall from the victim, too, and probably the one right below him. Several people said they heard a crash from Clifford's apartment around seven-thirty last night, then the door slammed. Apparently it wasn't unusual to hear noises from that apartment, so nobody thought anything of it."

As it turned out, uniforms had to bring in Spaulding, the other half of the contentious political arguments. Since he worked night shift and was sleeping, he was angry that they woke him up and refused to talk to them voluntarily. By the time he was brought in, they had found the security footage showing Mr. Spaulding following the victim up the stairs to his apartment, both of them arguing the entire time, and Spaulding shoving his way into the apartment behind the victim. All of that happened well within Lanie's time of death estimate.

Beckett entered the interrogation room, dropped a file folder on the table in front of her chair, and sat down across from the suspect. After showing him the video of his time just outside the victim's apartment the night before, she asked, "So Mr. Spaulding, would you tell us why you were pushing your way into someone else's apartment when he was obviously telling you to get out?"

"That SOB called the police on me?! Is that what this is about?"

"No. He couldn't do that because he's dead. Time of death coincides with the time of this video."

"Wait a minute. You're trying to pin this on me?"

"If the prints on that lamp are yours, this video and previous police reports of fights with the victim will certainly put you at the top of our suspect list."

"No. No way. He was alive when I left. We had a big argument. I followed him into his place, it got pretty heated, and I picked up his lamp and smashed it on the floor. He threatened to call the police if I didn't leave his apartment so I threatened him back. I shoved him, and I heard him fall when I turned around, but I left then…slammed the door behind me and left."

"Where did he fall?"

"In front of his couch, I guess. That's where he was standing. Why?"

"Did he say anything to you as you left?"

"No. Just made some kind of odd, wimpy noise when he fell. Didn't even get up and follow me out."

"And given your shared history and his attitude toward your invasion of his home seconds beforehand, that didn't seem odd to you? Wasn't it worth checking on the odd noise he made?"

"I just figured I'd won, so I left."

"Well, the lack of response was probably because he was dying. He had a broken piece of the lamp through his neck, and it looks like he bled out on the floor where he fell. The timestamp on the video corresponds to the time the neighbor downstairs said she heard a loud crash and then a thud like somebody fell. Then she heard a door slam and somebody stomping down the stairs. After that, she heard nothing else all evening. The medical examiner said the injury was consistent with falling on the lamp shard." Beckett paused to allow that to sink in. "So the way I see it is that you followed him home, forced your way into his apartment against his will, smashed his lamp, on the floor, and then shoved him where he was likely to fall on the broken pieces. And then, you turned your back and walked out without checking to see if he was hurt, in spite of indications that things weren't normal. Does that about cover it? I'd call that negligent homicide, but I'll let the DA decide the charges."

Spaulding sat slack jawed at that comment.

"Bennett Spaulding, you're under arrest for the murder of Paul Clifford," she said as she cuffed him.

When the second cuff snapped in place, Spaulding came out of his momentary stupor. By then LT was there to escort Spaulding out and book him while their suspect was resisting and shouting his protests that they couldn't arrest him for an accident. At that point, Esposito left observation and joined LT to help.

"One of you read him his rights," Beckett called after them.

She met Ryan and Sully coming out of the observation room.

"Real prince of a guy," Sully said with sarcastic disgust.

"Yeah, the neighbors will get their peace and quiet back, though," Ryan observed.

"We've got just about enough time to finish the paperwork before end of shift, and I want to get home, too," Beckett told them. She huffed a little laugh. "This one was so easy I almost feel like we didn't earn our pay."

"Well, you can afford to give it back if you want, but I'm taking my paycheck," Ryan answered. "We're hoping Jenny will be pregnant before long, and we're trying to save as much as we can. We really want a baby, and we want to be ready for it. I hear they can break a budget big time."

"I know I'm lucky not to have to worry about that, but they definitely can," Beckett answered. "They travel pretty heavy, too. You wouldn't believe how much we pack just to go to the park, let alone to go away for a couple of days. I never had to think about all that before."

"Yeah. I've watched my sister," Ryan answered.

Then they all got back to work and managed to leave on time when their shift ended.

xxxxx

Later in the month, Castle's family celebrated Alexis's birthday a day early because JD had a birthday evening planned for her the next night.

"I guess I might as well get used to the idea that poor old Dad is going to be playing second fiddle to JD now," Castle said sadly after the two younger folks left.

"She's always going to love you, Castle…and it could be a lot worse. JD…he's… I'm pretty sure Alexis has found what I think you want her to have. It just happened a lot earlier than we thought it would."

"I know all that, but it's hard for a man to see that he's having to give his little girl to somebody else, even if it's only a little at a time."

"Well, at least it's somebody you respect and enjoy having around, and somebody you care about, too. I think he's seen you as father figure for a good while now. And he loves being with our family…fits right in. You'll still see Alexis often."

"I know. Doesn't make it any easier, though."

"I know it doesn't." She put her arms around his neck and gave him a soft kiss in sympathy. Alexis had asked to read to Jamie and put him to bed before she left, and they had already been up to check on him; so Kate asked suggestively, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Just being here helps, but I have some other ideas if you're interested," he answered mischievously. Then he started whispering things in her ear, switching ears after each thought; and she giggled as he walked her backward toward their room.

xxxxx

The next month, Jim and Meagan came for Thanksgiving dinner, along with JD and John. Lanie and Frank were invited as well since neither of them would be with their families. After dinner, while everybody was sitting at the table talking, Castle was holding Jamie in his lap and looked up in surprise.

"What is it?" Kate asked, looking mildly concerned.

"Nothing bad, but there's something entirely new in my household.

"And what would that be, Richard?" his mother asked, looking amused.

"I just realized that, for the first time in my adult life, our holiday dinner is populated with more males than females. He stood and held Jamie out like Simba being presented to the world in _The Lion King_ and dramatically announced, "Gentlemen, I present our tie breaker, Richard James Castle." The men all applauded and cheered. Jamie kicked his feet and squealed happily, and Castle reeled him back to his chest and planted nibbling kisses to his face and neck, making him laugh and wriggle. The women all chuckled good naturedly at the entire picture.

"Well, Richard, it was a long time in coming; but I'm happy for you," Martha told him, and Kate just leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Come to Granddaddy, Mr. Tie Breaker," Jim said, holding out his arms, and Jamie leaned toward him to go willingly.

Whenever Jamie made baby noises, family members talked to him as if he had actually said something understandable. He was learning to make a lot of recognizable sounds, and other than "dada" and "mama", he would occasionally say something that sounded like an actual word; but his parents said they were pretty sure it was an accident.

"I don't know," Martha argued. Richard was talking early. At nine months, he had a small vocabulary. You had to know how to decode most of it, but he and I knew what he meant. By his first birthday, his vocabulary was a bit bigger, and you could easily understand most of the words he knew. He never slowed down after that."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," Kate answered with a smirk, bumping Castle's shoulder with hers.

No one thought any more of it until JD, Alexis, and John were about to leave. Someone mentioned that Alexis was leaving, and Jamie sounded a staccato "es". The adults kept talking, and when someone said "Goodnight, Alexis", Jamie said it again. When her name was mentioned right after she left and Castle heard Jamie say it a third time, he paid more attention. He looked at Jamie curiously and said, "Alexis."

And Jamie looked back at him, said, "es" and smiled as if his father had finally figured it out.

"I wonder what else we need to decode," Martha said with a big smile. "Maybe he's more like his father than just his looks."

"Then maybe we should start asking for divine intervention," Lanie teased.

"Hey there are worse things in the world than being smart and curious, and ruggedly handsome," Castle defended. "Right, Jamie?"

Jamie looked at his father again and said "zm".

"Jamie?" Castle said again, and again heard "zm".

Lanie was close to them and tried, too. "Jamie?" Jamie turned to her with a big smile as if they were playing with him and made the same sound. "Did we just decode another one?" Lanie asked.

Kate took her son's hand to get his attention and said, "Alexis."

Jamie answered, "es."

"Jamie?" Castle said again.

Jamie was bouncing in his arms and smiling. "zm."

"Wow," Frank said from behind Lanie. "I was the youngest in my family, so I haven't been around babies much. Does he know what it means, or is he just matching sounds?"

"We'll experiment tomorrow and try to figure that out," Castle answered. Except for 'dada' and 'mama', it looks like we're at one syllable words…no matter how many they should actually have. But, we have something else to be thankful for. We're learning to decode."

xxxxx

For the Christmas holidays, Meagan had taken Jim to meet her family; and Lanie was in New Orleans worrying about Frank's impending visit to meet hers. At Christmas Eve dinner with the Castles, the personnel had changed, but the balance of male to female was about the same as Thanksgiving, slightly higher on the male side since Javi and Maria brought Gabe. Castle was simultaneously missing the smaller group of just his family and enjoying the fact that his extended family included other men.

The meal was delicious, as usual, and the company was good. JD and John hadn't been around Javi and Ryan too often, but they got along well. It was Maria's first visit to the loft. At first she seemed a bit intimidated by its size and the wealth it obviously represented, but the down-to-earth nature of all its residents appeared to ease her into relaxing before long.

Jamie was only a few days short of ten months old and was pulling himself up to walk around the furniture, plopping down on his backside now and then when he moved wrong, and reverting to hands and knees for high speed crawling when he ran out of furniture or patience with the process. His small vocabulary of one syllable words was increasing, some of them being actual one-syllable words that were easily understood; and the family played with him, encouraging him to try to identify objects and people.

Gabe alternated playing with Jamie and with some board games Alexis brought from the Castle collection. JD, John, and Esposito spent time with Gabe, too, and Maria thanked them individually for making Gabe feel a welcomed part of the group. The women read to him, Martha offering her dramatic reading of a tale of a little rabbit who was lost and trying to get back to his family. Gabe was enthralled, and the others in the party were soon hanging on her words as well.

"Excellent performance, Martha," Kate told her.

As Martha took her bow, Castle said, "Don't overdo the praise. It goes to her head." But he said it with a teasing grin.

"Did you get all that with your stories when you were a kid?" Javi asked.

"All the time. It was great."

"I thought you didn't want to inflate my ego." Martha answered with raised eyebrows.

"Well, I guess that's a place you earned it. I loved it when you read to me with all the different voices and inflections and accents."

"So that's where you learned it," Kate said softly.

"That's where."

It was a pleasant evening that started and ended early in deference to children's bedtimes and Santa Claus visits. They exchanged gifts with Javi, Maria, and Gabe before they left.

Each member of the family opened their traditional one gift and exchanged gifts with JD and John before the two men went home.

JD and Alexis managed to get to their gifts for each other separately from the family. JD said, "I'm hoping this goes better than the last time, and handed her a beautifully wrapped gift. When she opened it, she found the same card he had given her before she left him. The only difference was a single word added above the original message so it now said. "I'll _still_ always love you." And the ring box was there, too. She opened the box and looked to see that it was the same ring, then wrapped her arms around his neck and said against his chest, "It's as beautiful as it was before, but it doesn't scare me this time." He took it out and slid it on her finger, and Alexis held her hand out to admire it.

"I promise I'll give you the time you need, Alexis. If I sound like I'm not doing that, tell me."

"Here, open yours," she told him.

He found his own card with an almost identical message and an understated but very nice, masculine looking ring.

"My own promise," she explained. "I'm not as far behind you as I was then. Can we finish the school year and then talk about what comes next?"

"Any time you're ready to talk about what comes next, I am, too. Something to look forward to. Another gift." He placed a soft kiss on her lips and then took her hand and led her to his grandfather." Lifting her hand to show him, JD said with a contented smile, "She kept it this time."

"I saw that. Sorry. Couldn't help but watch for the reaction," his grandfather told him. "May I see?" he asked nodding toward JD's hand. "That's a handsome ring you got in return, too." Then John pulled his grandson into a big hug. "I'm happy for you."

When his grandfather let him go, he found himself in a fatherly hug from Castle. "So am I…for both of you," patting his back a couple of times in a fatherly way while John hugged Alexis.

When Kate and Martha walked over to talk to the young couple and see the rings, Castle offered John some of his best scotch, which John easily agreed to. They walked into the study, and John said, "It feels good to know that JD won't be alone when I'm gone. He'll have this family to help him through the rough spots. I can't tell you what that means to me, especially now with his parents…"

When John's voice faltered, Castle said sympathetically, as he poured the amber liquid into their glasses, "It's been hard for both of you, John. I wish I could do more to help."

"I haven't known you long enough to ask as much of you as I already have, but it eases my mind to know he has people who support him. You think he and Alexis will make it?"

"Yeah, I do. I thought I'd be a lot more upset when I could see another man about to take my little girl away from me…and I'm not entirely out of that state of mind yet, you understand; but knowing it's JD makes it much easier."

"So is there room for another grandfather here?" John asked with a mischievous smile.

Castle slapped his arm easily, handed him his drink, and answered, "Looks like you've managed to be part of the family without taking the drastic measures you mentioned at the hospital," Castle said, chuckling.

John grinned and answered, "It wouldn't have been that drastic. I enjoy spending time with your mother, but I doubt anybody will be able to tie her down again."

"Probably not." After a look appreciative of the scotch he just tasted, Castle added, "And you're always welcome here."

John looked serious again. "JD needs the kind of love you have in your family, especially right now. When my boy first started spending time here, he talked about it constantly. Parents who talk to their child, and joke around with her, and do things together. He was fascinated. I can't remember the last time I saw his father hug him the way you just did…his mother, either for that matter. Hell, I'm not sure I've ever seen his father hug him the way you just did. He got plenty of that from me, but he's had to depend on me too much for love and backup. His grandmother and I were more parents to him when he was small than his parents were. They caught on quickly that we were willing to fill their roles if we had to. The truth is, it's like you said about Alexis. It's as if he had a big hand in raising himself, but I know his grandmother and I had some influence."

"He's too much like you for you not to take a lot of credit," Castle assured him.

"Like Alexis is too much like Rick for him not to take credit," Kate interrupted on her way to the bedroom with Jamie. "Sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop. Just passing through." Stopping at the door to their bedroom, she explained, "Jamie leaned over my arm and managed to bury his hand in what was left of the apple pie…even managed to squish it through his fingers a couple of times; and he decorated both of us. We both need a change of clothes and a little cleaning up. I think I heard JD call for your car, by the way, John."

"It's about that time, I guess. I'll go and check with him. Thanks."

By the time Kate returned with Jamie wrapped snuggly in just his diaper and a small blanket, John and JD were ready to leave.

"Merry Christmas, all of you," John said. "Thanks for Christmas dinner and the gifts. Good food and good company."

"Merry Christmas," JD said as they left.

Alexis walked them out, and closed the door, and John said mischievously, "Say goodnight to your sweetheart and meet me at the car. Just don't leave me sitting there all night."

"Be there soon," JD answered as John entered the elevator.

A few minutes later, Alexis came back into the loft with a little smile on her face.

"Somebody got a goodnight kiss," Martha sing-songed.

Castle swung his arm gently around his daughter's shoulders. "Let it go, Mother. She's happy."

Alexis curled into his side and wrapped her arms around his waist and said, "Thanks, Dad."

"Always," he promised and kissed the top of her head, relishing the all too temporary time he still had to have her at home and tuck her into his embrace when he felt the need.

"I'm so happy for you, Alexis," Kate said softly, stroking her child's back as she spoke. "I'll be upstairs getting Jamie ready for bed."

"I'll be up soon," her husband promised as Kate talked animatedly to Jamie on her way up the stairs.

"It was worth it, wasn't it, Dad…all the frustration and disappointments and soul searching while you were waiting for Kate?"

"Oh, yeah. Worth every second."

"Do you think JD will look at me a few years from now and think the same thing?"

"Not a doubt in my mind, Honey. Not a single one."

"I love you, Daddy."

Castle closed his eyes and gloried in that brief moment before she separated from him to go to her room. He went to the kitchen, turning to watch her go, then he picked up the bottle Kate had ready for Jamie before the pie incident and joined her in the nursery.

"Just in time," she said. "He's clean, in his jammies, and ready for his bottle. Oh, good. You brought it."

She moved to the rocking chair and sat down, but Castle took her hand and pulled her back up, sitting in the chair first. "Humor me?" he asked.

"Well, your lap is definitely one of my favorite places to be."

"Yeah? Why is that?"

"I feel safe…and loved," she answered as she offered Jamie his bottle and kissed his little forehead.

Castle wrapped one arm around her and pulled her a bit closer, then took the bottle from her hand and held it for his son. Kate used her free hand to stroke his cheek, and Alexis came to say goodnight as that was happening.

"Multitasking again, I see," she said, looking amused.

"And you catch us every time," her father answered, looking up.

"That's because you hide it so well," she teased.

"You want to join us? Another layer of Castle?" Kate asked.

"I doubt the chair could take the strain, but thanks," Alexis answered in the same teasing tone. "JD said he's going to stop by for a little while tomorrow afternoon. He said he'd call first," she told them. "See you in the morning."

Kate rested her forehead against his neck where Jamie could see both of them easily. "Did you enjoy your Christmas Eve moment with Alexis?"

"It was great," he told her. "She called me Daddy when she said she loves me. If a moment is all I get now, I'll always take it."

"I know."

"It feels like yesterday that I was doing this for her."

"But you were alone with that."

"This is so much better."

"Yeah," she said contentedly. "About as good as it gets." And they sat and rocked and enjoyed their baby.


	94. Chapter 94

Chapter 94

Christmas Day was a typical, lazy Castle Christmas morning, spent opening gifts, making a big breakfast, and relaxing. It was Jamie's first Christmas, and they wanted to spend it at home with him, so the family didn't go to the precinct to serve Christmas lunch; but they sent food and servers in their place. There was also the fact that, after all the years of Christmas duty Beckett had served, Gates had banned her from Christmas Day duty for at least another year, anyway.

JD came to the loft in the afternoon and brought the rest of his gifts for Alexis. There was a beautiful, soft sweater and some smaller gifts…a scarf that was perfect with her favorite winter coat, and several things he knew would make her laugh. He brought a few things for Jamie, too and enjoyed seeing what babies do with presents; and he experienced for the first time that sometimes they have more fun with the wrappings than the gifts. Alexis gave JD his other gifts, as well, and it was obvious that they were both thinking on the same wavelength.

After staying for a Christmas movie, JD and Alexis played with Jamie. Both of them were crawling on their hands and knees, chasing him around and then tickling him when they caught him. The children were all laughing, and the older Castles were enjoying the show from their observation perches at the breakfast bar.

When he said he needed to get back to have dinner and spend the evening with his grandfather, Alexis walked JD out; and when she returned, Kate and Martha were taking out leftovers for dinner at Casa Castle.

"He's good for you," Kate observed.

"Yeah, he is," Alexis answered, looking around. "Where's Dad?"

"He's upstairs trying to calm Jamie down a little bit. We had a lot of company yesterday, and it took some time to settle him down last night; so we're going for a head start tonight. He loved playing with you and JD, but he's all wound up now."

"Sorry. But it was so much fun."

"Nobody's complaining," Martha assured her. "I'll help out if he's still a bit overwrought. I enjoyed holding you when you were that age, too; but you went and grew up on me."

"We love seeing you play with your little brother," Kate added to the assurances. "Your dad's just doing quiet things with him and rocking him for a few minutes, so don't get him wired and make us start all over again." Kate poked a finger jokingly in Alexis's ribs.

"Yes, ma'am," she answered mischievously.

"You know, for a guy who's hardly ever been around babies, JD just seems to know what to do. He's a natural," Martha said.

"He's fascinated with Jamie, loves it when he sees that he's learned something new. It's a good thing we're on more solid ground now. If we split up I think he'd feel like he'd lost his spare parents and his little brother, too. He loves all of us, like Kate did. I don't know how I was so stupid before."

"You weren't being stupid, Honey. You were nineteen and giving yourself time to be certain," Kate told her. "I'm the one guilty of stupidity, and I'll spend the rest of my life making that up to your dad. At least you tried to explain yourself before you left. You went about it a lot better than I did."

"Just keep loving him, Kate. I've never seen him happier."

"No problem there," Kate answered as she put bread in the oven.

"Is it okay if we take Jamie for a walk tomorrow?"

"Sure," Kate answered. "Just let us know when. But right now, would you let your father know we can eat in about ten minutes?"

Getting Jamie ready for bed became a family project that night, each of the adults covering some part of the process, but Kate and Castle claimed the rocking chair and tucking in duties.

"That doesn't mean we can't sneak in and kiss him goodnight," Martha stage whispered to her granddaughter.

"I heard that. Castle said over his shoulder. "Instigator. That's what she is," he mock grumbled to his wife while their two redheads giggled quietly.

xxxxx

On New Year's Eve, Martha had plans that would keep her out all night, and Alexis and JD were going out as well; but Rick and Kate had decided they'd like to stay at home. After being forced to take his very pregnant wife to the Black Pawn party the year before, Rick conscientiously turned down every invitation that came their way, planning the private New Year's Eve party the two of them had wished for the previous year. The couple told Martha and Alexis and their dates how wonderful they looked, gave them their best wishes for a fun and exciting New Year's Eve, and breathed a sigh of relief when everybody left. Once they were alone with their baby, they spent some quiet time with him before he fell asleep and then some quiet time with each other after changing into their favorite enticing nightclothes.

There was a knock at the door, and Rick threw on a more acceptable robe long enough to accept the meal he had ordered from his favorite caterer so he and Kate wouldn't have to cook. Kate lit candles and dimmed the lights while Rick plated the still warm and much-nicer-than-their-normal-take-out, dinner. Then they enjoyed their delicious meal and each other's uninterrupted company, cleared the table, and retired to their room, closing the door behind them.

They faced each other in bed and engaged in some pillow talk, along with easy caresses, neither of them in any hurry to take it farther right away. At the stroke of midnight, however, the enticing clothing was on the floor, and they began what they had talked about the year before as the best way they could imagine to usher in the new year…the traditional kissing involved in the moment as well, of course.

xxxxx

Over the next few months, cases came and went; some included Castle, and some didn't. He was actually ahead of schedule on the book he was currently writing; and Gina was leaving him alone for the most part, which made everybody involved happy. Sully had established himself as a solid part of the team and welcomed the chance to work with Castle when he was there.

Now and then Martha and John would call one another when one of them wanted an escort to an event, or just felt like having a night out on the town. The family assumed they were friends with benefits; but nobody really wanted to know, so it was never mentioned. The two of them behaved appropriately around the family, which their progeny found acceptable enough for their coping skills.

Jamie started walking on his own in January, and Kate was there to see his first steps. He had already been pulling himself up and maneuvering around the furniture quite efficiently for a while.

One night while his parents were sitting on the floor playing with him after dinner, Kate was near the end of the coffee table. She called out playfully, "Jamie, come to Mommy." She smiled and held her arms out, wiggling her fingers, and he quickly baby stepped to the end of the table. But this time, when he ran out of table, he kept walking. It was wobbly, but he took the three steps to his mother and threw himself into her arms laughing.

Kate was enthralled. "Look at you, Baby! You walked all by yourself. Rick, did you see that? Has he done that before?"

"No," he answered with a beaming smile. "That was absolutely the first time. Jamie, Daddy is so proud of you. Come here," he said, holding out his hands. Kate stood Jamie up again and held his hand as he moved toward Castle, then she loosened her grip and let go as he took another few steps toward his father before dropping to his well-padded little bottom just as he reached out for Castle. Both parents applauded and praised and smiled.

Noticing Kate's look in his direction, Castle asked, narrowing his eyes mischievously, "You're checking to see if it looks like I'm lying and trying to make you think he's never done that before, aren't you? Well, I'm not, and I won't. That's the very first time, and you saw it with me. I love that."

After another assessing look, she said, "I believe you, and I love it, too. It's just…I'm so afraid I'm going to miss the first time he does something important."

"You've missed surprisingly little so far. I think he must like to show off for Mommy," Castle answered. Then, holding Jamie and shimmying over toward her on his backside, he kissed her cheek.

"Tiss," Jamie said.

"He identified a new word today. Can you tell?"

"Kiss, Jamie?" Kate asked.

"Tiss, tiss, tiss," he answered, holding his arms up, and Kate plucked him up as she often did to plant multiple, playful kisses on his face as he laughed. A minute or so later, he slid out of Kate's grasp and went back to his father, crawling up into his lap. "Tiss," he said again from where he sat in Castle's lap, then he leaned into his dad's chest, rested his head there and seemed to be waiting. Castle leaned and kissed his little head, and Jamie sort of melted into him.

"When we play with him like this and he goes to you, he holds his arms out and looks excited," Castle observed. "But when he comes to me; sometimes he just climbs in my lap and leans against me like he's expecting something. Wonder why?"

Kate appeared to be putting her detective mind to work and finally said. "When I'm down here on his level and playing, I pick him up and kiss him over and over and act silly, make it like a game. When you're on the floor and playing, you pick him up and blow raspberries on his tummy or pretend to nibble on him a lot; but when you hold him in your lap like that, you usually kiss the top of his head. All of us like it when you do that…we feel loved and content. It's comforting. I think he just crawls into your lap and 'assumes the position' so to speak. It looked like he was waiting for you to kiss his head. Then there was 'the melt'. He looks pretty content, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, he does. Maybe that's a sign we should wind things down."

They cleared the few toys from the floor, got their son ready for bed, and took care of the pre-bedtime ritual. On the way downstairs to their room after Jamie was settled, Kate told her husband, "Dad asked me today how I'd feel about helping him find a ring for Meagan. He said he'd understand if it felt too weird to me."

"What did you say?"

"That it did feel a little weird. Then I was saved by somebody being brought in for questioning, and I told Dad I'd call him back tomorrow."

"You can't put it off forever, you know. How do you really feel about it, now that it's a fact rather than a possibility?"

"I don't know. I guess I was surprised and was buying a little time to adjust to the idea. I don't know why, though. I've seen them getting closer, and I'm happy for both of them."

"There's a 'but' in there."

She took a deep breath and released it before parting with the words. "But I can't imagine my dad being married to anybody but my mom."

"Do what you need to do for yourself, Sweetheart. Your dad and Meagan will both understand. And you have until tomorrow to decide."

"No, I've already decided. He's been alone for a long time, Rick, and he deserves to be happy. They both do. So I'll go with him. It might not be easy, but I'll go and back him up."

"Well, when tough Lieutenant Beckett has finished backing up her dad, she can come home to Jamie and me, and we'll 'tiss' away the tears if she needs us to."

"How about some serious 'tissing' right now?" she asked with a teasing smile.

Castle grinned. "I thought you'd never ask." And he stopped them in the study, held her by her shoulders, and planted lots of silly, noisy kisses on her face, the way she had kissed their little boy earlier, both of them laughing as she returned the foolishness with a raspberry to his neck.

xxxxx

A couple of simple cases came up…not too demanding, but not entirely cut and dried. Not terribly challenging by any means. Then there was a case that was a definite challenge. Every clue was a dead end, and after several days, they were getting nowhere.

"Time to call Castle?" Sully asked. "Does he have time to be here?"

"It might be, and I think he does," Beckett answered. "We just need to arrange babysitting."

"Last time we talked, he told me he's ahead of schedule, almost finished with his book," Esposito noted. "What's wrong with him? He's never ahead on his books. He's always complaining that Gina is breathing dragon fire down his neck and growling about finishing late chapters."

"He's doing what he did when he stayed home with Alexis. He writes while Jamie sleeps. When he did the same thing with Alexis, he was writing two books a year."

"Then he met you?" Ryan teased.

"Something like that. He liked working with us, but it didn't leave him as much time to write. I'll call him while he's still ahead."

"Good. Maybe he'll see something we missed. We've looked at it until our eyes have glazed over," Ryan added, looking tired.

"Why don't I ask him tonight? Shift ended an hour ago. All of you go home. We'll think better with some sleep behind us. We can look at it with fresh eyes tomorrow."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Sully answered, closing down his computer and picking up his coat from the back of his chair. The rest of the team followed suit, and they left in the elevator together.

Kate could hardly wait to get home. Jamie was learning so much so fast. As Martha said about a baby Rick Rodgers, he started walking and talking and never slowed down. Kate never knew what small new adventure might turn up before Jamie's bedtime. Now, when she came home, he often toddled over to her with a watchful Rick not far away. He was still wobbly, his arms flying out wildly at times in an apparent attempt at keeping his balance; but he stayed upright the majority of the time.

When she came into the loft and gave Rick his kiss, Jamie repeated, "Mama, Mama," as he toddled toward her. She dropped to her knees, held out her arms to meet him halfway and scooped him up in a big hug as soon as he arrived.

Castle laughed as he watched them. "You should see yourselves. You both look like the cat that swallowed the canary."

"Cat," Jamie echoed, turning to point at his animal book.

Kate picked up the book and said, "Find the cat. She made a big production of turning pages and asking if that picture was the cat, and when the feline finally was on the page, Jamie named it several times.

"How's the duck situation going?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

This time it was Castle rolling his eyes. "I don't understand. The 'd's' were some of the first sounds he made. Why not there?"

Kate turned to the page with the duck and asked, "What's that?"

"Guck," her son answered. She corrected him but got the same answer.

Castle sat down with them and looked at his baby. "D-d-d-Daddy," he tried.

Jamie answered, "D-dada."

"D-d-d-dog," Castle said, and Jamie repeated it. After another couple of "d" words with excellent results, he came to, "D-d-d-duck."

Jamie answered, "D-d-guck." Then he laughed…one of those full, baby belly laughs that make everybody around him smile.

Castle dropped his head in defeat. "Three days he's been doing this. Why?"

"Judging from that laugh, I'd say it's because he's already learned how to mess with Daddy's mind."

Castle sighed. "At this point, I might even be willing to admit you could be right." He picked his boy up and plopped him in his lap. Jamie curled into his chest, as Castle had come to expect and enjoy, and he kissed his son's head and cherished Jamie's contented relaxation against him. Then he picked him up and held him closer to his shoulder, and Jamie wiggled into a comfortable spot while Castle stroked his back with his wide, gentle hands.

"Just so you know? Big guy, tiny kid? Still totally doing it for me," Kate told her husband.

"So I get lucky tonight?"

"Guck?" Jamie looked up at his father as if he might have missed something with the similar word.

"Stinker," Castle answered with a chuckle, but his son's head still got another kiss and a nuzzle against his cheek.

Kate sat and watched contentedly and smiled in loving amusement.

After they had tucked Jamie in later, Kate told Castle, "The boys have asked to invite you in on this case if you have time. I don't want to slow you down, though. You've been enjoying writing lately."

"A little break from it wouldn't hurt. I might even pick up a few new ideas. We just need a babysitter."

"The last time I talked to Megan, she said she was getting a little bored with retirement. Maybe she wouldn't mind. If we're running a little late, I'm sure Dad would join her here."

We need to decide what to do for Jamie's birthday, too. It's only two weeks away. Just family?"

"Including Meagan, JD, and John?"

"Of course," Castle answered. "They already feel like family."

"I've already put in for the day off."

"We can go to Remy's and talk about it at lunch tomorrow," Castle suggested. "Tonight, let's call Meagan, and then you can tell me about the case. After that, I'm planning on getting lucky…without commentary from the kid."

Kate chuckled. "You have to admit he made a good connection, though."

xxxxx

When he walked into the precinct with Beckett, Castle heard welcoming sounds from various parts of the bullpen and saw a few hands raised to acknowledge his presence. Lupinski was leaving the break room as they walked past and asked, "Castle. How's your boy?"

Castle stopped to answer as Beckett kept moving toward her desk. "Mini-me is great. Walking, starting to talk, generally keeping his dad busy."

"And you really don't mind staying home with him?"

"I don't. I did this when Alexis was a baby, too, but then there wasn't much of a choice. Her mother wasn't particularly maternal, still isn't for that matter; and fortunately, my paying job allows me to stay home. I write while he sleeps and play with him and take care of the necessities when he wakes up. And Beckett takes over a lot when she gets home. I can get some writing done sometimes then, too. Life is good."

"You're deep into being a dad, aren't you?" Lupinski asked, walking toward the bullpen with him.

"Guilty," Castle answered with a proud smile. "Nothing else like it."

Lupinski returned the smile, saying "Later." And he gave Castle a brotherly slap on the upper arm as he turned toward his own desk.

Castle greeted the rest of the team, then went to the murder board to look over what they had on the case and read the notes in the file. "Beckett said you hadn't found any other murders similar to this one, but I agree that there _is_ something about the crime scene that hints at a serial killer. I just can't quite identify what it is."

"And now you know where we are on this. We thought the same thing and checked on it, but we haven't found anything similar enough to make a connection," Ryan answered. "That's what's so frustrating. We hope we're wrong; but if we're right, there could be another victim soon.

"Beckett," Gates called from her office door.

"Be right back," she told her team. "Catch Castle up on the rest while I'm gone, just in case I missed anything last night." There were explanations, questions, and answers back and forth until Beckett came back, looking grim. "Another body. The same officer who worked our present case was first on scene at this one, too; and she thinks there might be a couple of similarities. Gates is sending us the address. Looks like you're in on the ground floor with this one, Castle. Let's go."

Arriving at the crime scene, they checked with CSU and were told they needed a few more minutes. Using that few minutes they looked around the exterior of the building and the area near the apartment before they got the all clear and entered. There were two officers outside the apartment in the hallway, and Beckett stopped to speak to them.

"Officers Archer and Bisaga, right?"

"That's right, Lieutenant," man answered

"Archer, you called this in, didn't you?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"You said you noticed some similarities to the Penston case. Want to come in with us and tell us what you saw and why you think it's significant?" She held her hand out ahead of her and Archer moved into the apartment ahead of them. Turning to Bisaga, she added, "Hold down the fort out here, and let us know if you need backup.

When they reached the room where the body was found, Archer pointed out that in the Penston case, the top shirt button was missing, seemed to have been snatched off. "The most obvious similarity was the wound to the neck, but see this part of the dress that was cut away? I have a friend who has an identical dress, except that it's intact. What's missing here isn't a button, but it _is_ a fastener. It's a smallish flower at the neck opening with Velcro on the back. See?" she said, pointing out the intact side of the neckline that was left. This looks like the other half of the Velcro closing."

"Was there anything else?"

"The flower arrangement on the table. It's about the same size as the vase at the other scene. The flowers are different colors but basically the same type…and the exact same roses are in both."

"Good observations, Archer," Beckett answered as she looked. "And accurate. That saved us some time, especially the dress."

"And that's always welcome," Castle added.

"This is our consultant, Richard Castle."

"And your husband?" Archer asked, then immediately seemed to think she had overstepped her bounds.

"And my husband," Beckett conceded with a smile. "I don't mind claiming him…most of the time," she teased.

"And I don't mind claiming her anytime," Castle said, smiling at his wife.

"What strikes you as important about these things you noticed?" Beckett asked Archer.

"I mentioned it carefully at first because I didn't want to say much where it might start rumors, but I know serial killers sometimes take souvenirs or leave calling cards. When I called it in, I thought I should mention what looked to me like similarities, even if it didn't amount to anything. I'd rather feel stupid if I'm wrong than not mention it and feel like I'm responsible for another victim."

"I'm glad you did. Would you like to stay and observe while we look over the scene? You know what not to do at a crime scene, I assume?"

"Really? You don't want me back outside?"

"Only if you're not needed there. But I'd like to see how much else you might notice. How long have you been an officer?"

"Four years next month."

The team spoke to Frank Stokes about the body and looked over the crime scene, noting what they needed to remember; and Beckett drew Archer into giving answers now and then. The team talked back and forth to each other, as always, and Archer looked fascinated. Beckett set out a standard list of things that should be done right away, Esposito and Ryan left to get started, and Sully went with them. Beckett and Castle asked Dr. Stokes another couple of questions as he waited for his assistants to take the body to the van. Archer appeared to be hanging on their every word.

They walked with Archer back to her partner outside, and Beckett took time to shake Bisaga's hand, thanking him for his help. "Did you notice the similarities to the Penston case, too?"

"No, Ma'am. I was real impressed that my partner did, though."

"When CSU has locked up and left, I'll need the two of you to canvass the neighbors. See if any of them knew our victim or saw or heard anything unusual. Ask about people or delivery or service vehicles they may not have seen before."

"We'll take care of it, Lieutenant."

"Thank you. And thanks Archer. I appreciate the help. Keep up the good work."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"You just made that young woman's whole day," Castle said as they walked back to the car.

"I don't know about that, but I do think I see some talent there. Never hurts to encourage it."

"Have I told you lately how proud you make me?"

"Yeah, but it never hurts to encourage that, either," she answered flirtatiously as she unlocked the car.

When they were back at the precinct, Gates detoured them to her office before they got to the rest of the team, wanting to know what the similarities in the two cases were and if it looked like they might have a serial killer on their hands.

Beckett took her quickly through the events of the morning, with an occasional comment from Castle, and Gates agreed that it was a possibility. "Keep me in the loop continuously on this. I don't want to be lacking information if someone at 1PP wants it."

"Understood, Sir." After a slight pause, she added, "We also spoke to the first on scene officer this morning, Officer Archer. I'd recommend keeping an eye on her. She's the one who noticed the similarities. I had her stay as we took our initial look at the crime scene and asked her some questions about what she saw as we looked around. She showed a lot of promise and a lot of interest in the process, as well as the good sense not to have said anything about similarities in front of the wrong people. If this morning is the rule, rather than the exception for her, I think she should be encouraged."

Jotting the name down as she spoke, Gates answered, "Duly noted, Lieutenant. Thank you."

When Castle and Beckett arrived at his desk, Ryan handed them a page from his notebook with the address and phone number of the victim's next of kin, and they turned to leave the precinct immediately. Then they made another of the trips they always dreaded…to inform parents of their child's murder.

On the way, Castle called to see if Alexis and JD would like to join them for dinner, and the couple could hardly wait to go home to see their daughter that evening and to thoroughly hug their boy child while they waited for the dinner they had already decided would be ordered in.


	95. Chapter 95

Chapter 95

After getting back from informing the parents of their new victim, Moira Austin, of their daughter's murder, an emotionally drained Beckett stopped to speak to the desk sergeant. "Is Archer on duty right now?" she asked.

"She's at the end of her shift. She and Bisaga just checked in a few minutes ago; so if you need her, we should let her know quick. She'll be heading out in a few minutes."

"Tell her I'd like to see her if she has time before she leaves, but give her the option of going home now if she needs to. It isn't pressing, so there's no problem if she can't stay. If you'd let her know, I'd appreciate it."

"Will do."

"Thanks, Sarge."

After two possibly, if not leaning toward probably, related murders in four days, Beckett's team was feeling pressure to find answers fast. She went to her desk, started her computer, and checked what had come in from CSU; and by the time she had determined that the boys had already made copies, a nervous looking Archer was leaving the elevator, still in uniform, minus her weapon.

"Is anything wrong, Lieutenant Beckett?" she asked quietly when she reached Beckett's desk.

"Nothing at all. We have this case, which will save time if it turns out to be related, because you voiced your observations. You seemed interested in our process in the first view of the crime scene this morning; and just as importantly, you seemed sensible about when and where to talk about it. I thought you might want to observe the beginning steps of the investigation. I know you're off duty, so please don't feel obligated to stay if it's inconvenient."

"I'd love to stay."

"Then here," Beckett said, handing her a legal pad. "You're taking notes. Grab a chair from wherever you can find one. Hey guys, Officer Archer is sitting in for a while. You all met her this morning, right?"

There were varying sounds of welcome as Archer rousted up a chair and set it next to Sully when he patted the edge of his desk in invitation.

Beckett stood between the two murder boards saying, "We need to be sure if these killings are linked. You want to start with what's similar or what's different?"

"Let's be honest," Esposito answered matter-of-factly. "Right now it makes more sense to start with the similarities."

Hearing sounds of agreement from the others, she said, "Then let's get started. Archer, you first."

With everyone chipping in, the list they compiled included:

_ Both victims had similar wounds to the neck and were left to bleed out

_ Both were young women in their twenties

_ Both were killed in their own apartments not far from the front door

_ Both had a similar vase of fresh flowers nearby

_ There was no doorman at either apartment

_ Both had the day off from work the day of the murder

_ No pictures of significant others in the apartment

"Why would that matter, Archer?" Beckett asked after Castle mentioned the last item on the list.

"Um… No boyfriend…or girlfriend. Oh. They're both single."

"Anything else?"

"Other than, fortunately for us, both buildings had cameras, no," Ryan answered, "I think that's about it for now. We need more background on the second victim before we can make any more comparisons."

"Do we need to list the differences?"

"Other than hair color, clothing, and apartment décor?" Castle asked, leaning back in his chair solemnly and crossing one leg over the other.

"Yeah. I know how it looks," Beckett answered. "I just keep hoping we're wrong."

"Well, we better keep working like we're not, just in case," Esposito answered.

"First things to do now?" Beckett urged. The entire team had recognized that the major part of this exercise was for Archer's benefit; but it also put things in proper perspective for them, and no one seemed to mind.

_ Get Moira Austin's paperwork…phone and work and financials

_ Friends, neighbors, co-workers who might know her habits – where she shopped, ate out, had haircuts, bought groceries, clothes, flowers, places she frequented, like gyms, bars, coffee shops…

_ Ask about new friends or boyfriends, personal or family problems, unwanted attention from anybody

_ See if neighbors saw flowers being delivered the day of the murder, or the night before

"Sully, Ryan, Esposito, did one of you get the paperwork done for Moira Austin's records?"

"Yep. All done, We'll get to work on them as soon as we have them," Ryan answered. "And we'll check what we got from the cameras in her building…see if we see anything that correlates with the Penston case.

"Well, when they're here, Sully, you take the financial records and see what you can find…compare them to what we already have for Ruby Penston's case. Ryan and Esposito, check with Archer about the neighbors she and Bisaga saw earlier: and after you look at the phone records, speak to the ones who weren't home. Castle and I will talk to her co-workers before they all go home for the day. We'll probably be here late, but we're all going home by seven. By then there will be things we can't do before tomorrow anyway. "Archer, just leave the notes on my desk."

"Is there anything I can help with while I'm already here?" Archer asked hopefully.

"Shouldn't you be anxious to go home?" Beckett asked with a smile. "You've already put in a full workday plus some."

"But I really want to see how the job works. If I can help without being in the way, I'd like to. You said you're all going home by seven anyway." She paused for a moment and finally said. "Lieutenant Beckett, I want to be a detective someday; and I don't want to pass up the chance to learn."

"Sully, would you mind working with Archer on the financials?"

"Sure, I guess."

"Be honest, though," Archer demanded. "If I'm slowing down something this important, I need you to tell me."

"Deal," Sully answered.

"See you later, then. We'll check back in before we go home."

About six, Castle and Beckett returned with a few bits of information that might or might not turn out to be helpful, but they couldn't do anything with it until morning. Esposito and Ryan were back a few minutes later, having spoken to the neighbors who were at home.

"Fortunately, Moira actually knew her neighbors and talked to them," Ryan reported, and he and Esposito shared the information they had gathered. "People were cooperative. Everybody seemed to like her and couldn't imagine anybody wanting to kill her."

"Anything in the financials that could link the victims?" Castle asked.

Sully reported a couple of things to follow up on the next day. Then he added, "Archer is a quick study."

"What about the phone records?"

"A couple of possibilities. Again, nothing we can follow up tonight."

"Then let's go home," Beckett answered.

"Anybody want to grab some dinner?" Esposito asked. "Maria and Gabe are with her mom again tonight."

"Yeah. It looked like we might be putting in a long one, so I told Jenny not to count on me. I'll go with you."

"Sully? Archer?"

"Sure," Sully answered as Archer simultaneously said, "Me?" sounding surprised.

"You did your whole shift then stayed as long as we did. You gotta eat, Right? We aren't bad company; and with three of us, nobody's going to bother you unless you want them to."

"We'll go another time," Beckett answered. "This afternoon we had to tell some parents that their only child was murdered. We're going home to give ours a lot of big hugs. Castle already invited Alexis and JD."

"We can offer dinner and drinks at The Old Haunt, though…on us," Castle told them. "I'll call ahead for you."

"Thanks, Bro'," Esposito answered.

"I need to get my stuff from my locker. Be right back," Archer said, following Castle and Beckett to the elevator.

As the couple waited for the elevator, Archer stopped and said a little shyly, "Thanks for today, Lieutenant Beckett. I don't know why you did it, but I loved every minute of it."

"It was because, unless you were having an exceptionally good day today, I think you might be doing this job before too much longer. Captain Montgomery did the same thing to give me a chance to prove myself, and it's my job to pass it on. We might start calling on you from time to time."

"Any time you want," the younger woman promised before all but scampering excitedly toward the stairs.

"Told you," Castle said as the elevator doors opened.

"Told me what?"

"That you made her day. Then a big compliment on top of it? That young lady left here on cloud nine."

"She did look a lot like I felt when Roy let me in now and then."

"He taught you well but he also recognized your natural abilities. He told me once he thought you'd outshine him."

"Really?"

"He did."

"I miss him."

"Me, too."

"Did you order dinner yet?"

"I ordered this afternoon and told them to deliver it at seven. Now would probably be a good, time to confirm, huh?" he answered as the elevator doors closed behind them.

"Yeah. Right after we leave the elevator. I'm gonna kiss you first."

"Then the food can wait another minute," Castle answered wolfishly. After an unusually uninterrupted and quite enjoyable elevator ride, he called after they left. Their dinner reached the loft just ahead of them.

Ignoring Jim and Meagan, Castle went for Alexis, and Beckett went for Jamie. Then they traded; and before it was over, JD had been grabbed and hugged within an inch of his life, too.

Alexis looked at JD over Kate's shoulder. "This is the 'I need to hug my kid because this case was bad' hug. Get used to it. I have no doubt that's why we were invited tonight."

"I won't even try to deny it," Castle answered. "We're parents. We don't have to justify anything about loving our children."

"What happened?" JD asked before Alexis could, both of them now having escaped.

"We had to visit the parents of a victim only a few years older than you and tell them that their only child had been murdered."

"They were…" Beckett started, then her eyes glistened with moisture. It was…heart wrenching. And well, we left thinking about our children. It was really tempting to try to see you right then. It nagged at us all day." She took Jamie back from Castle and held him close, kissing his cheek and murmuring, "I love you." several times as she swayed with him.

"Well, now that I know what happened, you two aren't escaping either," Martha told them, wrapping her arms around her son.

Meagan smiled. "You guys are the huggiest bunch I've ever seen."

Then Castle saw the overall picture they had presented and laughed in spite of himself as his mother descended on Kate and Jamie.

"Let's get the food on the table before they go for us again," Alexis told JD as she pulled him with her to the kitchen.

Jim was already following close behind Martha to reach his daughter.

"Quick, grab some plates, Meagan," Alexis called. "They won't attack while you have an armload of dishes." By then they were all laughing, and they ate their dinner in a much better mood.

xxxxx

When they gathered the information they had from Moira Austin's neighbors, early the next morning, Beckett asked the desk sergeant if Archer and Bisaga could be assigned to ask Ruby Penston's neighbors a few more questions. Since the neighbors had spoken to them before, and Archer had a reasonable insight into the case as it stood the night before, the request seemed reasonable. Having received an affirmative answer, Beckett requested, "Have one of them call me."

Ryan and Esposito had gone through the camera footage from the Austin case and had found a florist delivery that seemed to match the flowers in Moira's apartment, There had been a floral delivery in the Penston case, too, but the man was looking down, and the flowers covered the florist's logo on his jacket. At the Austin apartment, however, they had a full face image of the man, and they printed copies.

Eventually, there was a slight lull in activities that gave Castle and Beckett time to recaffeinate. As they stood in the break room making coffee, Castle brought up Jamie's first birthday again. During the beginning of their conversation, the rest of the team appeared at the door, and Esposito said, "We're invited, right? You can't have a first birthday without his aunts and uncles."

Castle and Beckett looked at each other and smiled. He was right. Even though they had discussed having only immediate family, their silent communication was one of agreement.

"Sure," Castle answered. "But you need to be aware that Lanie and Frank will be there, too. If it feels awkward, all of you will have to deal with it."

"Yep. 'Cause I hope you don't think I'm going to incur the wrath of Lanie Parish and not invite her, too," Beckett answered.

"We're all grown-ups, and she and I are happy for each other. We'll manage."

"Okay," Castle answered. "We'll be looking for Gabe, too."

"He'd be disappointed if he didn't get to see Jamie," Esposito said.

Archer and Bisaga reported to the homicide floor about nine-thirty. "We might have something," Archer reported excitedly. "That florist van Ms. Austin's neighbor saw yesterday and only had a description for? That florist Ryan found on his laptop last night at dinner? One of Ms. Penston's neighbors saw the same van the day Ms. Penston was killed, and she remembered the florist's name. It's the same one Ryan found."

"Time to visit a florist," Beckett announced. "You ready Castle? Sully?"

Sully shook his head. "I'll go talk to Ruby Penston's co-workers again. There are things we had no reason to ask the first time we talked to them. I think one woman there knew her pretty well. They should all be at work by now. Anything else from the neighbors, Archer?"

"That was it. I hope it helped."

When they realized Bisaga had disappeared, Castle saw that he was across the room at the murder board, looking everything over carefully.

Castle joined him and asked quietly as he added the florist to their information, "Is this the first time you've seen one of these?"

"Yeah. It's… I mean… It's the first time I've had a reason to be this close. I have an idea of how a detective works, but… I feel like I'm at a disadvantage sometimes. No college classes. Everything I know, I got at the academy, and they have to cram a lot into the time you spend there. You don't always get all the fine points. I'm not stupid, though. I can learn." He didn't seem to be feeling sorry for himself. He seemed to simply be stating facts.

Across the room, Castle heard the sharp, clipped sound of his wife answering her phone, and he immediately tuned in to the fact that it was probably Frank Stokes. Turning to Bisaga, he said, "I'm not here as much as I used to be, but I have four years of experience working with this team, and I know how they do things. If you want to do a little studying outside of work, I have a lot of books I've used for research. We can talk about what you think you need to know, and you can do some reading, maybe a little catching up." He took out his card and said, "Call me if you're interested." He stopped and smiled. "We have an almost one year old. I'm home a lot." Nodding in Beckett's direction, he added, "Sounds like I'm going to be leaving any minute now."

"Castle, we need to see Dr. Stokes on the way to the florist," Beckett called.

Tucking the card in the pocket of his uniform shirt, Bisaga said, "Thanks, Mr. Castle," and Castle waved over his shoulder as he joined his wife.

Franklin Stokes was substantially easier to work with than Perlmutter. Neither Castle nor Beckett any longer felt the need to roll their eyes and sigh deeply when they saw that the crime scene didn't include Lanie. When they entered the morgue that morning, there was no need to expect anything other than a friendly greeting.

"'Morning," Frank called out. "I might have something you can use."

"We'll be glad to get anything helpful," Beckett answered.

Getting right to business, Frank said, "You saw that the wounds on both victims were nearly identical and absolutely lethal; so either the killer got very lucky, or he knew exactly what he was doing. I'm going with the latter. Here's what I found." He held up a glass dish with a tiny piece of metal in it. "It looks like there was a small hook that broke off the end of the blade when it was used on Ms. Austin. I researched a little bit and found this." He took them to his computer, jiggled the mouse, and a florist's knife came up on the screen. "They come in two sizes for different purposes. I'd say this is from the smaller one."

"Something that size could easily be concealed," Beckett noted as she looked at the description on the screen.

"And, as it happens, we were already on the way to a florist shop," Castle added

"That floral shop is looking a lot more interesting now," Beckett responded. "Thank you, Frank."

"I hope it helps," he answered as they left.

On the way to the florist, Beckett said, "So, it looks like the birthday party has grown. We never managed to get to Remy's alone to discuss it."

"Yeah. I'm kind of glad Esposito came in the break room when he did, though. We couldn't have invited Lanie without inviting everybody else, and that 'wrath of Lanie Parish' if we didn't invite her would have been classic. She would never have let us forget it. Is it time to invite Sully, too? He's a good guy. I think he still feels a little on the outside, but he's there every time he's needed."

"Probably. I know him well enough now to trust him in our home…with our family."

"And the captain? I wouldn't mind seeing Ray again."

"It might be awkward for her to come when there's no celebratory reason connected to the precinct. But, if she does come, at least there's nowhere you and her husband and the boys can have a cannonball competition at the loft." After she heard Castle chuckle, she asked, "Want to tell them all to just come and love Jamie and play with him, to save the presents for when he's old enough to know what presents are?"

"Let's do that. He has everything he needs…and more. Good idea, Mrs. Castle."

"He's a lucky kid to have so many people who love him. I have no doubt that, if it came to it, any of them would agree to take him and raise him as if he were their own."

"Like you would have done for Alexis. And I'll never stop loving you for that, by the way. That was when I only had two others in my family. Look what you've done for me. Family fills the loft now, even though we adopted more than half of them…or they adopted us."

"It's hard to tell sometimes, isn't it? It wasn't all me...and it's a two-way street, Mr. Castle. My family has done some growing, too."

"I like it…a lot."

"Me, too."


	96. Chapter 96

Chapter 96

"Daisy's Daisies." Interesting choice for a name," Castle commented as they drove up near the shop.

"It might be cuter if we weren't looking at somebody here as a potential murderer," Beckett answered.

The first person they saw when they entered the showcase area was a woman about Beckett's age, but shorter with red hair and a friendly demeanor. Beckett flashed her badge and stated, "We need to speak to the manager."

"That would be me…owner, manager, accountant, jack-of-all-trades."

Castle quirked a smile and asked, "Daisy?" pointing his thumb toward the name painted on the shop window.

"That's me," she answered. "Daisy Brady." She shook their hands as she said, "Most days I like the store's name, but now and then I wonder what I was thinking. How can I help you?" Then she paused, looking concerned. "Oh. Have I done something wrong?"

"We have some questions before we can decide whether anyone here has done anything wrong," Kate answered. Taking the pictures of the flower arrangements at the two crime scenes from a file she asked, "Do these arrangements look like they might have come from your shop?"

After a quick look, the owner affirmed that they probably did. "That looks like Dennis's work. Dennis Moller. He has a penchant for those roses."

Castle and Beckett glanced at one another briefly, and Daisy asked, "Why do you need to know?"

"These two arrangements were found at the site of two separate murders in the past week," Beckett told her, "and this store's delivery van was seen outside each building about the time of the murders. Is Mr. Moller here today?"

"He isn't here right now. I have a very small staff, and one of them is on maternity leave at the moment; so, for the time being, we're down to Dennis, Ebony Moss, and me. We're all putting in a lot of hours. Do you think Dennis…"

"Tell us about them…personalities, work habits, general temperament…"

"Ebony is a sweetheart. She's been with me full time since she graduated from high school, worked here part time a year before that. Beautiful work, great personality, good sense of humor, thoughtful, good work ethic. Customers love her. She's in the back right now, working on an online order."

"Any family members or boyfriends who might be trouble?"

"No, and I've met her entire family at one time or another. Her fiancé is in the army. He's deployed in Afghanistan right now. You're welcome to talk to her if you want."

"And what about Dennis Moller?" Castle asked.

Daisy took a deep breath and sighed. "Dennis is another story entirely. He's been here several months now. He's creative, a hard worker, his arrangements are beautiful, and he's very efficient. Since Karen has been out, he's scheduled and handled all the deliveries." She paused thoughtfully and finished. "But there's something odd about him, and he's been…I don't know…odder?...for most of the past month. I've questioned having him take care of all the deliveries because he's on the socially inept side. He doesn't relate as well to customers as Ebony does; but I haven't seen anything that looked threatening."

Beckett handed her a printout and said, "We'd like to see if your records show deliveries to these addresses in the past week."

"Not a problem. Follow me. You can talk to Ebony while you're back here."

They followed Daisy to her office and found that there was no record of deliveries being made to either of those addresses on the dates of the murders.

"But witnesses placed your delivery van at both locations."

Daisy shook her head in confusion. "I have no explanation for that," she answered. "Sorry I can't be more help, but there just isn't anything there," she insisted, handing Beckett the schedule. "We'll have to ask Dennis when he gets back."

When they were about to speak to Ebony, Daisy told her to be completely honest, that it was important. Then she introduced Castle and Beckett as being from NYPD. It didn't take more than a couple of minutes of talking to a very open, pleasant, and cooperative Ebony Moss to dispel the impression that she might have been willingly involved in a murder.

When they asked about Dennis Moller, she sighed deeply and asked, "Police business?"

Beckett nodded in assent, and Ebony sighed again before she answered. "Dennis works hard and he's very talented…but he kinda creeps me out now and then. He's never done anything that makes me afraid of him. It's just uncomfortable sometimes. Dennis isn't all that, if you know what I mean; but he sure seems to think he is. I guess he just assumes any woman he's interested in is going to return the interest. He was okay at first; but once he got comfortable with the job, a couple of months ago I guess, he gradually started getting more familiar with the customers. For the last month and a half, any time Daisy wasn't around and a young woman came in, he would work the conversation around to whether she had a boyfriend or a husband. If she did, he would always drop it. If she didn't, she was fair game; and asking customers out was getting more frequent."

"What kind of response did he get?" Castle asked.

"A couple of them actually accepted, and a couple of others let him think they would consider it another time. I never saw any of those women again, and a couple of them were regulars. Some of the others looked as creeped out as I would have. A few weeks ago I called him on it and told him that we'd lost customers over it, but he seemed to have no concept that a woman wouldn't be flattered by his attention. So I told him I'd have to tell Daisy if I saw it again. After that, he seemed to be…umm…antsier…more stressed maybe."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Daisy asked. "I wouldn't have wanted you in that position."

"I know, and I'm sorry. He promised to stop, and I thought he had; but early last week, I caught him twice on the same day. He begged me not to tell you, said he couldn't afford to lose another job. I asked him what the other job was; but he said it didn't matter, that he just really needed this job. I guess I felt sorry for him."

Showing Ebony the pictures of their two victims, Beckett asked, "Do you recognize either of these two women?"

"Oh my god! Those are two of the women I was just talking about." Pointing out Ruby Penston, she said, "This one told him she didn't like being hit on every time she came in and wouldn't be back after that day. The other one wasn't nearly as polite about it. She let him know in no uncertain terms that she had absolutely no interest in him. Both of them said they were going to contact the manager. Dennis was furious, couldn't see that he had done anything wrong. He said a lot of horrible things about both of them after they paid for their purchases and left, especially the second one. That was new. I hadn't heard things like that before."

"Do you recognize these flower arrangements?" Castle asked, and Beckett pulled those pictures out to show Ebony.

"Sorry again, Daisy. Those are the arrangements Dennis made for his new girlfriend. He asked me not to say anything. He wanted to make a good impression on her but couldn't afford it yet. He said he'd pay for them when he got his next pay check. He was going to have me write up two fake deliveries next week to make it look legitimate. He even gave me the addresses. Her home and her job. I thought if the new girlfriend distracted him from the customers, it would be better for business."

"I doubt there was a girlfriend, Ebony. Were these the addresses?" Beckett asked.

"Yeah. Did she complain? Did he do something?"

"These addresses belong to the two women you just identified. They were both murdered in their homes."

"And you think Dennis…"

"We can't be sure, but it's looking like a possibility."

"So, if I'd told somebody…"

"It sounds like Dennis was manipulating everything. Don't blame any of this on yourself," Castle encouraged. "He probably intended for you to think it was for the best."

"So, what do we do now? He should be back any time," Daisy asked.

"Will he be coming through the front door or the back?" Castle asked.

"The front."

"Then we'll call for a squad car to take him in for questioning," Beckett answered. "Let us just browse like customers until we can take him into custody. When he gets back, you and Ebony give us space." When Beckett called the precinct and made the arrangements, she asked Ryan to check into Dennis Moller as well…the jobs he'd had previously, and why he left them.

A few minutes later, Dennis breezed in saying, "All done."

Daisy waved to him, looked at Beckett, and said, "Be right back." Then she joined Ebony in the work room.

As soon as she left, Dennis looked Beckett up and down inappropriately and asked quietly, "Are you married or anything?"

"Yes, she is," Castle caught himself answering for her. "To me." His frame naturally towered over the slightly built five foot eight Dennis, and the younger, smaller man held his hands up in front of him. "No harm intended. Just asking."

Showing him her badge, Beckett said, "Dennis Moller, we're here to take you in for questioning in the murders of Ruby Penston and Moira Austin."

Dennis did not go quietly as Bisaga entered the store just ahead of Archer and efficiently cuffed him so they could get him to the squad car. Archer took his arm on the opposite side to escort him out and help to confine him to the back seat. Then they left for the twelfth, Beckett and Castle close behind.

Once back at the precinct, the officers accompanied Moller to the interrogation room, and Captain Gates invited them to remain long enough to observe the interrogation.

Ryan had found that Moller was a registered nurse, and a visit to the hospital and brief talks within its gossip mill provided the information that Moller's last job was lost because of inappropriate contact with some of his female patients. He said he was just making some of his middle-aged patients feel better. When he tested the waters with the wrong woman and was reported, the others were soon discovered. The other three women admitted that the fondling and more sexual touching was consensual, but he was fired for initiating sexual contact with patients. There were no charges because the hospital didn't want the publicity.

The most important point of his last job was that it meant he would know exactly where to use a knife on the neck so a victim would bleed out quickly, and a brief search of his work station at the florist shop produced the murder weapon. It seemed that three women threatening his new job and two of them scathingly refusing his attentions pushed his already questionable psychological balance over the edge. He said he killed both women because they deserved it, and he seemed to have no regrets.

The entire team was depressed when it was all over. They took Archer and Bisaga with them to the Old Haunt for drinks before they all went home. They were there under the guise of celebrating another case being closed; but, in spite of their best efforts, the gathering had an equal feeling of commiseration.

xxxxx

Jamie's birthday was a joyful counterpoint to the constant menu of murderous activity at work, and Kate and the rest of the team smiled the entire evening. The guests all spent time with Jamie, played with Gabe, and enjoyed each other's company. It did seem like a family; and a couple of times during the evening, Kate and Rick managed a few minutes to stand in each other's arms and watch, savoring the feeling of their diverse, extended family enjoying their time together. Lanie and Esposito seemed to have come to a reasonably comfortable relationship of friends with a past; and Frank and Maria seemed to see that and didn't appear to feel particularly threatened by it…although a complete cure might take a good while longer.

At the end of the evening, Lanie lingered until the rest of the work family was gone, then she pulled a gift bag from the huge purse she had brought with her. Peeking out of it was a soft, cuddly yellow stuffed bear with a friendly smile and eyes that possessed a permanent twinkle.

"I know you said no gifts, but I couldn't let my boy's first birthday pass without one. I saw this bear and couldn't help myself."

Jamie wanted the bear to be everywhere he went for the rest of the night. "I hope that bear is washable. Looks like he's going to need to be," Castle said.

"I made sure of that. No kid gets a teddy bear from Aunt Lanie unless it's washable. The sales clerk said her daughter has one like it and that it washes really well." She sighed contentedly. "Look at your baby, Kate. He's as gorgeous as his daddy, and he's growing so fast. I just love him to pieces."

"Me, too," Kate answered. "Thank you for the bear, Aunt Lanie. It looks like he loves it."

"We should go and let you start settling him down."

"Tonight was fun," Frank told the Castles. "Thanks for including me."

"Glad you could be here," Rick told him.

After everyone had gone, Rick and Kate eventually settled Jamie down enough that he drifted to sleep; and then they snuggled in their own bed. "I can't believe it's already been a year," Kate said as they burrowed under the covers against one another."

"Before we know it, he's going to be in college and we'll be all alone." He looked at her with a teasing smile.

"Bite your tongue," she scolded.

"I'd rather bite yours…gently, of course," he answered with his mischievous little smirk.

"Way too tired tonight, Writer-Man."

"I might be, too. Does that mean we're getting old?"

"Probably means we've been parents for a year. We can test that out tomorrow. Maybe we'll have recovered by then."

"Good plan, Mrs. Writer-Man. I love you."

"Mmmmm… Love you, too."

xxxxx

Bisaga called Castle a couple of days after Jamie's birthday, and Castle called Alexis to see if she would babysit on the day she had no morning classes. He took his laptop, and met Bisaga at one of his favorite coffee shops.

While he waited, he appropriated a table in a corner of the room where they could work. After they picked up their coffee orders, they made small talk for a few minutes, but Bisaga seemed a little ill at ease.

"Anything wrong?" Castle asked.

"I feel like I'm… Like maybe I'm asking too much? I know you take care of your little boy, and you're working on your next book, and you help with cases sometimes, and…"

"Did you ask me for this, or did I offer?"

"You offered."

"Then stop worrying about it. I'll enjoy helping, but my daughter is babysitting, and she has classes at Columbia this afternoon; so I need to be home by noon."

You and Lieutenant Beckett have a daughter old enough to take classes at Columbia? University?" Bisaga sort of squeaked.

She's Beckett's stepdaughter, but you'd think they're actually related. Long story. I was divorced long ago. My ex is in California."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

"No problem. Now let's see if we can decide how to help you out."

"I appreciate this. Archer is from a long line of cops and has decided to follow in their footsteps. Her uncle is a detective, so she has a lot of sources of help…and has a degree in criminal justice. So she went into the academy, and into the job, with a lot more background knowledge than I had. She's sharp, too. She's gonna make something of herself, and deserves it. She's a good friend, and I'm happy for her."

"But sometimes you're jealous?"

He hesitated. "Maybe. I don't want to be, but now and then… Yeah, I guess I am. I grew up with a single mom. My dad left us when I was young enough I can hardly remember him. Mom worked really hard to give us what we needed, and she was so proud when I graduated high school. I figured it would make it a lot easier on her if she had one less mouth to feed, so I rented a room and worked for a while so I could cut down her expenses and give the others a little more room…help out some. Once I had a little bit in the bank to fall back on, I figured I could afford the time it would take to get through the academy. I'm a little older than Archer, but we finished at the academy about the same time, and we've got about the same time in on the job. It's just that while she was finishing high school and going to college, I was working. There was no way I could afford college. Maybe…" He stopped and ran his hands through his hair looking frustrated. "Damn. Why am I telling you all this stuff? I never do that. I didn't intend to dump that on you."

"I've been told I have one of those faces that nonverbally says, 'Talk to me.' Whatever. It stays between us."

"Thanks." Bisaga looked embarrassed.

Castle paused and looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, our childhoods aren't all that different, except that I was the only child. Single mother, aspiring actress, lots of jobs, not much income, feeling on the outside of things sometimes, never knew my father."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but I had a couple of advantages. By the time I was in high school, my mother's career had begun to take off, and she had a few connections. I earned scholarships to several excellent private boarding schools. Her income had improved, but she still couldn't afford that kind of tuition." He paused and smiled. "I got kicked out of a few of them, too."

Bisaga looked surprised, but also amused. "My mother would have killed me."

"Oh, believe me, the thought entered her mind every time. I can still hear it. 'How can anybody who's smart enough to earn those scholarships be stupid enough to get himself kicked out before he finishes using them?'"

Bisaga laughed. "I can kind of hear my mom's voice saying that."

"I'd be in the same place as everybody there and just as smart as they were, but I was still always the scholarship kid. Not enough to spend when everybody around me wanted to do something extravagant. They were all loaded. If five of us got into trouble, I was the only one punished because the other parents had all paid tuition the school couldn't afford to lose, and didn't want to cross them."

"I would never have guessed."

"Well, you can keep that between the two of us, too."

"Deal. I guess that's kind of where I am, now. I'd just like to feel like I can prove myself."

"You want me to talk you through how we put the board together? There isn't that much to it."

"Sure. That'd be great."

Castle opened his laptop and found a page from one of his earlier Nikki Heat books. He explained how it all went together, starting from the timeline and quickly moving on from there; and then he pointed out the difference in working from the perspective of the board at the precinct. "So that's the board," he finished. "No big secret. Everything in a nutshell."

"That's a pretty big nut," the younger man chuckled.

They refreshed their coffee, picked up a couple of pastries, and then tackled the initial look at a crime scene. He pulled up one of the videos from when Beckett was on desk duty while she was pregnant, explaining, "My wife didn't want to miss anything, so she had me record it all."

"That sounds like Lieutenant Beckett," Bisaga said with a smile.

"These videos are why we're sitting in a corner. I don't want to gross people out while they're trying to enjoy their chocolate chip muffins." Castle talked him through what the detectives picked up from their first visit to the scene. Then he pulled up another video and said, "This one is yours. We can rewind any time you want. I'll tell you what we were told when we went in, then you tell me what you see as possibly important and why." When Bisaga had talked through it, Castle showed him a couple of other things he had missed, one in particular that could have made a difference in resolving the case."

They went through several of Castle's saved videos; and each time, Bisaga caught a little more. He was as quick a study as his partner, his instincts were just as good once Castle helped him, and the younger man was excited about his progress.

"I love this," he told Castle. "It's almost like a game."

"I know. Right?" Castle answered enthusiastically. "I mean it's obviously more serious, but putting together the puzzle is a great feeling. And it gives people closure after something horrible happened in their lives. It doesn't get much better than that."

"Why didn't you become a detective?"

"Writing pays better, so I can stay home with my kids if I want to. And speaking of my kids, I need to get home. We can do this again if you want. You know where to find me," Castle said as he closed his computer and put on his coat.

"Thanks, Mr. Castle. Maybe next time we could talk about those books you mentioned?"

The two men shook hands, and Castle promised, "I'll pick out a few that might be helpful." Both of them left with a feeling of accomplishment.

That night, Castle talked to Kate about Bisaga, explained what he had done that morning, and told her what he had learned about the young officer. The books he had chosen were stacked on the corner of his desk anticipating another call from the man before long.

"He doesn't have the same advantages Archer has, Kate, but that doesn't lessen his intelligence or his instincts. Give him the same training and opportunity to prove himself that you give Archer. They already work together, so it should be easy. I don't think you'll be sorry." He paused for a moment. I know what it's like to be young and on the outside looking in. When he talked about the differences in their opportunities, I could almost feel high school again. If he doesn't measure up, so be it. He'll at least know he had a fair chance. But I don't think he's going to disappoint anybody."

"You didn't have to do anything at all, but you did all that for a young guy you don't even know…just to be sure he has a chance to do something better for himself. Have I told you lately what an impressive man you are, Richard Castle?" She kissed him lovingly and said, "They'll both get the same attention. I'll see to it. I promise."

"Have I told you lately what an impressive woman you are, Katherine Castle?" They both smiled, and he kissed her in return.

xxxxx

At the end of shift one afternoon in April, Captain Gates called Beckett to her office. When Beckett entered the room, she was handed a thick envelope of papers marked "Captain's Exam" and Gates said, "You should be there for this." Even though it wasn't phrased that way, it sounded suspiciously like an order.

"Sir, I'm not sure I'm ready for this yet. I like working in the field. Realistically, I know this team can't stay together forever, but we're a solid team, and we've accomplished a lot of good for the city over the years. I don't…"

"Lieutenant, the application is due in May. The test won't be until September. It isn't given every year, so you may not have another opportunity for a good while. Your family is changing, your team's family status is changing, the sergeant's exam is coming up soon, and you know Detectives Ryan and Esposito are both planning on being there. Expanding families need expanding income. Changes could be happening between now and your exam." The look on the captain's face softened. "I know what they mean to you, and I know how much you enjoy being in the thick of the investigations, how good you are at it; but I also see how well you train your subordinates without making them feel like subordinates, how you can pull a team together, how you assume command stature when it's necessary. You'd be an outstanding captain. You understand everything your officers and detectives need in order to be prepared to do their best work, and you aren't afraid to get your hands dirty along with them when they need it. And you know how to discipline without making too many enemies. Options, Kate. Options. If you pass the exam, and I have no doubt that you will, the options will be there waiting for you. You can always choose not to accept them if they're offered; but if you don't take the exam, there will be no options to accept. It's the wise decision to make. Take the packet and talk to your husband."

"Yes, Sir." Beckett answered quietly and accepted the packet. She started for the door but stopped and turned back as she reached it. "Captain, I know you've done the same thing for me that I've tried to do for Archer and Bisaga…the extra responsibilities and advice, and I do appreciate it.

"Chief Dawson is watching you, too. He was solidly impressed when he was here a couple of years ago. He's mentioned an experimental program they intend to launch in four precincts in the fall and has our precinct, your team in particular, in mind to be part of it. Every time I see him, he mentions you. I'm not the only one on your side."

"Like I'm not the only one thinking that Archer and Bisaga should be in line for Detective sometime in the next year?"

Gates simply smiled. "If we don't encourage the people who do the job well and are here for all the right reasons, who's going to be running the place when we aren't here anymore? We're taking care of the future, Lieutenant. There's a lot of self-interest involved in all this, you know."

Beckett huffed a little laugh, smiled back, and nodded. She lifted the packet into Gates's line of vision and said, "Thank you." before she left.


	97. Chapter 97

Chapter 97

When she walked into the loft, Castle met Kate at the door to collect his kiss before Jamie came to meet her calling, "Mama."

She dropped her things on the sofa, scooped her baby boy up in her arms, and planted kisses on his face, all the while telling him how glad she was to see him as Castle watched in contented pride.

"Things are about to change, Rick. I can feel it. Look at what the captain gave me this afternoon. We can talk about it later."

Castle peeked over the back of the sofa to see, and said, "Captain's exam? Are you ready for that now?"

"I don't know. She made some good points."

"Want to tell me about them later?"

"Yeah. But right now I just want to take Jamie to his room and enjoy him for a little while."

Jamie leaned back to look at her. "Toys?" he asked excitedly.

"Toys, Buddy. That's right!" Kate agreed. "Let's go."

"Bear," Jamie insisted, giggling as Kate dangled him upside down low enough to grab his bear from the floor.

"Lanie is impossibly pleased that our boy is so attached to this bear she gave him," she told her husband as she returned her giggling son to a better position to take him upstairs.

"I don't doubt that a bit," he told her, sounding amused. "You and Jamie have fun. I'm close to the end of this chapter. Gonna to see if I can finish it in the peace and quiet that will soon happen downstairs. I'll join you in a little while."

"Take your time. I'll spend some time with Jamie, then either start dinner or order in. Did you say you wanted some editing on your last chapter?"

"Yeah. Something doesn't feel quite right."

"Okay, we can look at it later," she said over her shoulder as she took their baby upstairs.

Giving in to one of his occasional indulgences, Castle went to the bedroom and turned on the baby monitor, leaving it at a very low volume level. He wasn't trying to eavesdrop. He just enjoyed the background noise of a happy wife and child. Then he went back to work with a smile and a plan to finish the trouble he was getting Nikki and Rook into for the chapter's cliffhanger. He'd get them out of that mess and let them have some fun in the next chapter. Now and then he'd hear the sound of blocks falling on themselves, usually followed by laughter from the two occupants of the nursery. Then there was his wife's voice in reading mode and his son's excited interruptions as he pointed out things on the page. He'd stop to smile now and then, but it wasn't slowing him down. It just reflected that the work was being done by a contented man.

By the time she and Jamie came back downstairs, Kate had remembered there were leftovers from the night before that should make a good dinner again. After making a salad and putting what was left from last night's dinner on to heat, she went to check on her writer. Standing in the doorway, she asked, "How's it going?"

"A few more lines, and another chapter is finished."

"And we're free of Gina for another month or so?"

"Yes."

"I'm all for that. So what's going on with Nikki and Rook?"

"You looking for spoilers? They're in deep trouble and won't get out of it until the next chapter."

She smiled. "Dinner can be on the table in about ten minutes. Is that enough time?"

"Should be," he said, not moving his eyes from the screen. "I'm honestly only a few lines from finished. Then I'll leave it alone for a while and look at it again later."

As promised, he was ready for dinner when the oven timer sounded for the bread. They took turns seeing that Jamie didn't make too big a mess in the high chair between them and talked as they had dinner.

"So the captain's exam?" Castle asked.

Kate related her conversation with Gates that afternoon and asked, "What do you think?"

"That she's right," he said with conviction.

"You realize that we wouldn't be working together at all anymore. I'd only be in the field in case of emergencies or difficult situations. And there would be more paper pushing and politics in the background."

"If you decide you want to go for the promotion, the difference in you and the vast majority of the other captains is that you can walk away from it any time you want. We don't need your income. I just want you to be doing what makes you happy. If you want to quit…or demote yourself back to investigative work, it won't affect anything financially for us. You already have more options than most people, and the captain's exam will give you more career options to go with them."

"What do you see as the pros in the argument for captain? I mean, I'd basically be on call twenty-four/seven. I don't think it's generally that bad, though. Gates seems to have a pretty decent life outside the precinct, and so did Roy. But the specter would always be there.

"You said Gates mentioned team building, and command potential showing when it's needed. Kate, you have an ability to walk a line between superior officer and friendship without ruffling too many feathers in the process. That gives you an advantage right out of the gate. That isn't an ability everyone has. Montgomery had that, and he had the respect of the people in his command. They were comfortable around him, knew he cared about them, knew he was proud of them, encouraged them to do their best; but they also knew which lines they couldn't cross and what to expect to happen if they did…and they respected that. You'd be that kind of captain, and you know you respected that he was. It's an opportunity to put that team building ability to work on an entire precinct. You could pull together an entire station house of departments willing to work together, not people who set up their own territories. Gates wouldn't be encouraging her best detective to give up investigations and take on other duties if she didn't see that, too. You know she's been giving you a push in this direction since before you made lieutenant."

"I did thank her before I left…let her know I recognized her efforts and appreciated them."

"So prepare for the test. It never hurts to have options, whether you decide you want them or not." As they both reached for the high chair at the same time, trying to capture the piece of Jamie's dinner that was about to be flung to the floor, Castle smiled. "As for working together, our most important project is sitting right here between us. Just passing the exam doesn't mean there's an opening right away; so meanwhile, I can consult now and then, and be Daddy the rest of the time."

"I do miss you at work."

"And I miss being there, but I wouldn't change a thing," he said, ruffling Jamie's hair.

"Me, either," Kate answered, smiling at the two of them.

After they had the kitchen in order, Castle looked down to where Jamie was playing, said, "Come on, Son. Bath time," and gathered the boy and his bear in his arms.

"I'll do that," Kate insisted. "You go get started on rescuing our two favorite characters from whatever trouble you've caused them."

"But…"

"Go ahead while you have the chance. I can tell you're in the mood to write tonight. You do all this while I do my job. It's my turn." She took Jamie from his arms, and he kissed them both on their heads.

"I do have a really good idea for how to get them out of this."

"I thought so," she answered and gave him a little peck on the lips before taking Jamie up for his bath. When she had Jamie ready for bed, she brought him down and said, "We came to say goodnight."

"You're not considering tucking him in without me, are you?" He took Jamie and tickled his tummy. "Let's go read you another story."

"Book!" His son was bouncing in his arms.

"A calm story," Kate insisted. "Don't get him all stirred up again."

"Come on, Mommy. We'll all sit in the rocking chair and have a calm story and cuddle. We all like that."

"Yeah, we do," she agreed and then chuckled as she followed her two men up the stairs. "One day that poor rocking chair is going to rebel and fall apart."

Later Castle showed her the chapter he wasn't satisfied with. "It's in the middle…right here," he said, pointing it out. I think the sequence of events makes sense, but there's something in the presentation that I'm not happy with."

Kate read it and offered a couple of suggestions, Castle tentatively made those changes. After both of them tried another couple of smaller changes, he was satisfied, and kissing the tip of her nose, told her, "If you decide you don't want to be captain, I'll hire you as my editor."

xxxxx

Beckett submitted her application for the captain's exam a couple of weeks before the due date and let Captain Gates know.

"Good," was the captain's only response, but her demeanor said that she was pleased. She and Beckett had come to understand one another much better in the past couple of years.

xxxxx

The family decided against going to the Hamptons for Memorial Day weekend because Kate was on call. Jamie was old enough that they could play with him in the water more easily, and Castle was looking forward to it. But he wanted Kate there to see their son take his first steps into the ocean waves and play with the floating toys in the pool, so they planned their beach visit for the first full weekend Kate had off. They sat down with a calendar, mapped out the weekends she would normally have off, and planned one of them to include the entire extended family as well as Jordan Shaw and her family and Captain Gates and her husband. That had worked well before, and they were excited about it. After a full year without injury, crisis, or pregnancy to keep her from full duty, Kate didn't even hesitate to ask for a full week off in August to spend with her family…and already had it approved.

As it happened, though, Memorial Day weekend turned out to be memorable anyway. JD had spoken to Castle alone the week before. The extended family had gathered at the loft, and Castle was about to put the steaks on the stove's grill when Alexis and JD came in a few minutes late.

"She said 'Yes,'" JD announced proudly as Alexis held up her left hand and wiggled her fingers to show off her sparkling new ring.

Castle made his way to her as Lanie asked, "Have you thought about when yet?"

"Kind of," Alexis answered hesitantly.

By then Castle was standing close enough to hug his child and look at her ring. What does that mean?" he asked warily.

Sensing some tension, the others went quiet, seeming to want to blend into the woodwork.

"Dad, you and Kate put together sort of a miracle wedding in no time. Do you still know enough guys to do the same thing for us?"

Looking at the two of them he asked quietly, trying not to look as stern as he wanted to. "Are you…"

"No! No! No, Sir," JD exclaimed, "We just want to be married. And we were hoping to do that before school starts in the fall. That's all."

If there had been any doubt as to the question, JD's immediate, and rather panicked answer dispelled it. The tension in the room immediately lifted and there were a number of amused smiles hidden behind hands or turned heads to ease JD's plight. The stiffening posture of all the protective male relatives, of whatever actual status in the family, immediately relaxed.

Alexis explained, "I know that JD and his granddad already feel like family, but I want it to be official. I want Jamie to grow up knowing he has a big brother that belongs to him as well as a big sister. And, Dad, we just want to be married…like you and Kate did."

Castle couldn't very well argue with that; so he hugged his child and said, "Then I'll call Bradford tomorrow, and you can decide what you want. He'll be relieved we're giving him more than a month this time."

"Thanks, Dad."

Then he pulled JD into a hug, too.

Kate had let Castle have his time with his daughter, but she was close by and wrapped her stepchild in her arms as soon as Castle let her go.

Castle turned to the rest of the crowd and said, "Well, now we have even more to celebrating to do. Let's get those steaks cooking."

The general hugginess that Meagan had pointed out recently went on for a while amid the congratulations, and Meagan shamelessly joined in all of it.

xxxxx

Kate was busy for the next two weeks. There was a case that had come to a standstill and another one that came in after that. The second one was much easier to close. There were a lot of signs from the beginning leading them in the right direction, but when Kate had Castle look at the video of the crime scene and he recognized a symbol that most people wouldn't have identified as important, everything started falling into place. Castle hadn't seen anything more than the rest of the team did in the other case, though. Just before Kate was leaving, looking forward to her weekend with the family, they got a call with a lead on the case that had them stumped for so long. All three of the other team members told her to go and not to worry about it.

Alexis and JD went with to the Hamptons with them, and the trip to the beach was entertaining for all of them. With four adults and one Jamie, they were able to take turns, and all of them had time to relax. Jamie loved the water…after he'd had time to figure out its charms. It was cold when a wave first washed across his feet, and it surprised him. He was skittish after that, but Castle and Kate took turns standing with him on the dry sand watching as the other one obviously enjoyed standing or splashing in the shallow waves. Jamie was eventually enticed to try again, holding Kate's hand and cautiously approaching the shallow little waves as Castle committed the whole scene to video. Before long, Jamie was laughing and splashing and stomping in the water while Kate took over the camera. After his nap, Jamie with the pool toys was just as much fun to watch. Alexis and JD insisted on providing the introduction to the pool, and the parents watched, commented, laughed, and recorded.

That night, Alexis and JD watched a movie and offered Rick and Kate time to walk on the beach without worrying about their son.

As they walked, holding hands, Kate turned to her husband and said, "Thank you."

"For what?" he asked.

"For making sure I was here to see Jamie today. I wouldn't have wanted to miss that for the world. It's a memory I'll never forget."

"I have videos on my phone. We'll save them so we can embarrass him when he's a teenager," Rick answered.

"Don't downplay this, Rick. You believed in us before I did. You gave me a second chance to prove myself, to have what we do now. And you're still making sure we have the moments together that I didn't even know I needed."

"Kate, I spent Alexis's whole life seeing those moments only with her. I absolutely reveled in them, but I had nobody to share them with. I couldn't understand how Meredith didn't see that they were important enough to remember, or to care if she missed them. Any time I know one is about to happen and can include you, I do. Things like today can wait until the right time. I don't want to miss a single second of the two of us seeing them together. It's for me as well as for you…and for Jamie. I want us both to be able to tell him about them when he's older. He should know he was that important to both his parents. I wish Alexis could have had that before she was in high school."

"She may not have had both of you, but she knows that her father did, does, and will always love her…and tell embarrassing stories about her as long as he lives. She knows you gave her everything you could."

"You've been good for both of us. Alexis knows she always has a woman in her life to turn to, And I never feel alone anymore. Even if you're not physically with me, I know without a doubt that you're out there somewhere, wanting to come home to our family. So, thank you, too."

They migrated toward each other without conscious thought, Castle's arm draping over her shoulders, Kate's around his waist. "It's muggy out here. This could get hot and sweaty, you know," Rick said with a little smirk in her direction.

"Don't care," she said, teasingly bumping his shoulder with her head. "We'll just have to depend on the ocean breeze to make it bearable…and look forward to one of those really memorable showers when we get back to the house."

Rick grinned. "Already looking forward to that."

When they got back, they thanked the younger couple and told them they were relieved of Jamie duty. Then they enjoyed their much anticipated shower and went to bed, falling asleep to the sound of the ocean.

The following day, before Kate had to return to the city, all the adults looked at the calendar during Jamie's afternoon nap. They decided the wedding should be during the time in August that Kate already had scheduled for vacation. And they all looked deflated at the mention of Meredith showing up, knowing she would try to take center stage. Not a lot was said. The sentiment just seemed to be understood.

"I guess I have to tell her sometime soon," Alexis sighed. "But I'd rather have Kate be mother of the bride."

"I appreciate the thought, but you have a mother who's going to want to be here," Kate answered.

"Then will you be my matron-of-honor? You're important."

"I'll be whatever you want me to be…other than mother of the bride," Kate assured her.

Castle just watched. He had someone to share this with, too…the excitement, the sense of loss of his daughter, the sense of gain in the gift of a young man he already respected and thought of as another son. And he knew Kate understood how all of it affected him, and how Meredith affected his daughter. He knew she hated that Meredith took her wonderful child for granted, but Kate still respected the boundaries of motherhood.

He caught JD watching him as he watched Kate accept Alexis's request and told him softly, "Just love my daughter this much. That's all I ask."

"That's hard to match, Mr. Castle," he answered just as quietly. "We know it takes time, but it's where both of us want to be. It's where we're headed."

"You're a good man, Mr. Farnsworth. I trust you with my daughter," Castle answered, glancing over at him.

"I think your dad and JD are having a moment," Kate whispered surreptitiously to Alexis.

"I'm glad they can do that," Alexis whispered back and smiled. Then she said, loud enough to clearly understand, "Okay, we have a wedding date. Can we have the wedding here?"

A few cursory plans were made, and Alexis agreed to call her mother that night. Then she stood, motioned for Kate to follow her, and walked to the kitchen, where they sat down at the table near the back door. "I didn't want JD to hear because he's seen your wedding pictures, and I don't want him to know what I'm wearing. You know I loved your mother's wedding dress, right?" Kate nodded, then Alexis rushed into the next thing she wanted to say. "I'm not asking to wear it. I'm shorter, and I don't want to ask to cut it or damage it in any way. I mean you and dad might have a girl as tall as you, and I wouldn't want to ruin it for my sister, or you might want to renew your vows, or…"

"You've thought about this a lot, haven't you?"

"I really love that dress. Would you mind if I find somebody to copy it for me?" She paused to take a breath and then plowed into her next sentence. "I mean, if I copied it, I could pass it along to my daughter, if I have one. And if you and dad have a girl, you could pass yours along from your mother. And just for the record, I'd love to have a sister."

"Wow. You really have thought about this a lot."

"I guess I have. But just since JD proposed. I look at the ring and think about the dress."

"Honey, there's no way to know if either of us will have a daughter or that she'd love the dress the way we do. I'd be happy for you to wear that dress…to have it altered for you or to have it copied. I'll bet your grandmother knows exactly where to find someone who could do either. Your mother might be disappointed that she doesn't get to help you pick out a dress, though."

"But I want to wear that dress. Maybe she can help me pick out a veil…and the attendant's dresses."

"Oh, well I'm definitely crashing that party, then. The two of you do not get to pick out an ugly matron-of-honor dress for me," Kate teased.

"Well, bummer!" Alexis answered mischievously. "So much for my plan to make myself look better." Both women laughed.

"What's so funny in there?" Castle called.

"Bridesmaid's dresses," Alexis called back.

"Not touching that subject," he answered.

Later, they packed the SUV while Jamie finished his nap, stopped for an early dinner on the way home, and were back in the city that night.

xxxxx

When she was back, the boys informed Beckett that she hadn't missed anything. The information on their unsolved case looked good, but it turned out that nothing could be done to gather most of it until the man they needed to contact was back in town on Monday. His wife said he and his friends were fishing at a lake upstate out of cell phone range. "I'm sure that's why they go there," she told them. They saw him Monday morning, and his information was the link that pulled everything together to allow them to close the case within a couple of days.

It was unbearably hot in New York City for a few weeks, and by the time the July beach party weekend rolled around, everybody was ready to go. It wasn't obvious that the Captain would be there because she wasn't there most weekends anyway, but Beckett's entire team had the weekend off. When asked, Esposito simply said they were going to Castle's place at the beach. Sully was included this time and peppered them with questions as he rode to the Hamptons with Ryan and Jenny.

"The first time we had this crowd together here, it was right after Bracken and Simmons were taken down. It was a celebration. The captain had been the go between for the FBI to work with the information Castle and Beckett had put together and coordinate it with what they already had. Jordan Shaw, the FBI agent in charge, will be there with her family, too. And we've added Frank Stokes since he and Lanie are together now, and Maria and Gabe with Esposito. The captain doesn't usually socialize with us outside the precinct, but we worked closely enough on that investigation that she came to help celebrate…and she and her husband will be there this weekend. We just don't talk about it at work. And Castle's place is amazing. You'll see. We're almost there."

The gathering was as successful as before; but this time, it was without the overshadowing weight of near tragedy and the stress of taking down Bracken and Simmons. The mood was lighter, and the place was a little more crowded, The adults adopted the "It takes a village to raise a child" approach and took turns watching children. Castle and Ray Gates, without needing much encouragement from the children who had been there before, organized a second cannonball contest.

Kate stood with Gates, both of them shaking their heads. "Do you think they'll ever grow up," Gates asked.

Kate grinned as she watched most of the men and a couple of the older children line up for their chances to raise the biggest splash. "Do we really want them too?" she asked.

Gates looked at her and smiled. "Probably not," she agreed.

Kate had Jamie in her arms, and he seemed fascinated by all the activity. As each contestant took a turn, he smiled, building up to laughter as the splashes got bigger. By the time it was down to four finalists, he was belly laughing at each effort. Castle and Ray Gates were good-naturedly trash talking one another as the final two again, and when Castle outdid himself and was the obvious winner, Jamie turned, clapped his hands against Kate's face, and said, "Daddy sp'ash!" flinging his arms out and laughing.

"Yeah, Baby. Daddy splashed big," Kate said, laughing with him. Turning to Gates, she said, "He learned that word when we were here a few weeks ago. Once he decided the water was okay, he did some sp'ashing of his own. I can see my two men out here cannonballing together in another couple of years."

"Well, if they don't want company, don't let Ray know," Gates answered, smiling.

Again the group gathered mid-morning the next day for brunch and a calmer gathering before they all gradually drifted away during the afternoon and headed back to life in the city…without ocean breezes to ease the heat.

xxxxx

On the way home, Castle reminded Alexis that Bradford would be meeting with them on Tuesday.

"It's our wedding, Dad. You don't really think we might forget, do you? I saw what Bradford did in only a month for you and Kate. We can't wait to talk to him."

Castle took a deep breath and launched into a sentence they all thought might last for the remainder of the ride home. "No matter how long I've known it was going to happen or how much I trust JD, I'm still adjusting to the idea that my baby girl, who should still be only about ten and waiting for me to braid her hair for soccer practice, by the way…but who it seems is now twenty years old, and how did I miss so much of that happening, and thinks she should be married _right now_ , and furthermore actually seems to know what she's doing, is about to start planning her wedding." He stopped long enough to catch his breath and finished with, "I'm the father of a daughter. Be patient."

There was a brief moment of silence from the others before they all started to laugh. Castle was watching the road, but from the low rumble of the laughter, he could tell that JD was the first to succumb.

"Young man," he said as if delivering a curse, "I hope your first child is a girl."


	98. Chapter 98

Chapter 98

"Thanks for the hand holding on the way home," Castle said softly when they were back at the loft. Right after they arrived, they had managed to slip their sleeping baby boy into bed without waking him, and they were in the kitchen having a small glass of wine before they also retired for the night. "You laughed at my little outburst about daughters, but the hand holding told me you understood."

"It _was_ kind of funny, but I know you, and I could see that it was getting to you. Did it suddenly get real when we started talking about actual plans?"

"Yeah. You do know me."

Kate took her husband's glass and put it down on the counter along with hers. "Come here," she said, putting her arms around his neck and pulling his head to her shoulder as she kissed the side of his neck.

Nuzzling his face against the curve between her neck and shoulders and wrapping his arms around her waist, he gratefully absorbed all the love he could feel in her embrace. "I have to give her up. She's going to be his now."

"You're not giving her up."

"Do you consider yourself your father's now, or do you consider yourself mine?"

She delivered a lingering kiss to his cheek and answered, "Point made. I'm yours, but that doesn't mean I don't still feel like Dad's."

"It won't be the same."

She took his face in her hands and kissed him slowly then looked into his eyes. "No. But at least in this case you're actually gaining a son. Honestly, can you imagine JD ever trying to keep Alexis away from you?"

"No," he admitted grudgingly, and went back to his nice, warm comfortable place nuzzling her neck.

"You're pouting over there, aren't you?" she asked with an amused sound of accusation.

"No." He hugged her a little tighter.

"Liar."

As she kissed the edge of his jaw, he could feel her smile.

"Are you finding humor in my suffering?" he asked.

"Maybe a little, Drama King."

"Well, at least you got the gender right this time."

"You know you already love JD. He has a father; but to him, you're what I am to Alexis. And you know you already care about him the way I care about your daughter." Planting another gentle kiss on his neck, she continued. "Think about our family for a minute…the parental relationship baggage and the loss or betrayals or both that most of us have had in our lives. Don't you think it's a little bit of a miracle that all these leftover pieces of families who need each other managed to find our way to your door? I think JD and Alexis belong together…like we do. We're all part of a big family patchwork, and you're the stitching that holds it together. You and that big old heart of yours."

He made sure she could feel his own little smile against her neck. "I'm really glad I married you."

"Me, too. Have you recovered enough that we can snuggle each other to sleep now?"

"Probably," he answered as he planted quick little nibbling kisses on her neck.

She chuckled and promised, "I'll wash those wine glasses in the morning. C'mon." And she pulled away to take his hand and lead him to their room.

When they were in bed, Castle spooned behind her and said, "'Night, Love."

She lifted his hand to her lips, kissed it, and said mischievously, "I love you, Drama King," Then she giggled when he pinched her backside before they settled quietly for the night.

xxxxx

Alexis and JD met with Bradford as planned. They showed him pictures of the beach house from different perspectives, and he asked a lot of questions to give him an idea of their tastes. When he seemed to be closing the session, they thanked him for being willing to take on another quickly planned wedding.

"Nonsense," Bradford answered. "We have the luxury of time for this one…a month and a half instead of just a month." He promised to meet them again the following Tuesday with some sketches and samples to consider.

"It's beginning to feel real," Alexis told JD when the door closed behind Bradford. Dad and Kate's wedding was beautiful, but for a month they were constantly making decisions. It was more like a multiple choice test, though. Bradford brought things, and they had to pick one."

"I thought weddings were supposed to take forever to plan."

Apparently money can buy the speed that comes from Bradford's good taste, organizational skills and patience. He's amazing. Prepare to be impressed."

"Then bless Bradford. All I want is to be married to you. And it's beginning to feel like it's going to happen." JD put his arms around Alexis and gave her a soft, slow kiss.

Castle had intentionally kept Jamie in the study with him while the young couple talked to Bradford. They had met with the event planner at the loft in case they wanted Castle's opinion on something; but he had already given his daughter carte blanche, knowing she was much more sensible about such things than his mother. He really didn't much care what Meredith thought. That argument would be between Meredith and Alexis…daughter's orders.

When he heard the door close, signaling Bradford's departure, he picked Jamie up and went into the living room, and Jamie immediately said "Tiss", rather loudly. As they saw Alexis and JD separate at the sound, Castle commented, "Gotta love little brothers," as he walked toward them.

"Yeah. You're a little mood breaker. That's what you are," JD said, playfully poking Jamie's tummy several times. But the way he said it would undoubtedly have come across to Jamie as, "You're the cutest thing I've ever seen."

His almost little brother laughed and reached for him; and JD took him from Castle, gave him a hug, and wandered around talking to him.

Alexis smiled at her brother and her fiancé and asked Castle, "What is it with those sounds?" He can say 'guck' with a 'k' and 'Daddy' with a 'd', but we still get 'tiss' and 'guck'?"

"Your mother and I have decided not to worry about it. He can make the sounds, so they'll eventually find their way to the right places." Knowing there had been more mention of Meredith lately, he paused and awkwardly said, "I meant Kate."

"I knew that, Dad. My friends have started referring to Kate as my mom, even though they know better, and I don't correct them. Meredith is my mom, and she may not have been your best choice, but you get a gold medal for Kate."

"Yeah, I do," he answered, drifting wistfully for a brief moment. "So how did it go with Bradford?"

"He'll be back next Tuesday with things for us to look at. I think the decision making is about to begin."

Turning to his future son-in-law, he said, "Don't worry, JD. He makes it pretty painless. You'll never know the true extent of the complications and strain of planning a wedding that's mostly meant to impress the guests. You're a lucky man."

Gina wanted a spectacular social event," Alexis explained. "I was only eleven, and even I knew it was a nightmare. It really did go on for months, and she was always changing her mind and complaining about everything. Bradford is very efficient. He doesn't promise anything he can't deliver, and if something goes wrong, you don't hear about it until after he's already arranged to correct it."

"That sounds like my kind of planning," JD answered.

"We were going to that little sub place on the next block for lunch. Do you want to go with us?" Alexis asked her father."

"Sure. Let me take Jamie and clean him up a little bit first." He took his son upstairs and brought him back down in clothes lacking the small spots left from his breakfast. "I might take him to the park for the swings on the way home."

After Alexis took her brother to put him in the stroller and Castle swung a backpack of baby supplies over one shoulder, they left looking forward to some of the best subs in the city.

xxxxx

Later the following week, Castle met Bisaga at the coffee shop. They worked more with the videos he had saved from Kate's maternity leave and one she had sent him recently. He gave Bisaga some of the facts from another case, took out a legal pad, and had him construct a murder board. Then he handed him the books he had chosen, one of them on forensics. "I took some classes and read several books for research. I want my books to be as convincing as possible." Handing him one of the books, he said, "This should help you understand what the MEs are talking about…how time of death is determined, what the marks on the body can tell you… It's a goldmine of information. Why don't you start with that one?" He handed him the other two books, and the younger man looked like he could hardly wait to start reading.

"This is great. And Lieutenant Beckett has been asking for Archer and me more often. I can tell she's training both of us, and I think she's satisfied so far."

"She is. I get reports now and then."

"I'm gonna go home and start reading."

"Next stop is impressing the ME."

"I'll do my best." Bisaga answered with a grin.

Castle gave the younger man's shoulder a light brotherly slap then closed his laptop as Bisaga made his way to the door with the books.

xxxxx

Beckett and Sully were looking at a group of witness reports involving two suspects. In the midst of trying to make sense of the varying versions of what happened at the theater where their most recent victim was murdered, Gates asked to see her.

"If I find anything, you'll be the first to know," Sully promised, looking frustrated.

"No. Take a coffee break or something until I get back. We've been at this too long."

Sully blew out a long, slow breath and pushed away from his desk. "I think I will. Want me to bring some for you?"

"Thanks, but I don't know how long I'll be. I'll get it myself later." She walked into the captain's office, and Gates asked her to close the door.

"Is something wrong?"

"Not wrong, but you may not like it. Remember the experimental program Chief Dawson mentioned to me earlier?" Kate nodded, and the captain continued. "He called several of us in for a meeting yesterday morning to tell us that the program they planned to implement in four precincts has been finalized. They plan to exchange two teams of four from each of those precincts to a different precinct for four months, from September through December, to see if it affects closure rates or general operations. Their decision is to involve teams from homicide and robbery. Your team and Demming's team will go to another precinct, and teams from that one will come here. The same will happen with two other precincts. The idea is basically to embed teams with high closure rates in the precincts where closure rates are low…to provide an example and training is the way we all interpreted it. This will be done with no recourse for choice. If your team is called, you go."

"So our reward for doing our jobs well will be to be thrown into the class with all the slackers, who will undoubtedly hate us on sight because we're obviously the teacher's pet. Sounds like a fun four months," Beckett answered sarcastically, finger pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Two of the…um…lower performing teams will be assigned to the twelfth, if that gives you any satisfaction. They're not likely to be any happier than you are, and I imagine we'll have some rough days before they settle in, too. But once they're here, they _will_ work. The other thing about this arrangement is that you might be able to use your abilities to influence at least the younger staff at the other precinct before they become too jaded to remember why they signed on."

Gates paused and took a different approach. " I expect every member of your team will eventually command a precinct if they want that, and this is a good opportunity to see how another captain operates. You don't know where your first command will be…whether you'll follow a captain who ran a successful precinct or whether you'll have to build it back up from years of neglect or ineffective leadership. You'll all have a firsthand look at the importance of the person in command. So all of you can look at it as a good training opportunity."

"I may have some work to do to convince them of that."

"Try to take this as a compliment from the brass and adjust to the idea. I'll give you details as soon as I have them, and there will undoubtedly be some sort of orientation before any changes are made. And, needless to say, since this hasn't been made public, when you mention it to those who need to know, it should be done with that caveat."

"Yes, Sir. Thanks for the heads up."

Beckett came back to her desk looking like an approaching thunder cloud. She snatched her empty coffee cup from her desk and all but stomped to the break room for coffee.

When she returned, still scowling, Sully asked, "What happened in there?" looking concerned.

"Ryan and Esposito will be back any time now. I'll tell all of you at once. Let's see if we can get a little more done with this mess before then."

After the boys had returned and explanations about September's changes were made, Beckett went into the hallway and called home to ask if Castle and Jamie could meet her for lunch at Remy's.

"What's wrong? Is everybody okay?" Castle asked.

"We're all fine. And nothing is wrong, not really. It's more of those changes I felt coming. It would just help my emotional health if I could have lunch with my two men."

"Then your two men will meet you at Remy's in an hour. We'll have your burger and shake waiting."

"Thanks, Castle. Love you. I'll see you there."

When he saw Beckett close the call and turn back toward them, Sully called out, "I think I may have found something."

She looked and said, "I'm meeting Castle for lunch. Maybe he'd take a look, too. There's a lot here. But yeah. I think you found something. Let's get some background on this witness."

At Remy's, after Kate quietly told Castle about the plans for September, they had an enjoyable lunch with their son.

Ruby slowed down to talk to Jamie almost every time she passed them, and Jamie's natural happy exuberance obviously delighted her. "You two have to have another one. You make the prettiest, sweetest babies," the waitress cooed, making faces at their son to make him smile as she made another sweep past toward the cook.

"I think she likes him," Castle told his wife.

He had already agreed to go back to the precinct with her, and the men on the team welcomed Castle when the couple arrived. Then they settled in the conference room where they could spread out the reports; and Ryan brought the print outs of background information for all the witnesses, something they had decided that morning they would probably need.

Jamie was sleepy; and Beckett held him, rubbing his back and speaking softly as he fell asleep cuddled with his head on her shoulder while they went over the papers she had already practically memorized and the background reports. When Castle paused on one of the background reports, they all stopped to look; then a couple of them remembered other things they had seen, and ideas started flowing back and forth.

"Like old times, Castle," Ryan said.

"Yeah. I enjoyed helping," Castle answered, watching his wife and son. "But right now, I'm okay being a daddy."

Simultaneously, Sully smiled, Ryan said, "I hope I have a chance to do that before long.", and Esposito said, "Sap!" But Esposito said it with a smile because he knew he'd been caught more than once encouraging Jamie to "Come to tio Javi", and he was becoming more of a dad to Gabe every day.

"Looks like you've made a breakthrough now, so hand over the boy, Kate. I'll take him home and tuck him in," Castle told her. He swung the 'Jamie backpack' over one shoulder, and the other men watched the well-practiced baby exchange from one Castle to the other. Kate pressed a soft kiss to Jamie's head, and he snuggled in against his father before Castle left.

xxxxx

Alexis met Martha at the loft, and they took Kate's dress with them, the garment bag carried carefully over Alexis's arms. As they got in the cab that would take them to the seamstress, Alexis asked, "Grams, are you sure this friend of yours can do Kate's dress justice?"

"Absolutely. I didn't tell you about her because I didn't want you to get your hopes up if she didn't have time. She started working with costumes about the same time I started acting, and she was good even then. We had babies about the same time...and under similar conditions, and we traded babysitting when your dad was little. Our career successes ran parallel, too. When I was making some inroads but not as much money as I needed to dress myself for necessary events, we'd shop for fabric where she knew I could afford it, and she'd see that I looked spectacular. I returned her favors any way I could. Once she had really hit her stride and was in demand, she was asked to make the costumes for a movie, a period drama; but they wanted everything to be absolutely authentic, right down to the very uncomfortable looking underwear. It was a Victorian drama, so there were dresses and menswear that she could still find to see how it was constructed; and she loved it, took classes, went to museums, and so on. Now she's one of the go to people when authentic copies are needed, and she's very well respected in that field. If anybody can copy that dress to perfection, it's Gwen Tyler. When I called her, she said less than two months was cutting it close for her schedule, but she wouldn't consider not doing it."

"So it sounds like I'm in good hands…and so is Kate's dress?"

"Absolutely."

When they reached the studio, a small, energetic, gray haired woman about Martha's age came rushing toward them and wrapped Martha in a hug. "Martha! It's been too long."

Martha hugged her back and said, "Yes, it has. Gwen, I'd like you to meet my beautiful granddaughter, Alexis. Alexis, this is Gwen Tyler."

"Oh, my. I met you when you were in pre-school, and you were adorable; but look at you. You're all grown up and just lovely. And oh, that gorgeous red hair. You're going to be a beautiful bride."

"Thank you," Alexis answered with a little blush at the effusive compliments.

"Well, come with me. Let's see this dress I've heard so much about." Gwen took the garment bag from Alexis, who seemed reluctant to give it up, and placed it on a long table in her work area. "You seem very protective of this dress. It must be special."

Alexis relaxed a little then. "I've tried it on, and I liked the way it looked, but everything is at least a little bit too long." Then she explained that it belonged to her stepmother's mother, and explained to Gwen the same thoughts about the dress and its line of descent that she had given Kate.

Gwen looked at Martha and said, "Beautiful inside and out, isn't she?"

"That she is, Gwen. Kate gave her blessings for Alexis to have it altered, but she won't do it."

When Gwen carefully unzipped the bag, there was a quiet "Oh" of admiration. "It's a wonderful dress…and in beautiful condition, and the fabric… I'll find just the right fabric so it even feels the same when you wear it. And I promise you, I'll be careful. Kate will get her dress back in the same perfect condition as you brought it. Now let's get your measurements so I can make you a stunning wedding dress."

xxxxx

When Kate got home that night, she was exhausted, but between Castle, and her team, they had enough information to take the investigation in a productive direction.

After their customary greetings and time with their son, they talked as they prepared dinner.

"So in September you'll be working in another precinct for a while. You gave me the basics at lunch. What are the details, and why does it worry you?" Castle asked.

She sighed as she slid the chicken into the oven and closed the door. "I don't know, Rick. Worry isn't exactly the right word. I know I can do my job there, too, and the boys will be with me at least that long…probably until sometime the middle or end of next year. And there aren't that many openings for captains; so, even if I pass the exam…"

"And everybody knows you will."

"Whatever. It could still be a good while before I have my own command. It only adds me to the list."

"I seem to remember that Gates told you Chief Dawson has been impressed with you. Couldn't that influence your placement? Assignments are at the discretion of the chief and the commission, aren't they? The list of candidates will always be longer than the list of openings. What's your real concern?"

"The boys have more chances at openings for sergeants. That would mean they're likely to be moved to other precincts. Our team has an outstanding closure record, so I can't imagine a precinct that wouldn't be glad to have either of them. I'm already working without _you_ most of the time, and I guess I feel like even my new normal flow of things is about to slip away. And aside from that, I'll be spending four months of whatever time we have left together without the other people at the twelfth. They've been my work family for years." She sighed and stepped into his waiting arms. "Life isn't meant to be stagnant. I know that. I just feel like my normal is gradually moving on…and before long I'll have to step out into the unknown. It's kind of scary."

"And Alexis is getting married. Normal around here is slipping away, too…at least in my mind."

"I know that's scary for you, too, but I'm happy for them…for the boys, too. I know they'll do well. We can still manage to hold on to all of them, though, right? We might not see them quite as often, but we won't lose touch with any of them?"

"No, we won't. We'll make that a priority."

"I want Jamie to grow up surrounded by that many good people."

They stood watching their son as he played on the floor, zeroing in on his baby priorities with his toys and explorations; and Castle agreed, "So do I."


	99. Chapter 99

Chapter 99

Alexis was living in the loft again for the summer. When JD proposed and they realized they could have their wedding before classes started in the fall, they both decided to forgo summer school classes. They intended to concentrate on their wedding.

During his second visit, Bradford asked Alexis about her dress. He was told she was having it made, and then she spirited him away to the study to keep any other information about it from JD. Bradford was thrilled that the decision was already made and asked her to let him know who would be doing the work and to provide him a contact number. When she gave him Gwen's name and contact information, he was obviously impressed.

"I don't know how you managed to get her to squeeze you into her schedule on this kind of short notice, but I can guarantee you it will be as perfect as the original."

"She and Grams are old friends," Alexis explained.

"Lucky you," he answered with a smile. Then they went back to JD, and Bradford pulled out his sketches for the beach house venue, any of which would be beautiful. That chosen, he opened a portfolio of samples.

Over the next couple of weeks, the wedding took over the family at times. Bradford became a more frequent guest, a couple of times being talked into staying for dinner. Alexis was so excited that she couldn't resist asking for advice when someone else was at home or telling them all about what Bradford had brought that morning. Then Martha took her for the first fitting for her dress, and she was amazed.

"It feels exactly the same as Kate's dress. See, Grams?"

Martha lifted the fabric of the skirt and smiled. "Where did you find it, Gwen? I knew if anyone would know how to find it, it would be you."

"The label in the dress gave me a clue. It was made in France, and I had a consultation meeting in Paris last week; so I took it with me. Don't worry, Alexis; it rarely left my sight. I visited the house that made it and asked about the fabric, and they still use it. The company that made that fabric is still making it, and I bought yards and yards of it in several different colors. It has such a nice hand. I have no idea what I'll do with it, but I couldn't leave it behind."

Martha laughed. "That's the Gwen I remember. Fabric hoarder par excellence. I'm sure whatever it becomes will be breathtaking."

"Kate looked so beautiful when she wore this dress. Do you think it looks as good on me, Grams?"

"It does, Darling, and it isn't even quite finished yet.

"Show her Kate's picture. I know it's in your phone."

Gwen made a couple of very minor adjustments and then looked at the pictures while Alexis changed clothes. "Richard grew up well, didn't he…such a handsome man. And he's found the right woman this time, hasn't he?" She paused and sighed. "They look so much in love. You must be so happy for him, Martha, especially after that first wife. You said the dress was Kate's mother's? Where is her mother?" she asked as Martha scrolled to a family picture. "She must have been thrilled to see her daughter wear it." When Martha gave a brief explanation, Gwen answered, "No wonder Alexis was so protective of that dress."

One of Gwen's assistants helped Alexis out of the dress, and when she returned dressed to leave, she asked Gwen, "Did she see the pictures?"

"I did. Kate is absolutely stunning, and she wore the dress well; but you will, too, Dear. That dress…the soft, flowing look of it…it suits both of you perfectly. You made a good choice, so stop worrying about it. I'll have it ready in plenty of time. Next fitting on Wednesday morning next week?"

Alexis hugged Gwen, surprising her, and Gwen hugged her back. "Thank you so much for this. It means a lot to me."

"Martha explained a little bit. I understand. And you're more than welcome."

xxxxx

When Beckett entered the bullpen the next morning, Ryan asked, "How goes the wedding planning? Better you than me."

"Lots of redheaded excitement around our house."

"Is that Alexis, or Ms. R., or Meredith?" Esposito asked with a grin. "Or all three?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "The first two at the moment. Meredith is flying in this afternoon. Alexis and Martha and I have already chosen my dress for the wedding so Meredith doesn't have a chance to sabotage me with something hideous. She and Alexis are shopping tomorrow…probably looking for something for herself, too…on Castle's credit card if Alexis lets her get away with it."

The men laughed as Beckett sat down and fired up her computer.

"Doesn't seem like Little Castle should be old enough to get married."

"She and JD are both older than their years, and I think they know what they're doing. Castle does, too, but he's having a hard time with it…knowing she won't be just his anymore."

Ryan and Esposito nodded.

"So, do we have anything new?" she asked

"Nope. Paperwork on the last one is done, and it's been a quiet morning so far."

"I think I can deal with a quiet morning after the struggle we had last week," she answered.

"And before struggling with Meredith?" Ryan teased.

"You do remember I have a gun?" she asked dryly.

"Got it," he snickered in return.

By the time Kate got home that afternoon, Meredith was perched on a stool at the breakfast bar going through sketches and samples and magazines of bridal fashions with her daughter.

Castle met Kate at the door with Jamie and a comforting kiss. "Sorry, but it has to be done," he whispered. Still whispering, he said, "I don't think Jamie likes Meredith."

"Good taste, Buddy," Kate whispered against Jamie's cheek as she hugged him and then kissed all over his laughing face. "Mommy is so glad to see you," she said out loud. She gave Castle another little peck on the lips and walked to the counter where Alexis sat with her mother. Putting an arm around Alexis's shoulders, she kissed her head, gave her a one-armed hug, and said, "I'm glad to see you, too. Hi, Meredith. Good flight in?"

"Not bad."

Looking back at Alexis, Kate told her, "I'll take your brother upstairs so you can concentrate on the wedding and your dad can concentrate on meeting his deadline."

"I think that's her half-brother," Meredith said pointedly.

Alexis grabbed Jamie's legs and squeezed them in several places and then tickled his tummy and kissed his cheek, obviously totally in love with the little boy, and said, "I don't know, Mom. Feels like a whole brother to me," returning her mother's pointed tone.

Meredith dropped the subject.

"Bear," Jamie said, reaching over her shoulder as Kate made it to the stairs with him, and she turned back to let him pick up his bear from the back of the sofa. Meredith was watching and not looking happy, but she bounced back quickly when Alexis moved something else over to show her.

Kate played with Jamie in the nursery for about half an hour and then brought him back downstairs to verify everyone's plans for dinner.

"I'm taking Alexis and JD out for dinner tonight…a nice place. I know you're bogged down with baby duty, and I didn't want to impose."

"I don't feel bogged down. I love spending time with our baby," Kate corrected. "But I'm sure JD and Alexis will enjoy a nice dinner out."

"They'll probably enjoy an evening without the baby…"

"His name is Jamie, Mom," Alexis interrupted.

"Without Jamie interrupting everything they do…especially JD. Most men don't automatically gravitate to children."

There was a knock at the door, and Alexis quickly went to answer it. She gave JD a quick kiss and brought him inside. Meredith stood and preened for her introduction, but JD's eyes lit up and he said, "Jamie!" holding out his arms. Jamie gave him a beaming smile and leaned forward for JD to take him.

"Men around here do," Kate answered with a smile.

Before anything else could distract him, Alexis, said, "JD, this is my mother, Meredith Harper. Mom, This is JD Farnsworth."

As he got closer to Meredith and reached to shake her hand, saying, "Nice to meet you, Ms. Harper," Jamie pulled closer and clutched his neck, burrowing his face into JD's shoulder. "Hey, what's the matter, Little Guy? You're never shy like this."

"Let me take him back, JD. You go ahead and get acquainted with Meredith," Kate offered.

"I hope don't mind my taking you and Alexis to dinner tonight so we can get to know one another," Meredith said once Jamie was back in his mother's arms. She was laying on the charm.

"Not at all, Ma'am. Alexis told me to plan on that. I'm looking forward to it.

"Then let's go. I made reservations for six-thirty so we have plenty of time to chat."

Castle came out of his study when he heard the front door close. "Is she gone?" he asked, looking around.

"Yes, coward," Kate answered, looking amused. "It looks like she actually spent some time with Alexis today."

"She did. She and Alexis are meeting the bridesmaids for brunch and shopping tomorrow morning…on my credit card, of course. It's a good thing I'm rich. Mother has already lined up someone to take care of alterations for their dresses, and it looks like Bradford is handling everything else. Meredith will be gone day after tomorrow, Alexis can continue to excitedly plan her wedding, and I can happily keep up with my family as well as my deadline."

"Well, I'm tired, especially knowing Meredith will probably be back tonight. So I'm going to happily order some healthy food for dinner." She paused, looking concerned. "I don't think Meredith likes Jamie. He definitely didn't take to her. You should have seen the way he tried to crawl into JD's neck when they got close enough to Meredith for JD to shake her hand. Even JD was surprised. Jamie forgot his bear again when we were going to the nursery earlier, and when I turned to go back for it, Meredith was almost glaring at him."

"I don't know why she still feels so territorial around here, but up until now, being Alexis's mother has given her some leverage. Now I have another child, and she knows Jamie brings me even closer to you. You have everything she could have had but didn't want. She still doesn't want it; but she's jealous anyway, and I guess Jamie just emphasizes that. I heard the half-brother remark. I was so proud when Alexis shut her down."

"Me, too. It was all I could do not to stick my tongue out at the mother of your other child."

Castle laughed. "A picture I'd like to have seen. I would have joined you."

She makes us both so mature," Kate noted with a grin.

"Yeah. That and insane. Come here, Jamie. Let Mommy make her phone call."

Alexis got home earlier than they had expected, and the rest of the family was in the living room. Kate was sitting snuggled next to Rick with her legs across his lap and Jamie was sitting in her lap. They were taking turns animatedly reading Jamie a book, and he was chiming in with a word here and there at his favorite parts.

They realized that Alexis wasn't alone when they heard another voice saying, "Well, isn't this just the picture of domestic bliss?" Meredith had her back turned to JD, so he couldn't see the look of vexation on her face; but her actress training kept the disgust from her voice."

"My home, my family, my bliss, Meredith. If it bothers you that much, you don't have to stay," Castle answered.

"Richard. How inhospitable."

"I'll get the picture for you, Mom. Then we can both get some rest before we tackle the shopping tomorrow."

"I want to look online tonight for wedding veils to go with that lovely dress. It isn't what I would have chosen, but it's unusual, nice…has an elegant, old-fashioned look about it."

"Here you go." Alexis handed her mother a picture of Kate wearing the dress, but she had cropped the picture so it only showed the dress…no faces or telltale background. No potential for argument before the all-day shopping trip.

"I can't wait for tomorrow," Meredith nearly squealed. "We're going to have so much fun. Will you be coming with us, Kate? Martha?"

Both women shook their heads, and Meredith looked pleased.

"We've been here for everything else," Martha answered from the kitchen, where she was helping herself to a glass of wine. "Enjoy your daughter while you're in town."

Meredith hugged Alexis and JD, gushing about how much she had enjoyed their evening together and then made her exit.

When the door closed, JD looked relieved. "Wow. Is she always like that?"

"Yes," Alexis answered with her now perfected Beckett eye roll.

"No offense, Honey, but explain to me again why you used to get so upset when she didn't show up to visit," he said. "I'm exhausted from just dinner."

"You know, I'm starting to wonder the same thing." Looking at Castle and Kate, she explained, "I guess you know she spent the entire evening talking about herself. Poor JD. His eyes were starting to glaze over before our meal was even served. I don't think I've ever heard him say 'Uh-huh' so many times."

"Welcome to the family, JD," Castle chortled. "You've passed the Meredith initiation."

"Book," Jamie reminded his father, and JD took that as an opportunity to say goodnight.

"I'll walk you out," Alexis told him, and the rest of the family was left to finish the book before tucking Jamie in for the night.

xxxxx

After the all-day shopping trip, Meredith came in with Alexis to say goodbye, since she was leaving early the next morning.

After hearing that announcement, Kate told her, "Rick is in the study."

Without so much as an acknowledgement, Meredith walked into the study, and Alexis followed. "There you are. I just wanted to say good-bye before I left." Reacting to the picture on Rick's desk, she said, a touch condescendingly, "Is that your wedding picture?"

"Yes, it is." He moved closer to her as if he thought she might want a better look.

Alexis cringed as her mother's face contorted. "Is this…" she sputtered angrily. "Is this _her_ wedding dress? You're wearing _her_ dress…and you didn't tell me? I thought you said you were having it made."

"It isn't Kate's dress exactly. It's her mother's dress. I loved it, and…"

"So you had to have a copy made. She didn't think you were good enough to wear the original?" Irrational fury was taking over and the volume level was rising with it.

Meredith!" Castle warned. He got up and left the room. He had heard Jamie whimpering and wanted to check on him.

"I'm sorry about all that," he told Kate. "Alexis seems to be handling it, though. Is he okay?"

"He never hears that kind of shouting, especially from a voice he isn't used to hearing in our house. I think he's just upset."

Castle took Jamie and kissed his head, tucking him against his shoulder protectively; and then he put an arm around Kate, just as protectively, and rested his cheek on her head. "I'm sorry, Sweetheart."

"It doesn't quite fit me," Alexis told her mother just as angrily. "She said I could alter it, but I didn't want to. If she and Dad have a girl someday, I don't want my sister not to be able to wear her grandmother's dress if she wants to."

"She wants to be pregnant again at her age?" That question was nearly a full shout.

"Dad is ten years older than she is. That means you're nine years older than she is. Do you think _you're_ old?!" Alexis answered. "I didn't tell you about the dress before we went shopping because I didn't want to have this ugly argument over the dress that you actually liked until you found out it was Kate's, especially in front of my friends. It's my wedding, and that's the dress I'm going to wear. If you're going to react like this over anything to do with Kate, you don't have to come. I want you here, Mom, but not if there's going to be this kind of drama attached to my wedding."

Meredith appeared dumbfounded and asked more calmly. "I don't understand. _I'm_ your mother but you want to wear _her_ mother's dress? And you don't want me here if I argue about it?"

"I want you here, but not if you intend to insult Kate and cause trouble about my decisions. We had this conversation a couple of years ago. You need to respect our home and our family. Kate is important to me because she's there any time I need her. She always finds time for me, no matter how much she has to do. You're important because you're my mother. But, Mom, in the three months before I called you about the wedding, you hadn't even found time to pick up your phone and send a text so you didn't have to kill time actually talking to me. Kate encourages me to enjoy you when I can. She knows how important that is because her mother was murdered when she was nineteen. She can't ever enjoy time with her mother again.

"Well," Meredith breathed out, calmer, the wind out of her sails. "I didn't know that about her."

"Kate was willing to let me alter that dress because she loves me that much. I love her enough I want her to have it intact. I don't want to change it at all." She took a calming breath and continued sadly. "Mom, you don't know much about us because you don't care. "Wasn't dinner last night supposed to be about getting to know JD and talking about our wedding? Do you even realize that everything was still about you? This is our wedding, and it's going to be about JD and me."

"But I'm…"

"I don't intend to argue with you because you're miffed that our lives moved on without you after you left us. That doesn't require your approval. So you'll have to put aside your senseless anger at anything to do with Kate and let me enjoy my wedding. You're supposed to be here because you're happy for me. Does anybody here look happy right now?"

Meredith nodded, took a deep breath, stood at her full height, and walked out as if nothing had happened; and again Alexis followed. The first thing visible from the door of the study was Castle comforting his family. Jamie was still making little whimpering sounds as both parents soothed him.

"I'll be back two nights before the wedding," Meredith announced calmly, as if she hadn't just made a fool of herself.

Castle handed Jamie off to Kate and followed her to the door.

"Meredith," he said quietly, "You're welcome to bring a plus one to the wedding if you'd like. And, as long as you don't create another disruption like this to our home, you're welcome to meet Alexis here for whatever the two of you have decided to do together. But if you can't guarantee to respect our home when you walk in the door, don't come back. I believe Alexis covered the rules of the house.

"Fine," she answered just as quietly, and then she left.

xxxxx

The week before the wedding, in an effort to close their latest case before she left for vacation, Beckett put in much more overtime than her now family oriented intentions appreciated. However, she wanted to leave with her work responsibilities completed so she could enjoy her family on her time off without feeling guilty. The rest of the team had worked just as hard for similar reasons. They had the weekend off so they could attend Alexis's wedding that Sunday, and they also knew Beckett was under more pressure than usual with the wedding so close.

Evidence had finally fallen into place for them the day before; and with great relief, they had managed to bring in their suspect and close the case on Wednesday night. It had been another case with elusive clues and frustratingly frequent dead ends, and they were determined to complete the paperwork and leave it behind them by the end of shift.

"Captain," Beckett called from the door not long before she left, and she was waved in. "Here's the file on the Vinton case, and I've emailed all the reports as well. I think I'm leaving with a clean slate. Thank you for allowing me the extra day tomorrow."

"Even with all the help you seem to have with the event planner, you're going to need it. Weddings are time consuming and emotional."

"Especially when there's a very self-centered ex who's the mother of the bride and expects to be honored for that, even though she barely stays in touch and rarely visits her child," Beckett answered in a rush of words. Then she quickly covered her face with her hands. "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

Gates actually chuckled and said dryly. "I may have mentioned my mother-in-law once."

"I seem to remember a request to ignore any reports of a murder at your address. May I ask the same favor?"

The captain gave her an understanding smile and returned to business. "With all the overtime this week, I think we can call most, if not all of tomorrow your comp time rather than vacation. Ask the rest of your team to stop in and we'll schedule theirs."

"I'll tell them, and I'll see you a week from Monday."

Gates lifted a hand in parting, and Beckett gathered her things, spoke to her partners, and left for home. She was surprised to find Darrell standing outside waiting for her when she exited the building.

"I parked around the corner. Mr. Castle said to park where it was less likely that anybody would see you being chauffeured home in a limo," he explained. "He thought you might want some time to relax instead of having to drive in the rush hour traffic. When they reached the car, he opened the door for her and she gratefully relaxed into the comfortable back seat as the door closed. By the time she arrived at the loft, Michael had already left, taking Martha and Alexis and the entire family's wedding paraphernalia with them. Kate and Rick were left to bring their luggage and everything they would need for Jamie. Castle had all of it in one place, and Kate took care of a few things while the men took the luggage to the car. Then she took Jamie and the Jamie bag that accompanied them everywhere these days, and they were on their way to the Hamptons.

"I can't tell you how happy I am that you talked me into duplicates of all the baby things to keep at the Hamptons House. How do people take trips when they can't afford to do that?"

"I don't know. I'm just grateful that we can. Nice to know you're happy about a few of the perks of marrying a rich guy." He kissed the end of her nose.

"Mostly I just want the rich guy, not his money." She paused for effect. "But there are definitely some perks."

Jamie was in his car seat next to them and seemed to have picked up on the beginnings of wedding stress in his parents. He wasn't exactly fussy, but he wasn't sleeping as he generally did on extended car trips, and he wanted more attention than usual.

"This is going to be a long weekend, isn't it?" Kate sighed as she leaned her head against her husband's shoulder and stroked her hand up and down their baby's arm.

"More than likely, but after the wedding, it's just us, our parents, and Meagan for the rest of the week. I'm looking forward to that."

xxxxx

Knowing that they wouldn't be having dinner with just the family at the loft nearly as often after the wedding, Castle had arranged for dinner at Bernie's. All of them loved it there, and there would be no cooking or cleaning up. Bernie and Inez welcomed them and took them to their table, congratulating Alexis and delighting in Jamie and how he had grown since the summer before. The tension eased for a while, and Jamie was his normal, happy self. They enjoyed their evening and went home when Jamie was getting a bit fretful close to his normal bedtime. Once he was tucked in for the night, the rest of the family sat on the back porch and relaxed in the quiet, knowing it was the last extended quiet time they would have for a couple of days.

Has anybody heard from Mom?" Alexis finally asked softly, disappointment filling every syllable of her question.

When no one answered, Castle finally said, "No, Honey. I tried to call her several times yesterday and a couple of times today, but all the calls went to voice mail. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," his daughter answered. "You've done all you could do."

At that point, the doorbell rang, and Castle went to answer it.

"Meredith," he answered coldly. "Nice of you to show up, even if it's a day late with no contact to let us know."

"Richard, stop being…"

Through gritted teeth, he said quietly, "Don't you dare make light of this. Your daughter is on the back porch close to tears because she was beginning to believe you were going to cancel out on her wedding. We've both been trying to call you since yesterday morning, trying to let you know our plans and to find out when your flight was so we could help you get here. The rest of the family wandered into the room when they heard Castle say her name, picking up on the end of the conversation.

"Well, you said I could bring a plus one, so I did; but he couldn't leave until today."

"And you couldn't have called Alexis to let her know?"

"It was a last minute kind of thing, and I'm here now, am I not? Can we stay here tonight? We're both exhausted and don't know the hotels around here."

"No. We've had a long day, and you had a hotel room booked and paid for yesterday. If you'd listened to one of your many voicemails from us, it would have told you where to go. No one in the room, including Meredith, missed the double meaning, and Kate put her hand on his arm soothingly. He looked at his wife and nodded slightly in one of their silent conversations. "Why don't you talk to your daughter?" Since he bought the beach house after Meredith had left them, he pointed to the back door. "We'll be out there on the back porch." He stopped and turned back to her." Since you've brought a plus one and actually thought you'd be staying here, where is he?"

"He's waiting in the car for me. He said he didn't want to impose."

Castle shooed the others out to the porch, told Alexis to take some time with her mother and stuck his head out the back door to let the others know he was going to try to be a decent host. Then he walked out to the town car that brought them to the house and knocked on the car window, wondering what to expect.

"I'm Richard Castle," he said when the door opened. "Sometimes Meredith forgets her manners. Would you like to come in? She's talking to her daughter about the wedding, so you could be out here a while."

An very handsome man with light brown hair stepped out of the town car and shook his hand. "I appreciate that. Sorry to put you in this position. I have an ex and wouldn't want her showing up at this hour with luggage and another man, especially thinking they would spend the night under my roof. This wasn't something I would ever have expected. Oh, now it's my manners lacking. I'm Doug Crawford."

"Good to meet you. We were on the back porch enjoying the peace and quiet before the event planner starts turning the house upside down tomorrow and Sunday. I may abscond to the beach or the pool with my son. He's only eighteen months old, and that much activity in the house…"

"Mine is seven. The ex has custody, but I see him as often as I can. He still reacts that way."

By then they were at the front door, and Castle ushered him to the back of the house and out to the porch with the rest of the family. He was surprised at the friendly, unassuming man Meredith had brought with her.

"This is Doug Crawford, Meredith's guest for the wedding," he told them. And as soon as he heard his mother's response, he understood why Meredith chose to bring him.

"You're Doug Crawford from _Family Secrets_ ," she said. "You're good."

"Thank you. You're Martha Rodgers, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. Richard is my son. The bride is my granddaughter."

"I'm a big fan, Ms. Rodgers…of your son's books as well."

"Then you'll be pleased to meet the inspiration for Nikki Heat. This is my son's wife, Kate."

Turning to Kate," he said, "Kate Beckett? The extraordinary KB?"

"Kate laughed and said, "His words, not mine. Please have a seat and join us."

As he sat down, he said, "I've hit the jackpot tonight."

They were pleasantly surprised to find that the man was well read, well travelled, well informed, and seemed very down to earth; and conversation flowed easily. He was not what they would have expected Meredith to attract.

As they talked, Alexis took her mother to her room, showed her the finished wedding dress and tried it on for her, letting her help with the veil they had chosen together.

"You look beautiful," Meredith told her, looking sincere. They both ignored the memories of the confrontation over the dress and talked about the wedding and the weekend schedule.

On the back porch, the others gave Doug the same rundown. He had told them that Meredith's information about the weekend had been sparse…which surprised no one.

Alexis had missed that her mother's plus one was waiting for her in the car, so she had taken her time talking to Meredith. A little over an hour after they arrived, Meredith came downstairs with Alexis, effusively chattering about what a beautiful bride her daughter was going to be and being anxious to see her friends again.

When he heard the two women, Castle got up and went back into the house.

Meredith was holding up a page from a memo pad, and said as she rushed out the door, "Alexis gave me the name of the hotel. We'll be going now."

Alexis was watching as her dad went to the back door and told someone, "She's looking for you in the car. I think she's ready to leave now."

Meredith was back in a couple of minutes, and Castle was waiting near the door.

"Where is he? The driver said he came back to the house with you." She looked wary.

"It's been over an hour, Castle pointed out. "Have you ever known me to be a bad enough host to leave someone sitting in a car indefinitely? We've enjoyed his company." Meredith still looked like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop as the others followed Doug into the house.

"Meredith, I've just met Martha Rodgers, Richard Castle, and the inspiration for Nikki Heat." In spite of his own stature as a soap opera heartthrob, he seemed a little star struck.

Then that status moved to Alexis. "Are you… You're Doug Crawford. Grams and I watch _Family Secrets._ You're Mom's plus one?"

"Yes, I am. You're just as beautiful as the pictures your mother showed me on the plane."

"Thank you," Alexis answered, blushing.

Turning to the others, he added before Meredith took his arm and pulled him away, "It was generous of you to welcome me into your last evening of quiet before the wedding onslaught, and I appreciate the hospitality. We'll see you tomorrow."

Once they were gone, Martha asked, "Well, how did she get her hooks into him? He's actually a genuinely pleasant man. Not a trace of pretension all evening." After a moment, she added, "He even reads."

"I can't help but think it's a ploy to get some attention for herself, but I doubt he'd help if he knew that's what she was planning. He doesn't seem the type. I'll be happy if he just keeps her occupied and away from me."

"Me, too," Kate answered, standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "You're mine."

"Yes, I am," he responded, pulling her into a one armed hug and kissing the top of her head playfully.

All of them collapsed on the furniture in the living room and lapsed into a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Martha finally said, "We should get some sleep. Tomorrow will be here too soon."

"And Jamie will usher it in early," Castle added.

They all agreed but didn't move for another few minutes. Then one by one, they got up and made their way to their rooms.

The weekend would be busy.


	100. Chapter 100

Chapter 100

Saturday morning was good family time; but very soon after lunch, Bradford and his crew descended on the beach house, touring inside and out in every part of the place that would require clearing, decoration, consideration, security, or use of any kind. He showed them everything they needed to see, assigned their tasks, and sent them off to the vans to gather materials for what could be done that afternoon. When his workers left that day, some of the preparation would be finished; and they would have a clear plan of action, as well as a strict deadline for their tasks to be completed.

JD and John joined Castle's family on the beach and at the pool that afternoon. JD's parents had been sent an invitation, but they answered that they couldn't get to the wedding; so he and John enjoyed time with their in-laws/new family. With all the family members involved in the entertainment, they managed to wear Jamie out sufficiently for him to take an afternoon nap in spite of the extra people working downstairs, hoping he'd be more likely to make it through the evening. The rest of the family planned to stay out of the way until it was time for them to prepare for the rehearsal dinner.

Meredith and Doug came by early in the afternoon and spent some time with them. Meredith behaved well for the most part. However, despite her many years as an actress, her name wasn't well known. Therefore, at any opportunity in front of Alexis's friends and the event planning staff, she was fawning over Doug and basking in the reflected glory and envious looks. Doug visited for a while longer before going back to the hotel after Meredith took Alexis and her bridesmaids for mani-pedis. She knew how to do that with them, and they all enjoyed the pampering. Martha and Kate opted to skip that and let Alexis enjoy the attention from her mother.

Bradford stayed for the rehearsal, but his crew was gone for the day. He walked and talked the wedding party through everything and then took them through the processions and the ceremony twice. The rehearsal dinner followed at a nice restaurant, and Alexis and JD later said goodbye until the next evening when they would meet again at the altar.

The morning of the wedding was non-stop preparation at the house. The day was beautiful and blessedly lacking humidity, and there was a very soft, pleasant breeze off the water…a perfect day for an outdoor wedding. Bradford had once again proven his worth. He was moving almost constantly, making sure that everything was in place and calmly handling the occasional mini crisis.

The photographer arrived and took candid shots of the decor and of people preparing for the big event. Video equipment was ready. Having captured pictures of preliminary makeup and hair efforts, he laughed as the women shooed him out and went to JD's hotel to encroach on the men for a short time. By the time he got back, he was able to catch the ladies in their gowns taking care of the final touches, and then he went to blend in and capture the wedding guests arriving.

Bradford had established a subtle decorated path to guide guests from the front door to the wide back porch and the seating on the lawn, and there were several places along the path where he had banked flowers that provided a perfect invitation for pictures to be taken there. There was a large, elegant looking tent set up for the reception on the side of the yard near the pool, a dance floor within it and another one on the grass in the open air for dancing under the stars later. It was a beautiful venue, polished and classy but softened by Bradford's imaginative touches to simultaneously make it warm and inviting. It was very much in the Castle family spirit.

About half an hour before they were to be in place for the wedding, Kate was wearing a long slip, and Castle was in his tuxedo pants with his shirt unbuttoned and hanging open. He and Kate had made sure Jamie was fed. They had done everything they could think of to be sure he could last through the ceremony without taking attention from the bride and groom. They were presently involved in what Jamie had apparently decided was a game and were trying to wrangle him into a tiny little tuxedo, from which he was actively trying to escape. Alexis and JD had insisted he should be their ring bearer. However, since he had only reached the ripe old age of eighteen months, it was also decided that Dad would have to assist, since Mom was in the wedding party. Castle, Alexis, and JD had all practiced with him at the loft the prior week and hoped for the best. The pillow had a big pocket below it that Jamie could put his arms in to hold it for them, and since John and Kate were the ones who would remove the rings, they reasoned that he would be okay with it. When he was finally dressed, both parents sighed in relief, and admired their handiwork.

Castle grinned as he walked to the window, buttoning his shirt and listening to his wife telling their son how adorable he looked. Then his mood changed. "He's already down there," he said sadly, watching JD and his groomsmen milling around edge of the grass near the sand, behind the altar. "He's waiting to take my baby away."

"She isn't a baby anymore, Rick." Kate moved closer to him and encouraged him to hurry and get dressed. She only had to slip her dress on and she was ready. She touched his arm and gave him a soothing speech about Alexis being nervous and needing him to be strong for her today.

Martha knocked on the door and asked, "Is Jamie ready for me to take him?"

Kate opened the door for her to come in and Martha immediately started making exclamations of wonder at how cute her grandson looked in his tiny tux.

As he was getting into his own tux, Castle was still grumbling about his first baby leaving him when Martha said, "For God's sake, Richard. Today isn't about you. It's about Alexis and her wedding. She has as much right to be happily married to the man she loves as you do to be married to Kate. You expected her to share her father, and now you have to share your daughter. So just suck it up and get over yourself."

In something of a pout, he answered, "Kate told me pretty much the same thing, but she was a lot nicer about it."

"Well, she's your wife. I'm your mother. Have I ever minced words with you? Now, we don't have time for this, so pull yourself together. There's a beautiful, happy bride waiting for her father to walk her down the aisle. And you couldn't ask for a better husband for her." Modulating her voice to be more inviting to Jamie, she held out her arms, and said, "Now give me my handsome little grandson, and we'll be waiting for you on the front row."

Jamie smiled at her and went to her willingly, and she took him to show him to Alexis and her friends before taking him downstairs.

Kate and Castle went to Alexis's room a few minutes later, both of them ready for a wedding. The photographer had taken a small break from the wedding guests to slip upstairs for a few pictures of the bride and her entourage. He caught Meredith giving Alexis a hug just before she went downstairs to meet Doug to be escorted to her seat. Then there were shots of the bridesmaids talking to Alexis as Paige adjusted the hem of her dress. Kate held out her arms, and Alexis hugged her harder than she had hugged her mother. Kate moved a small lock of hair to make her stepchild look even more perfect than a second before, brushed her fingers lovingly over Alexis's cheek, and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, and the photographer caught a couple of pictures of the moment.

Kate's dress was made of fabric similar to Alexis's wedding dress, in a similar cut but a different style. She looked beautiful and very appropriate for the style of the wedding, and Castle looked as good as always in his tuxedo. Alexis's three bridesmaids all complimented her parents' appearance, and it expanded into a mutual admiration moment. Then Alexis moved toward Castle from where she stood in front of her dresser, and the room went quiet. Kate broke the silence by telling the bridesmaids they should get downstairs and line up for the wedding procession, but it was obvious that she was trying to give Castle and Alexis some time to themselves before the ceremony.

After the others left, Castle told his daughter, "I've always thought you were the most beautiful thing in the world, but today you've exceeded all expectations. JD will be speechless."

"That's what I'm hoping, but only at first. I still expect to hear those vows."

"I hate to give you up, but I want you to be happy…and I know he's going to do his best to make that happen."

"You're not giving me up…just sharing me."

"Everybody keeps telling me that today," he answered with a small smile. "Are you ready? Do you need anything?"

"Just my dad to walk me down the aisle."

"Well, you have that. It must be time to go."

Alexis went down the stairs first and Castle followed. They stopped at the bottom of the stairs; and he stood beside her a moment, then he sang quietly, as he had when she was little, "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…"

Alexis picked it up from there, the way they had done since she could remember. "You make me happy when skies are gray."

He leaned and kissed her forehead, saying, "I don't think that damaged your makeup.

"I don't think I care if it did," she answered. Then she asked, "Will you help me with my veil? I need it down, but I don't have a mirror to straighten it. Walking down the stairs with it over my face didn't seem to be a good plan."

Castle smiled, bigger this time. "I taught you well, Grasshopper." He pulled the veil over her face and straightened it to his satisfaction. "There. You look perfect." He stood beside her and offered her his arm. "Let's get you married."

"I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too, Baby Bird."

JD and his groomsmen were waiting with the minister, and the guests were all seated, Meagan and Jim were next, then Meredith was seated, and Doug took his place beside her. Slightly out of the usual order, Martha was seated last with Jamie so he would be where Castle could help him perform his ring bearer duties. JD's and John's friends were seated in the front on the groom's side, serving as his family for the evening.

The music for the wedding party started, and the bridesmaids processed in, followed by Kate; and when they were all in place, the wedding march Alexis had chosen began. Castle looked at his daughter and asked, "Ready?" When she nodded, he opened the door, walked her down the steps from the porch, and down the aisle. JD had the same look on his face that Castle imagined he wore when he saw Kate at their wedding, and he looked at Kate and smiled. Taking Alexis's hand from his arm, he placed it in JD's, placed his hands around theirs, and said quietly, "I'm trusting you with my daughter. Love her and take care of her."

"I will, Sir," JD answered.

"I believe you," Castle told him and removed his own hands. When the minister asked, "Who gives this woman to be wed," Castle answered, "I do." And he sat down with Martha, taking his son from her and holding him close.

Vows were exchanged, then Castle tucked Jamie's hands into the pocket of the pillow with the rings tied on it and hoped their efforts would work out. He stood and walked to the altar with Jamie and whispered to him to hold the pillow for Grandpa John. Jamie turned toward John with his hands out, and John took the ring and handed it to JD. He did the same when it was time for Kate to give the ring to Alexis; but, seeing the big smile on Jamie's face when Kate turned to take the ring from him, Castle held on a little tighter to keep him from trying to get to Mommy. When he sat back down with his son in his lap, Jamie leaned against him waiting; and Castle kissed his head and whispered what a good boy he had been. Martha and Kate were both smiling. The pronouncement of man and wife was made, JD kissed his bride, and the recessional played as they walked back down the aisle, he and Alexis both smiling shyly but looking happy enough light up the beach even if the sun failed them. The groomsmen walked with the bridesmaids, and John proudly offered his arm to Kate.

"Don't think that's going to last long," Castle quietly teased John as they walked past him. John just smiled at him and patted Kate's hand.

Family and bridal party pictures were taken as the guests mingled on the grounds, then they moved to the tent for the first dances. Alexis and JD danced together to the applause of the guests. Then Castle danced with Alexis, and in lieu of his own mother, JD danced with Kate. Castle gave in and danced one dance with Meredith, but he didn't allow her to get as close as she tried to. Both Jim and John danced with Alexis, and Martha, Meagan and Meredith all insisted on their turns around the floor with JD. While Castle danced with his mother, Kate danced with their little boy, which brought smiles all around the room as they swayed and spun around now and then. Both mother and son obviously enjoyed every minute. The next song was slower, and Castle joined them, sandwiching Jamie between them where they could both play with him as they danced. Jamie wandered around the room in his tux and was seen doing his own eighteen month old's version of dancing to the faster music. Gabe, being the only other young child at the party, stuck close to Jamie and joined him sometimes, laughing with his younger companion at his attempts to dance. Everyone danced with a variety of partners, blending easily with even the guests they didn't know.

Some of Castle's writer friends who had known Alexis as she grew up were there. The mayor and Judge Markaway came with their spouses, Lanie and the team from the twelfth were there with their guests, and friends of JD and Alexis were there with assorted others who had gained importance in the young couple's lives. It was a friendly and eclectic group.

In spite of their concerns, Meredith's behavior wasn't too over the top. After a while, Kate and Castle realized that every time she got too involved in presenting herself as mother-of-the-bride or too pushy about her temporary role on _Family Secrets_ with Doug, or giving overblown introductions of the well-known television star to others...generally calling attention to herself... he would steer her away from the subject and bring it back to the bride and groom or the wedding. If someone asked a question that might elicit a less than happy response from Meredith, he would distract with conversation or sometimes ask someone else to dance and promise Meredith he'd be right back. The Castle family seemed to have had an accurate impression of him; and with his apparent awareness of her behavior, they had serious doubts Doug would see enough in Meredith to extend the relationship beyond the weekend. However, they were beyond grateful that he had escorted her to the wedding.

When Alexis and JD left and the party began to wind down, Meredith came and kissed Castle on the cheek and said, "Our daughter is married. She looked happy."

"JD is a good man, and he loves her. They're good friends as well as in love. She'll be happy."

"I thought you'd be all teary eyed."

"I did that before the wedding."

"And he'll probably do it again after this is all over," Kate said, walking up beside him and handing him a drink. "Doug is a nice guy. We're glad you brought him," she added.

"He is," Meredith agreed. "We had a good time on set; but considering the mini lecture he gave me before we left the hotel, I doubt I'll see much of him after my role on the show is over."

"Lecture?" Castle asked.

"It seems you and Alexis aren't the only ones who think I make everything about me." She sighed deeply, leaving Kate and Castle stunned that she would ever admit such a thing. And then she said, looking sincere, "Thank you for giving Alexis such a lovely wedding, Richard. You've been a really good father. I do love her, you know. I'm just not as good at it as you are".

"Looks like this wedding has you thinking, too," he answered.

"I know I'm not likely to see you after this," Meredith answered. I just wanted you to know our daughter was lucky to have you. I thought we should part on civil terms."

"I like that idea," he answered.

"We're leaving in a few minutes. Doug enjoyed meeting you. He'll probably look you up before we go. Bye, Kitten."

Castle didn't correct her that time. "Thank you for Alexis, and thank you for being here with her for this. She enjoyed having you be a part of it."

"Me, too."

Meredith didn't say anything to Kate. She just smiled sadly, waved, and turned and walked away. Kate waved back and sighed as Castle's ex walked out the front door.

"Is that a sigh of relief, M'Lady?" Castle asked, draping an arm around Kate's shoulders.

"I'm pleading the fifth."

Castle chuckled. "I'm not ashamed to say that I'm relieved. There's no good reason for her to show up at our door again. The bad memories there definitely outweigh the good. Alexis is the only bright spot in that relationship. This one, on the other hand…" He leaned in and kissed her. They had gone in the house and were trying to hide out in the kitchen for a few minutes when Meredith found them. Doug found them next.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt," he apologized.

"It's okay," Kate answered. "We just forgot where we were for a minute."

"Surprisingly, Meredith mentioned the lecture before the wedding," Castle told him. "And we saw what you were doing at the reception. We appreciate it more than we can say."

"She does get carried away with herself now and then, doesn't she?" he asked, running his hand through his hair and chuckling.

"And a cross country plane trip and a weekend in the same room is a lot different from enjoying each other's company on set?"

"Something like that," Doug agreed diplomatically. Castle reached to shake his hand, and Kate gave him a quick hug. "We're leaving now," Doug told them. "Early flight in the morning. It was a beautiful wedding. Your daughter and her husband are both impressive. I know you're proud."

"We are," he answered, pulling Kate closer to indicate which 'we' he meant.

Doug gave Castle a friendly slap on the arm before leaving. "It was a pleasure meeting all of you. Give Martha a hug for me."

"Next time you're in New York, feel free to give us a call," Castle said as Doug left.

"I might do that," the other man responded as he walked out the door.

After they were alone in the kitchen again, Castle noted quietly, "Two more down. How many more are still here?"

"Too many?" Kate asked mischievously, giving him another kiss. "We should probably get back to the ones who are left. We're being bad hosts."

When the last guests were gone and Bradford's staff had done most of the clean-up, promising to be back first thing in the morning to take care of removing anything that was left, Castle locked up and led Kate upstairs. The two of them had tucked Jamie in much earlier, and various other adults checked in on him regularly and reported. Kate and Rick stopped in the nursery before going to their room, and each of them stroked their son's back softly enough not to wake him. They checked to be sure the baby monitor was on and went to get out of their wedding clothes.

Kate turned to Castle as they both stood removing their clothes in the large walk-in closet. With only her dress off, she wrapped her arms around his neck and asked, "How are you holding out?"

"My baby is married." He buried his face in her neck and held her tight.

"What do you need from me tonight, Rick? Do you want me to love you hard enough to forget, or do you want to forget that people make love and try not to think about it?"

"Will you just hold me…maybe make out a little bit…let me pout without teasing me…rub each other's backs…easy, dumb stuff that tells me you still love me in spite of having to watch me be such a baby over this?

"None of that sounds dumb to me. I'll enjoy it as much as you will…'cause I do still love you. Always will."

xxxxx

Monday morning Bradford's crew was back to remove everything that remained from the night before. Castle had told him he didn't mind, as long as the family had easy use of the necessary parts of their home the next morning. He had paid Bradford the night before…enough to cover the agreed fee in the contract as well as a good bonus for Bradford and generous tips for his staff.

"I don't know how you do it, Bradford; but next time we need an expensive miracle, we'll call. Thank you for this. You made my daughter happy."

Bradford laughed and said, "Two weddings planned in less than two months in the same family, just because two people can't wait to be married. I don't think I've ever planned a wedding that fast when there wasn't a pregnancy and the proverbial shotgun involved. And your son-in-law assured me that was not the case as soon as I met him. I think he has a protective streak like yours. I hope the young ones take to marriage as well as you and your wife have." He paused for a moment and said, "I'll see that the crew members get their tips today, and I feel sure I can convey their appreciation in advance."

"All of you earned it," Castle assured him, and Kate added her agreement.

"I'll miss seeing Jamie. He's a little ray of sunshine." Bradford grinned at the couple and told them, "Well, you know where to find me if anybody else falls in love and just can't wait to make it legal." Then he went outside, gave his workers a few instructions, and they got into their vehicles and drove away.

Castle turned and kissed his wife and said, "Our house is our own again. Aaaand you are officially on vacation…no big schedule for the rest of the week. What would you like to do? There are four other adults available who would probably be willing to babysit now and then if we want to go out."

"Let's just stay home today…maybe take a nap when Jamie does? I think I'm ready to take a day just to be lazy."

Castle put the backs of his fingers to her forehead. "Are you sick? Oh, or are you an alien who body snatched my wife?"

Kate laughed at his foolishness. "I take days off, Goofball. It's not that rare…anymore."

Castle smiled and kissed her forehead. "A day at home with just the family sounds great. It's been pretty hectic lately."

"We should get busy. John will be here for breakfast any time now, and we haven't even started."

As they took things they needed from the refrigerator and the cabinets, Castle mentioned, "I told John he was welcome to stay here, but he said he was already settled in his hotel room and didn't want to spend that much time on suitcases."

"He and Martha might just want to have somewhere to spend some time togeth… Mmmff."

Castle clamped his hand over Kate's mouth. "Are you trying to ruin my mind, Woman? I'm already trying not to remember that my daughter is on her honeymoon, and I definitely do not need to add my mother's escapades to the mental mix."

"Sorry," Kate's muffled voice responded from behind his large palm, but there was a definite amused twinkle in her eyes.

"And we will _not_ speak of this again?" he asked dramatically. Kate shook her head to indicate she wouldn't, and he removed his hand. "Think breakfast," he ordered, handing her a carton of eggs.

Jamie was on the back porch with Jim and Meagan, and Martha was sleeping in. John knocked on the door when they had the meal nearly ready, but Martha was still missing.

When the reason was mentioned, John offered mischievously, "I'll get her down here. Which room is hers?"

"Second door on the left," Castle told him.

John went upstairs and pounded heavily on Martha's door, shouting, "Good morning, Sunshine! Breakfast is ready. Hurry up. We'll all be looking for you in five minutes!"

Kate and Rick were laughing as they started putting the food in serving dishes. "That man's gonna be lucky to live until breakfast is on the table," Castle predicted.

John stopped at the top of the stairs and shouted again over his shoulder, "Five minutes!" Then he came back to the kitchen looking immensely pleased with himself. "I think I got her attention."

Both of the others laughed out loud at the understatement, and Kate asked, "How did she take it? What did she say?"

"Well, I heard my whole name, including 'Senior', and a few choice curses. I didn't quite catch all the rest." he answered as he stole a piece of bacon and grinned again. "But I think she's awake now."

Having heard the commotion, Jim and Meagan came into the kitchen with Jamie while John was in mid-explanation, and all of them were laughing when Martha came down the stairs glowering.

"You, John Farnsworth, are a dead man," she announced in true diva fashion, "and I know people who will willingly help me dispose of your body." Smacking him hard with a backhand to the chest as she moved, she swanned past him to the other end of the kitchen where Castle was already preparing her coffee. He handed it to her when she reached him, and she said pointedly, "It's nice to know that _somebody_ is being civilized this morning."

"Everybody take something with them, and let's eat breakfast on the porch this morning," Kate suggested.

As they all gathered around the table, John went to help Martha with her chair.

"Still a dead man, John. Don't think this helps."

It looked like everyone around the table was suppressing the urge to either grin or blatantly laugh at the picture before them…John grinning widely and Martha glowering with equal energy. By the time breakfast was over, though, Martha had softened and John had apologized…sort of.

The rest of the week was enjoyable for all of them, filled with silliness and the feeling of family. All the older adults had managed some time for themselves, Jamie had all the attention he needed, and Kate and Rick had been able to get away on their own for a dinner out and for a couple of little jaunts into town. The family left on Sunday afternoon, Martha riding back with John so he had company. Jim had driven Castle's SUV up on the Saturday before the wedding, so the other five rode home together in that.

"Bradford said that if we wanted another month and a half or less wedding planned to call him," Castle teased during the drive back. "Meagan's been wearing that ring for a while now, Jim. Do we need to make a phone call?"

"We've been talking about it," Jim answered. "It won't be much longer."

"I don't think we'll need that much, though. I think we might want to find a church, even though neither of us has been to church for quite a while," Meagan added. "I guess at our ages, a wedding in a church is sort of built into our expectations for ourselves."

"Well, let me know if you want Bradford to help. He certainly takes away a lot of the pressure."

They dropped the subject after that, and sporadic, idle conversations and short dozes among them accompanied them back home.

The week at the beach house had provided a nice respite to bridge the gap between wedding preparations and going back to the city. And Castle was glad he could furnish it, especially knowing Kate would soon be walking into a new work situation that would likely be difficult, at least for a while.


	101. Chapter 101

Chapter 101

When everyone else in the household was in bed and Rick and Kate had the loft to themselves, he poured each of them a small glass of wine and joined Kate on the sofa, handing her a glass.

"This was a good week," he said contentedly.

"Yeah, it was, "Kate agreed, taking a sip of her wine and leaning her shoulder against her husband's and sighing just as contentedly. "With the wedding over and all the parental assistance we had, it was rejuvenating. I think I can go back to work a little more prepared to face new things now."

"You're still tired tonight, though." He knew the signs.

"But it's a good tired. Who knew the beach, the pool, and a lovable, adorable eighteen month old clone of his father could be so exhausting?"

Castle laughed and kissed her head. "You have me _and_ my eighteen month old clone and you're wondering why you tired?"

"But I love you both."

"He'll get older and more independent before long, and then we'll miss this."

"Probably. But at least he'll be potty trained by then." She finished her wine, rested her chin on his shoulder, gave him a smile, and said, "Lack of diapers will be nice."

He kissed her flirty smile and told her, "It's about time to work on that. I've seen a few signs lately that he might be ready."

"I sure am," she answered. "So, does that mean we need to go shopping this week for one of those tiny plastic toilets?"

"Yeah, we'll do that." Then he chuckled. "When we first met, I would never have guessed we'd be sitting here someday planning the purchase of a little potty for Mini-me."

"And people who knew me then probably thought I'd never reach that point with anybody. I didn't exactly project warm, fuzzy, mom vibes."

"It took a little while to see it, but I knew it was in there. I may have had to squint a little bit to find it at first, though," he teased.

She shoved his arm in retaliation but still smiled. "We've come a long way since then. And I might think it just keeps getting better. I love you, Richard Castle."

He took her empty wine glass and put it on the table with his, then he draped his arm around her shoulders, looking smug. "You might, huh?" "Any regrets?"

"No," she answered quickly and confidently. After a moment of hesitation, she noted quietly, "I've changed your life a lot, though. My work schedule has taken away a lot of the spontaneity you used to have. Do you have any regrets?"

"None. I have you and the kind of family I've always wanted. I'm a happy man."

"Is there anything you miss…now that your life is locked in closer to an NYPD work schedule?"

"Not enough to worry about it." Seeing her way too intuitive expression, he reluctantly admitted, "Travel, maybe? When Alexis was little, we'd just pick up and go sometimes. Now and then I'd get a little stir crazy in the loft with just the two of us, so I'd pack our bags, and we'd go somewhere. Sometimes we'd have a definite destination, maybe take a plane to a specific place. Other times we might just go on a road trip…we called it an adventure. The excitement of their trips showed in his eyes as he spun his tale. Sometimes it was only for a day or two…maybe on a weekend after she was in school; or it could be a week or more during holidays or in the summer. We'd stop whenever we saw something that looked interesting…a petting zoo, a weird museum, a festival of some kind… We met a lot of interesting people, and I got some random book research out of it, too. And in the summer, we'd just move into the beach house and only come back to the city when we needed to or just felt like it. I'd love to be able to do that with you and Jamie now and then."

"Maybe when I have a weekend off or a few days of vacation or comp time, we could have a short adventure?"

"Mrs. Castle, I'd love to take you on an adventure."

"Right now, I a shower and bed is a big enough adventure. I have just over a week and a half of normal at the twelfth, then there's orientation for the less appealing, longer term adventure."

Standing and holding out his hand, he answered, "Come on. I'll wash your back…and anything else you let me get away with and then tuck you in close to me."

xxxxx

In the week and a half before the orientation sessions, Beckett's team caught two homicides. The first was a challenge. The second case had a predictable outcome, and the murderer confessed almost immediately. It was a crime of passion, and the remorse was obvious.

Two days before the orientation, they thought they might have to leave the first case for the low closure replacements who would be taking their places at the twelfth. Then, early in the day, they found something that looked like it might be important to the case they were struggling with. After dropping by the loft and talking to Castle over a good lunch, they were ready to interrogate two people. Castle didn't actually solve anything single handedly; but, as was often the case with his questions coming from a slightly different perspective, it brought out new questions and possibilities from the others. And the group effort paid off.

The team spent the following morning rounding up two suspects and carrying out interrogations. Search warrants were obtained and executed, and by mid-afternoon they were down to the paperwork.

"Good work, Lieutenant," Gates praised as Kate handed over the case file that afternoon. "Please pass on my appreciation to your team."

"It was looking like we might have to leave this for our replacements; and not knowing what to expect from them, we were concerned. I'm glad we can leave them a clean slate." With a sigh, Beckett said, "We all brought boxes this morning. Unless you need us for something else, we'll start clearing out our desks now."

"When you finish that, all of you can go home. I'll see you at the meeting tomorrow morning."

After the desks were cleared, other detectives filled Beckett's desk top with a cake, paper plates, and plastic utensils.

"You guys will use any excuse for a giant cake, won't you?" Beckett asked with a big smile, offering the cop version of "Thank you."

"We hear the same thing is going on in robbery this afternoon," Lupinski reported as he was slicing the cake. "Castle should be here any minute. I called him when you started emptying your desks."

"Give me that knife," Hastings ordered, laughing after watching the first cut, and she took it from Lupinski's hand. "I never saw such a mess." She continued the job but cut straighter lines so the rest of the pieces would be the same size. "Next time just give me the knife to begin with," she told him good-naturedly.

"Did you order the new guys a cake, too?" Esposito asked as he grabbed a plate, fork, and the first piece of cake, one from the larger end of Lupinski's uneven cut.

"No," Karpowski answered. "They have to earn it. Maybe they'll get one when they leave…either because they improved a lot or because we're so glad to get rid of them."

The elevator dinged and Castle joined them. Other detectives wandered over to their corner of the bullpen, depending on where they were in their work; and Gates was there for a few minutes before she returned to her office. The little get-together actually encompassed only about twenty minutes…long enough for those on the floor to get a piece of cake and say a few words to Beckett's team. Then they cleared the desk and left the remainder of the cake up for grabs in the break room.

Castle helped Beckett take the things from her desk to her car, and then he took his wife for coffee while they were out.

"Meagan has Jamie, and your dad is meeting her at the loft after work," he told her. "She said they'd take him to the park before they fed him, and she told me to take you somewhere relaxing for dinner. We all know you aren't looking forward to tomorrow and next week."

"Bless them."

"So, Italian or the comfort food truck?"

"Arturo's?"

"I thought that might be your choice. Already called him."

xxxxx

The orientation session was held in a meeting room at 1 PP, and it was supervised and run by members of the committee in charge of the exchange program. The four captains and two lieutenants from the precincts involved were present as well as the rest of the assigned detectives from each precinct.

With two groups in the room, one embodying the best and the other representing the opposite end of the spectrum, the possibility of ill will and discontent was certainly there. As Beckett's team stood taking stock of the general atmosphere in the room, it became obvious that the presence of the higher ranking members of the program's committee was the only thing tamping that down in some cases. There was minimal contact among the representatives of the various precincts during the hospitality time before the meeting commenced. Attitudes among the detectives ranged from resigned to sullen to disinterested or uncertain, with some peer pressure seeming to figure in as to how much of that to show.

The actual meeting hadn't even started and the day was rapidly rising to Beckett's low expectations.

Before he took over the podium to welcome the attendees and thank them for their cooperation, Chief Dawson made a short appearance to have a cup of coffee with the group and shake a lot of hands.

After he left, the committee members gave the detectives a full explanation of the program and what they hoped it would accomplish. They offered the hope that each of the transplanted teams would soon adapt to their new precincts and build a good working relationship with their fellow detectives there.

Following a short break, the room was separated into two groups, each made up of the two captains whose precincts would exchange personnel, the detectives who would be temporarily transferred, and committee members who would observe, make suggestions, and answer any questions. It was a slow start for both groups, the facilitors for the meeting doing most of the talking to bridge the initial silence.

The atmosphere between the two captains in Beckett's group was tense, Captain Bronson from the fifty-first precinct in the Bronx appearing borderline belligerent. Gates took the first step and reached to shake Bronson's hand. He shook it but didn't look happy about it. She then turned to her new charges and introduced herself to the detectives from the fifty-first.

"I'm Captain Victoria Gates," she said, holding her hand out to the closest of the detectives. "And you are?" The man she spoke to first was their lieutenant, and he introduced the others from their precinct. Gates shook each one's hand and told them she hoped they would soon be comfortable working with the other teams at the twelfth.

The general tension eased very slightly within the group in general, but Captain Bronson was still unresponsive and sullen, leaning back in his chair in a position that looked like an attempt at intimidation.

Clearly making an effort to communicate, Beckett extended her hand to Captain Bronson and introduced herself. "I'm Lieutenant Kate Beckett, Homicide, Sir, and…"

Without shaking her hand or moving from his position, Bronson said, "I know who you are. You're the media darling of Manhattan. Don't expect to get by on that in my precinct."

Gates looked at him and said civilly but pointedly, "Lieutenant Beckett has never needed to rely on anything but her ability to do her job competently, and I can't imagine that would change now."

As if no ill will had happened, Beckett continued, "This is the rest of my team, Javier Esposito, Kevin Ryan, and Ron Sully."

"Where's the high and mighty writer?" Bronson prodded. "Did he finally get tired of following you around playing cop? Or maybe he thinks he's too good for the Bronx. Do you think you're too good for the Bronx, Lieutenant?"

In spite of the snide remarks, Beckett moved on to introduce Tom Demming and his team from Robbery.

"You didn't answer my question, Lieutenant," he said as if he deserved an answer.

With her poker face well in place, Beckett answered as respectfully as anyone watching could expect, "Unless he's doing something illegal or keeping me from doing my job, my husband's thoughts or whereabouts have no bearing on my work and don't require discussion."

Bronson glared at Beckett after that response, and Deputy Chief Alvarez, the chairman of the committee, called another break. As everyone got something to drink or headed for the restrooms, Alvarez spoke to Bronson quietly.

"Captain Bronson, a word, please." Then a bit louder for the benefit of those around them, he said, "It's feeling a little cramped in here. I think I'll take my coffee out in the hallway…stretch my legs before we start again."

"Good idea," Bronson answered gruffly, and he followed at a good distance behind Alvarez.

Within the view of everybody else, Alvarez was asking Bronson questions about how he planned to incorporate the new detectives into his precinct and looking friendly as they walked. However, after they had "stretched their legs" long enough to round a corner and enter a small interview room, the deputy chief's demeanor changed. Bronson was now confronted with an annoyed higher ranking officer.

"I could have done this in front of everybody; and from what I can see, you probably would have if the situation were reversed. But as rude and petty as you look to everybody right now with that half cord of wood on your shoulder, I didn't think embarrassing you back there would help. So now that we're out of sight…exactly what the hell are you playing at, Bronson? For the next four months, your precinct has access to one of the top few homicide teams in the entire city, an outstanding team for Robbery, too…and you're not just annoying Lieutenant Beckett, you're deliberately trying to goad her into something you can use against her. Where do get off asking her personal questions, insulting her husband, making insinuations about how she does her job, and then sounding threatening when she doesn't answer them? She's admirably in control of herself. She's not rising to the bait; so if I were you, I'd get it together. What is your problem? Do you dislike successful women? Are you jealous of her solve rate…or maybe the media attention? Are you threatened by her competence? Is it just Beckett, or have you decided to hate all eight of the people from the twelfth on sight? And not even shaking hands with the people you're going to work with for the next quarter of the year? Really? We're damned lucky to have them in any precinct in this city, and if you keep up the harassment that everybody in that meeting room just witnessed, I'll write you up myself for…"

"My problem is that I didn't ask for any help," the captain blustered. "And I don't want her around. I don't want any of them around," Bronson interrupted.

"Well, the teams from the twelfth didn't have any more say in this than you did, so you might as well accept it and try to be civil…and hope that this morning's unprofessional display doesn't get back to the chief. Look, I understand this isn't being done under circumstances that you would choose, but it's going to happen anyway. It's sanctioned from the top, and the chief is going to expect you to cooperate. You might as well accept it. Four months. It's hardly a blip on the radar in your service career. You don't even have to apologize. Just roll back the intimidation tactics…starting now. And once those teams are in your precinct, don't push your luck."

"Yes, Sir," the captain answered resentfully.

"Go on back. I'll follow in a few minutes and get the meeting underway again."

When Deputy Chief Alvarez entered the room again, he indicated that everyone should return to the places they had occupied before the before the break. Bronson still looked boorish, but he toned down his behavior, speaking when spoken to, using as few words as possible, still not shaking hands…not that anyone had any desire to offer again. However, the anger under the surface was visible to everyone in the room.

The captain from the other low performing precinct was handling his conundrum much better, in spite of the fact that the circumstances would inevitably cause a blow to his ego; and the detectives from the twelfth were casting envious glances in that direction.

The team going to the twelfth didn't ask too many questions. They seemed to avoid looking cooperative in any way in front of Bronson. Beckett's team was stoic. They were a good team, and they had helped get a major drug dealing/torturing murderer, a serial killing, drug dealing senator, and a crazed serial murderer off the streets. They'd get through four months of Bronson.

When the meeting was finally over, Beckett again offered her hand to her new captain, doing her part to work with the situation whether he did or not. He ungraciously shook her hand and glanced over toward Alvarez, who nodded his approval. The captains were already gone, and about half of the detectives from the twelfth and the fifty-first were preparing to leave.

"We'll see you on Monday, Sir," Beckett told him respectfully.

Bronson grunted something unintelligible in response and strode out of the room, leaving a feeling of relief in his wake. His detectives looked more at ease and finally said a few words to the teams they were replacing.

"Is he always like that?" Esposito asked.

"Not usually that bad, but sometimes not a lot better," the man who introduced himself as Lieutenant Paul Stiles answered. "Has your lieutenant done something to make him mad? I've never seen him that bad in public."

"Nothing I know of," Beckett answered, joining the conversation. "So he's that bad at the precinct, too?"

"Once in a while. He's kind of unpredictable, and chronically grouchy."

"Well, Captain Gates is tough, but she's fair. You get the job done, and you'll be fine. She won't expect you to work any harder than she does, but don't think that's a reprieve. She puts in some long hours, too. And the people at the twelfth are good to work with, always ready to help when you need it."

"Sorry you aren't moving into the same situation," Stiles answered. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Esposito answered. "It looks like we might need it."

The team gathered the materials they had been given and started heading home. Before getting into their cars to depart, Beckett's team stopped for a couple of minutes to commiserate. They all went home in a dismal mood.

xxxxx

Castle and Jamie met Kate at the door with hugs. And her husband kissed her and asked how the meeting went.

"Later," she answered, hugging Jamie close. "I need to forget it for a little while."

"That good, huh?" Seeing her nod dejectedly, he said, "Sorry to hear that." He gave her another kiss and told her to take Jamie to the nursery and let him entertain her for a while. "Since I finished the chapter I've been working on, I'll get dinner started. I'm actually two chapters ahead now, but I'll hold them in reserve until it looks like Gina is about to start screaming again. I love being able to shut her down when she's all wound up and ready to strike."

"There's something inherently disturbing about that, but I'm letting it go. I've had enough disturbing today. Not going there."

Castle grinned at her. "Probably for the best. Take your time with Jamie. Just enjoy each other."

"I might need some time later with his daddy, too."

"I'm all yours when you're ready," he assured her with a devilish smile. But it looks like you need a lot of baby smiles right now, and he looks like he couldn't be happier. You should see his face when he knows you're home."

"Yeah?" she asked, looking pleased. "Is it good?"

"Oh, yeah. He just lights up…like somebody flipped a switch."

She held her baby a little closer and closed her eyes, nuzzling his cheek. He was snuggly right then, and Castle could tell that she was loving that.

"Want a story, Baby Boy?" she asked softly, and Jamie's head popped up.

"Book?" he asked, looking excited.

"Book," she assured him. "Let's go find one."

After their flexible evening ritual, as they prepared for bed, Castle asked, "Are you ready to tell me about your orientation today?"

"No. Let's save it for tomorrow. Let me go to sleep thinking about you and Jamie."

"You did look more relaxed at dinner."

"I was. Playing with Jamie always makes me feel better." She paused and smiled softly. "And there's nothing that compares to when I pick him up and kiss his little head when he's sleepy and he snuggles his face against my neck."

"His daddy likes to do that, too," Castle teased, and Kate smiled as she swatted his arm.

When we were first getting to know each other and you'd talk about Alexis when she was a baby, I could almost hear it in your voice, see it in your eyes. But now that _I_ know how it feels, too…I guess there aren't real words for it. When it comes to my mood, I'd swear our little boy has magical powers."

"He does, doesn't he?" Castle agreed.

His father has a few magical qualities of his own."

"He does, does he? Want to expound on that? You know how my ego loves a little stroking."

"I guess it deserves it now and then. Patience, empathy, love… I can't think of anybody else I'd want to be the father of my children…or to spend the rest of my life with. The rugged handsomeness doesn't hurt, either."

"Your _children?_ Are we including Alexis here, or are we ready to talk about a mini Kate?"

"Not yet, but she's still a possibility."

"Yes!" he answered in delight, picking her up and twirling around with her a couple of times.

She laughed at the little boy exuberance and kissed him when they stopped moving, arms still around each other.

"Wow! You skipped right over the rugged handsomeness part? I can't believe you have a twenty _year_ old and an eighteen _month_ old and still get this excited about starting all over again with another one."

"Only with you," he assured her, easing her feet back to the floor. "But it's up to you, Kate. You get the hard part of getting our children into the world, so when you think you're ready for that again…"

Maybe in another year or two? I don't think I'll be too old then. I'm not sure you'll ever be too old. You still amaze me. But you do realize that our grandchildren could easily grow up with our children, right?"

"Yeah, I do. I also have no illusions that sooner or later I'll be mistaken for my child's grandparent. It's a little depressing when I think about it, so I try not to; but I had to find you before I was willing to have another one."

"You don't look like a grandpa to me…and I'm the one you need to impress with that, right?"

"The only one that matters," he affirmed.

"Better be," she answered flirtatiously, pulling him into a loving kiss.


	102. Chapter 102

Chapter 102

Alexis and JD had arrived back at home from their honeymoon on Wednesday night and stopped by the loft just long enough to say hello, drop off a few gifts, and shower some love on Jamie before Kate tucked him in. They were there no more than half an hour before saying they needed to get home and get ready for registration the next morning. After being away for close to two weeks, they also needed to get settled in JD's apartment, go grocery shopping, and generally start making his place their home. Castle invited them for dinner on Saturday night, and the couple agreed it would be nice to get out of organizing mode for an evening before their classes started the following week. And they promised to bring pictures from their trip.

Castle held Alexis a little closer than usual, and she reminded him softly, "You're not losing anybody, remember? Just sharing."

"Deep down inside I know that, but sometimes it hides from me."

"We'll visit often, Mr. Castle," JD promised. "We like it here."

Reluctantly releasing his daughter, he answered, "JD, I think it's about time for you to call Mrs. Castle Kate and call me Rick."

"Would 'Dad' be okay instead? The younger man asked hesitantly.

"Dad would be fine," Castle answered, giving his son-in-law a fatherly hug before the newlyweds left.

"Bye, Kate. Bye, Dad," they heard from both younger voices as they left the loft.

"I think he's wanted to call you that for a good while now," Kate said after the door closed.

"I know what it's like not to have a father. But I can't imagine how it must feel to have had a father…even an inattentive one…and have him suddenly walk away and want nothing to do with you." After a short moment, he admitted, "I may have wanted to hear him say it for a while, too. I do love him like the rest of my family…even if he did steal my little girl." After a deep, sad sigh, he lightened up, gave Kate a teasing smile, and added, "And it wouldn't surprise me if he wants to call you Mom and just hasn't worked up to it yet."

Kate laughed and slipped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder. "Worse things could happen. I love him, too."

xxxxx

After a weekend spent alternately enjoying her family and dreading work on Monday, Beckett met the entire contingent of temporary transfers from the twelfth for an early breakfast.

During their commiserations after the orientation on Friday afternoon, they had decided they would all go in together on Monday morning. If the new captain was going to treat them like the enemy, they would approach him with enough people to resemble an invading army…and provide backup for one another when they reported in. Beyond that, the plan was to counter whatever he threw at them with appropriate professionalism, respect, and cooperation…as long as he didn't interfere with getting their jobs done. If he was still behaving the way he was on Friday, that would infuriate him; and there would be absolutely nothing he could do about it. During breakfast, they had all enjoyed imagining his frustration. They fully intended to be as genuinely friendly as possible to the other officers and detectives at the precinct as well. Making that effort would be necessary, even though they knew they shouldn't expect to be immediately welcomed with open arms.

Their four cars pulled up outside the fifty-first, half an hour earlier than necessary. The eight of them followed the protocol for entering the precinct and then stopped to speak to the desk sergeant.

"I'm Lieutenant Kate Beckett," she said with a smile and shook his hand. "We're the new personnel from the twelfth, and we need to check in with Captain Bronson," she explained.

"I'll let him know you're here," he answered, looking more uncertain than unfriendly. All the men from the twelfth looked pleasant, and some lifted a hand in greeting. After he announced their presence, he said, "You can go on up now, Ma'am. Fourth floor. His office is on the left."

Checking the ID badge and the nameplate on the desk, Beckett answered, "Thanks. Good to meet you Sergeant Cortez."

Each of the men with Beckett quickly introduced himself to the sergeant and shook his hand. Esposito was last and said, "Guess we'll be seeing a lot of you, Cortez."

"Guess so," Cortez answered; and he watched, a bit dazed, as the elevator door closed.

"One down," Demming commented. "That wasn't too bad."

"The day is young," Beckett replied dryly.

"Debbie downer over there…Ma'am," Ryan noted in amusement from where he was squished into a corner."

The rest of the group chuckled, and Esposito asked, "So when you make captain, will you be "Ma'am or Sir?"

"Do I look like a 'Sir' to you?" she shot back with a smirk.

Behind Beckett's back, Esposito mouthed instructions to the others and led them in a unison, "No, Ma'am."

Beckett laughed and said, "Oh, shut up." That left all of them laughing and schooling their faces back to business quickly when the elevator came to a stop.

They definitely attracted attention in the bullpen when a tall, attractive, and confident woman in the company of a group of seven equally confident looking men came striding out of the elevator and toward the captain's office.

When they reached his office, Bronson was leaning back in his chair as he had on Friday. No one offered a handshake because it was obvious he still didn't intend to reciprocate.

"Your transfers from the twelfth, reporting for duty, Sir," Beckett said.

"You always let the woman do the talking for you?" he asked unpleasantly, looking around at the men.

"We do when she's the ranking officer among us, Sir," Demming answered.

"So… All of you at once? You need backup or something? Scared to see me on your own?"

"No, Sir," Beckett answered, appearing completely unaffected. "You seem like someone who says what he needs to say and is done with it, and you didn't seem to want to talk to any of us on Friday. We thought it would save you some time if we all checked in at once. You can tell us what you need us to know, and then we can set up our desks and get to work. But, if you'd rather see us individually, that's fine."

He looked like he wanted to bellow at someone. "How thoughtful of you," he replied sarcastically. He followed that with a speech that, for all intents and purposes, told them he didn't need them and that they were unwanted. He reminded them he was their captain, they should remember that his word is law, and any deviation from that would mean trouble. "Does everybody understand that?"

"Yes, Sir" promptly issued forth in a chorus of staggered responses from the group.

"Robbery is on the second floor. Report to Lieutenant Turek. The rest of you find your desks in homicide. You're detectives. I assume you can find the empty ones." Then they were dismissed with no other instructions and told to get to work…except for Beckett.

"Lieutenant Beckett." He said it as if it were a dirty word. "Do not challenge my authority while you're here."

"I don't intend to, Sir."

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing."

"Sir, I can't think of anything I've done wrong. My only intention is to do my job the way I always have. All of us work hard."

"And how do you see your job as lieutenant?"

"My duties as a detective, some training, evaluations, assisting the detectives when I can…"

"You think they need your help?" He looked angry again. "You don't try to help here if you aren't wanted."

"Yes, Sir."

"And final evaluations are my job, whether you agree with my decisions or not."

"I know that, Sir."

"Dismissed."

Beckett nodded, turned, and left. Sully waved from the unoccupied desks across the room, and she joined the rest of her team there.

"I hope they see how we left our desks for them and are ashamed of what they left us," Ryan muttered under his breath.

"Sully and I will go get our things from the car first. I have some wipes we can use to clean up. It could be worse. Be right back," she said as they left. They were back in minutes and Ryan and Esposito made their own quick run to their car.

One of the detectives on another team had been watching them, and about the time Esposito and Ryan returned, he called from his desk, sounding almost as insulting as Captain Bronson, "You must be the great Detective Beckett."

"I haven't used those words and I don't intend to, Detective?" Her raised eyebrow made it obvious that she was asking for a name,

"Egan. Detective Egan. And you don't have to say anything. You get the media to say it for you."

"Hey, you're speaking to your lieutenant," Esposito pointed out. "And she…"

"You don't need to defend me, Esposito. Let it go." She had already placed the box on her desk and spoke to her team quietly as they did the same. "Go ahead and get your desks set up. I'm going to do a little reconnaissance work. Anybody see a hint of friendly anywhere in this room? We're gonna want somebody to give us at least the five cent tour so we know where to find what we need. It could also break the ice with somebody if we can find anybody willing. Gotta start somewhere."

"The team over in the back corner on the right isn't looking at us like we're something they'd find on the bottoms of their shoes," Sully said, barely audibly. "Maybe that's a place to start."

"The one other woman on the floor is in the group next to that one. She's been watching you non-stop since we came in from Bronson's office," Ryan added. "And she doesn't look like she wants to shoot you."

"Thanks. Wish me luck." She moved away from her desk in the opposite direction from Egan and his team, stopped at the first group of desks on that side of the room, and smiled at the least unfriendly face there. "Hi. I'm Kate Beckett. Might as well get some introductions out of the way. We'll be working together for a while."

"David Tran," the man answered, non-committally. Pointing out the rest of the group of four, he said, Brock, Farmer, and Nilsson."

"Are you working on anything right now, or are you between cases?"

"Just finished one up," he said. "Cleared the board last night and turned in the file just before you got here."

"Well, I'll let you enjoy the down time. We all know it won't last long."

She moved to the group with the other woman in it and introduced herself again. All the detectives in this group were approximately the ages of her team, and they seemed a bit more accepting. The woman introduced herself right away.

"Tamara Griffith, Lieutenant Beckett. These guys are Washington, Stevens, and Malone."

Beckett acknowledged all of them as she had done with the other group. "Looks like you've got an active one," she noted, nodding toward the files and records on their desks. "Any good leads?"

"A couple," Washington answered, "But it's slow going."

"Well, I'll let you get back to it." Standing between the two teams, she asked, "Does anybody have time to give us a quick tour of where to find things? Office supplies, restrooms, printers…coffee? We could wander around and find it ourselves, but it would probably be more efficient and less of a distraction if someone showed us around."

"We got nothing else to do right now. I can do that, one of the men from the first group said. "The rest of them coming, too?"

"Yeah. Let me get them. Be right back."

She walked about halfway back and said, "Hey, guys, Farmer over there is going to show us around."

They all joined Farmer, and Kate's team identified themselves.

"Ellis Farmer," the detective answered, introducing himself to the new co-workers.

Beckett handled the introductions for the rest of the two teams and, impressively, got all the names correct without a single hesitation.

"You ready to go?" Farmer asked. "It's a short tour. Not much to see."

"Usually isn't," Esposito answered agreeably.

"Printer's in the converted closet over there in the corner. Copier's in there, too." As they walked, they joked a little. When they were finished with the general tour, Kate asked about the gym and locker rooms. "The locker rooms are okay, just old. The gym isn't great. It's got the basics, though. You think you'll use it much?" he asked as he led them in that direction.

"With the extra drive time, we may have to," Kate answered. "Not much time to go anywhere else."

When they got back to the bullpen, all of them had relaxed a little. It seemed there was hope for eventually getting along with Farmer.

"Thanks, man," Esposito said as Farmer walked back to his desk, and the others echoed small sounds of appreciation as well.

They set up their desks, adding the supplies they had picked up on their tour, then Becket visited the less friendly looking teams. Those were made up largely of the older detectives who had probably been with Bronson and the precinct for a good while and were likely feeling as insulted as Bronson. A couple of them scowled at them like Egan. The three or four younger members of those teams seemed somewhat intimidated by the others and weren't much friendlier.

A call came in as Beckett's team was about to leave for lunch, and Captain Bronson made sure he stopped them himself, letting them know that a crime scene was waiting and that he expected them to eat later.

There were a few odd looks when they walked into the crime scene with their own camera, but there were no complaints. There were more introductions to be made with the ME and his staff and the CSU team they hadn't worked with before, but that went much more smoothly than the situation at the precinct. Following the use of the good manners required of meeting new people they would have to depend on, Beckett turned on the camera. After a thorough look at the crime scene and a couple of requests for CSU, they took a good look around the general area outside the building and did a quick evaluation of the neighborhood.

Identifying the officers at the scene and speaking with them, Beckett said, "You've been here a lot longer than we have. What can you tell us about the neighborhood and what to look out for? Your insights could be a valuable asset." They were given a quick rundown and then they asked a few questions.

"Good neighborhood information, Hogan. The rest of you, too." Ryan said. "That's gonna be a big help." Hogan had delivered a good report, with others filling in a few extra details."

"You got a military background?" Esposito asked. "Sounded like what I used to hear in the field."

"Marines," Hogan answered. "I liked it but I have a little boy now. Wanted to be home with my family."

"Army. Special Forces," Esposito answered. They bumped fists before getting back to business.

"So, Hogan and Zimmerman," Beckett started. Then she instructed them where to canvass and gave them a couple of questions to be sure to ask and a couple of things to be aware of when talking to possible witnesses in this instance. "If your experience in the neighborhood leads you to ask around in a few other places, feel free. You know the people and places around here and we don't, so use you best judgment." Beckett and the rest of the team thanked the officers, and told them to report to them at the precinct later.

They returned to their desks with food for a working lunch, and Beckett looked for a white board to start laying out their information. Egan was the closest person available when she looked up, so she asked, "Hey, Egan, can you tell me where I can find a white board?"

"You'll need to ask the Captain about that." He had a smirk on his face that looked a little too pleased.

When she knocked on the captain's door, he looked up but said nothing.

"Sir, I was told I needed to ask you about a white board."

"The team you replaced broke theirs right before they left. I've ordered another one, but you'll have to wait until it's delivered. Sometimes they're a little slow about that." He was quietly gloating.

"Then we'll find a way to work without it until we can get one," she answered without argument. And she left.

"No white board for now," she announced when she got back to her desk, loud enough to be heard. "We'll work around it until we have one." Then she told them quietly, "Don't act like it bothers you. It's a set-up. I guess we're going through initiation. This is like junior high."

"Drinks before we head home? Please?" Sully begged just as quietly.

"Yeah, preferably before we even get in the car," Ryan agreed.

"That means we have to find a bar. I hate to ask anybody here," Esposito added.

"Yeah. No telling where we'd end up," Beckett grumbled. Loud enough to be heard again, she said, "Let's see what we've got," and took out a legal pad to start a murder board there. When they had finished their lunch around working and had done all they could do without having more information, she texted Castle with a request, followed by another text saying she couldn't wait to get home.

" _Comfort food for dinner?"_ he texted back.

" _Please, please, please,"_ she answered.

" _As you wish,"_ he answered.

Beckett was sitting with her back to the rest of the bullpen, and Sully pointed at her unexpected, relaxed smile.

"Castle," Ryan stated. The others nodded and couldn't help small smiles of their own after all the frustration.

"He's making us comfort food for dinner," she said, "And by the time I stop ranting, he's probably going to need it, too." They all chuckled softly, and Egan looked disappointed.

A couple of hours later, Officers Hogan and Zimmerman came in with their reports. After discovering a discarded purse with a picture ID that matched their victim, who appeared to be Darlene Oswald, they had found a few people who knew the victim and seemed to be worth the detectives' attention. They also found that the owner of a small restaurant near the victim's address had seen her there that morning with a man about her age. Esposito took the notes, distributed them among his team, and they looked them over, comparing.

"Good information and good observations…concise and well organized, and the victim is identified. Outstanding work, Gentlemen," Beckett commented. "Even business cards for a couple of them. We'll add some of this to the murder board now, such as it is," she said, indicating the legal pad. When Zimmerman opened his mouth as if he were about to speak, she held up a hand and said, "Don't ask."

"Yes, Ma'am," he answered.

"Thanks, guys. We may need to send you to pick up some of these people tomorrow."

"Just let Sergeant Cortez know," Hogan answered.

"I think they left standing a little taller. You get the feeling good work doesn't get much notice around here?" Ryan asked.

"Pretty sure you're right," Esposito agreed.

"Sully, see if you can get a sketch artist in tomorrow morning. When that's scheduled, we can call the restaurant owner…a Mr. Willis French, and get him in to work on a description. He had no cameras and apparently he hadn't seen the man before."

When they had gone through everything, organized it for the next day, and made the right contacts for phone, financial, and business records for their murder victim, a budding young entrepreneur, they organized things to go home. They'd have more to work with the next day when the lab reports and records started coming in.

Bronson had left about twenty minutes earlier, with Egan leaving close behind; and the feeling of relief didn't seem to be only among the team from the twelfth. "Anybody else ready for a beer?" Esposito asked his friends.

There was a chorus of agreement, and Ryan called out, "Hey, Farmer. Can you point us to a bar?"

"Tran and I were going to the one down the block. We'll show you."

Kate looked thoughtfully at their notes and makeshift murder board and put them in a folder to take them with her.

In the lobby as they were leaving, the detectives noticed another team they'd spoken to that morning.

"Griffith, we're going for a beer," Beckett told her. Looking at the rest of the team, she asked, "Anybody want to come along? The new guys are buying the first round."

Three of them said they would. Malone's daughter had a ballgame that night, so he was rushing home. He did say he hated to miss free beer, though.

Without Bronson and Egan around, the group from the fifty-first seemed friendlier. Beckett's team spent about half an hour in the bar talking with them and left feeling like they had made at least a few contacts they could talk to. Their new acquaintances' opinions of Bronson didn't sound much better than those of Beckett's team, but they were all stuck with him.

Kate made one stop on the way home, dropped Sully off, and got to the loft as fast as she could from there.

She was greeted by her husband's kisses, a smiling baby Castle calling, "Mommy" and toddling across the floor as fast as his little legs would carry him to meet her, and the heavenly smell of comfort food filling the loft. Exactly what she needed.


	103. Chapter 103

Chapter 103

Monday evening in the Castle household went by in a haze of love and fun and laughter…all in the pleasant aftermath of comfort food. It lasted until Jamie finally wore himself out, crawled into his mother's lap, and promptly fell asleep. They took his shoes off and, in a rare parental moment, agreed to just put him to bed in his clothes. Standing with arms around one another, his parents watched him sleep for a couple of minutes before going back downstairs.

Kate followed Castle to the kitchen where he poured them each a little wine. As they sipped the wine, he took her hand sympathetically, kissed it, and announced, "Here's how the rest of tonight is going to go. You're going to tell me all about your terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Then we're going to watch a couple of episodes of some really stupid TV show…which can be Nebula 9 if you're so inclined…" Kate swatted his arm, and he laughed. "But I'd recommend a comedy. And then you're going to take a leisurely shower, wash the bad day away, and get some sleep."

"Good plan." She gave him a sweet, lingering kiss and, putting her wine glass down on the counter, asked, "Are you ready? This could go on for a while." He nodded and sat down at the breakfast bar to listen while she told him about her first day at the fifty-first. She started quietly, leaning with her elbows on the counter in front of him, then she gradually advanced to pacing as she spoke, and finally worked her way up to a full-fledged rant. During the verbal flood, he responded with appropriate comments, anger, and disgust; and when it wound down, he stood up and enveloped her in an embrace that left no doubt she was loved.

Giving in to the comfort of his large, warm body holding hers, she wrapped her arms around his waist and said, "I know it has to be humiliating to be told you're getting new people because your precinct is performing so badly, but it feels like more than that. It looks like he's trying hard to goad me into something he can write up as insubordination. It isn't going to happen, though. I've dealt with a lot worse than him. But even though I can understand the anger, I can't excuse the feeling of a vendetta for just being there. It isn't like I asked for this assignment. The bright spot today was that we found a few people who seem friendly, but we we're still being cautious about what we say for a while...even though they didn't seem to like Bronson much more than we do."

"How about Jamie and I come by at the end of your shift on Friday and take you to dinner? Cheer you up a little bit? And I can get a look at this poor excuse for a captain…who's picking on my wife."

"Sure. Just don't come in early. This is nothing like the twelfth." She looked up at him, a little smirk of a smile showing. "And don't go all caveman on me protecting your woman."

"It might not be easy," he teased. "I love my woman."

"Gotta hold my own without you most of the day, Castle."

"Got it. Do you feel better getting it out of your system?" he asked softly before kissing her forehead.

She nodded against his shoulder and asked, "So what are we watching?"

"Your choice. Something that always makes you laugh."

She chose a romcom that reminded them a little of themselves in their early days at the precinct, laughed throughout it, then continued the plan.

Castle followed her into the shower but didn't start anything other than getting clean and goofing around to make her laugh. They dried each other off with soft, fluffy towels, he shaved while she dried her hair, then they snuggled close and drifted off to sleep.

"I don't think I moved all night," Kate mumbled into her husband's chest when she woke up the next morning.

"Me, either," Castle answered, also sounding barely awake. "Jamie was great yesterday…happy, fun. But he was going non-stop. Not even a short nap. No writing done at all. I'm gonna have to send Gina one of my two back up chapters before I have another one to replace it."

"Good plan you had there, Writer-Man. If you can't get any writing done today, I'll take care of Jamie and dinner so you can tonight. Gotta replace that chapter. You never know when you'll get desperate again."

There were sounds of stirring from the baby monitor…indicating that Jamie wasn't awake yet but probably would be soon.

The alarm sounded, and she turned it off, dragged herself into a sitting position, and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "I have to go back there again, don't I?" she pouted.

"'Fraid so, Sweetheart," he answered, propping himself up on his elbow.

"I'm beginning to see the merits of having a sugar daddy," she answered, flopping backward toward him for a quick kiss before she sat back up on the edge of the bed.

"Any time you're ready, my wealth awaits."

Looking over her shoulder, she said, "I'll start the coffee, Mr. Money Bags."

"That's one way to earn your keep. I can think of others," Castle teased, reaching out to squeeze her backside. He fully expected the pillow that was thrown at his grinning face as Kate headed toward the kitchen chuckling.

xxxxx

Since she had things to do at the precinct before working hours began, Kate left a little early but made time to snuggle a still sleepy Jamie for a few minutes before she left.

Having stopped on her way home and picked up the white board and a few other supplies, she almost had it put together when Esposito came in; and he helped her finish it.

The entire team was there a little early, and Beckett took the work they had done on the Oswald case from her bag and put it on the desk.

"You took it home?" Sully questioned quietly. "Why? We didn't have anything else to add."

"I honestly don't know. I just didn't want to leave it here. We haven't written up the witness statements yet, and there's some 'only one copy' information in there. It could be recreated if necessary, but I'd rather not have to." She shrugged. "I guess I don't feel too trusting yet." After a sigh, she admitted, "I know. It sounds…"

"It makes us sound a little paranoid, but I understand," Ryan answered.

The general feeling of concern…or paranoia or whatever…had already led them to keep their conversation quiet and inconspicuous. Resigned sighs issuing from all of them, a few minutes before the beginning of their shift, they started transferring information from the legal pad to the murder board.

Egan came in just barely ahead of being late and disappeared almost immediately as they were working together at the board. He was back in a couple of minutes; and shortly after that, Bronson was standing beside Egan's desk.

"Where did you find that?" he demanded harshly, obviously addressing Beckett about the white board. His loud and unreasonable approach to the situation now had the attention of everyone else there, whether they were actually looking at him or not.

"At the office supply store on my way home after work yesterday," Beckett answered calmly as she finished an entry on the board. "I asked my husband to call in the order so I could just stop and pick it up. Since we needed one; and as you pointed out, we weren't sure how long the new one would be delayed, I took the initiative and bought my own. So there's no need to use the new one when it comes in. And I'll leave this one when I'm finished here so you'll have a spare if any more get broken."

After confronting Beckett with an irrational outburst about a whiteboard, Bronson was the center of attention in the bullpen and didn't have a single argument to fall back on. She had spent her own money, had shown no disrespect, had made no accusations, and had even promised to make a gift of the new board to the fifty-first when she left. The captain looked furious, but he turned without another word and went back to his office. Egan glared at her.

Beckett's team inwardly gloated behind their poker faces and finished adding what they had to their brand, spanking new murder board.

Quietly, as if it were part of their entries to the board, Ryan said, "My paranoia wonders why his question was 'Where did you find that?' not 'Where did that come from?' or 'Did the new boards already come in?" There were small sounds of agreement in response.

Records for Darlene Oswald were now in their possession, and they were working through those while the restaurant owner, Mr. French, was working with the sketch artist. They were presented with the drawing of a face; and armed with that piece of evidence, Ryan and Esposito took their copies to the victim's neighbors and to surrounding businesses, etc. in search of an identification.

Beckett interviewed Mr. French again but found nothing else about the murder. He did, however, have a possible surname for Darlene Oswald's mother. He smiled when he stood to leave and told the team they should try his restaurant for lunch one day soon.

"We might do that," Beckett answered.

Willis French waxed serious before he left, telling Beckett, "Find whoever did this and put them away. Darlene was a sweet girl, always willing to help people out. And she was ambitious. She planned to make something of herself. A lot of people are going to miss her."

"We'll do everything we can. If you think of anything else, please give me a call," she said, giving the restaurant owner her card. "Thank you for your time and cooperation. We appreciate it."

He nodded and waved sadly on his way out.

Now that they had access to Darlene's records and had time to scrutinize them, Ryan discovered that a surname matching the one Mr. French had given them was the beneficiary of her insurance policy. Her mother had remarried and moved out of the Bronx.

Sighing deeply beforehand, Beckett went to the captain's office. "Excuse me, Sir. We found next of kin for our victim. Sully and I need to drive to Westchester to inform her mother."

"Fine," he said grudgingly. "But it only takes one of you. Leave him here."

On her way back from delivering the heartbreaking news to Darlene's mother and asking some questions, she had a first name for the man in the sketch. When she was close to the precinct, she got a call from Mr. French saying that the man he saw was back. He was sipping coffee and said he'd order when his friend arrived."

"Don't approach him yourself. Do everything as you normally would. I'm about five blocks away, so I'll be there soon." She called Sully and asked for backup, and he and Esposito were on their way out before they closed the call.

When Beckett arrived on the restaurant's block, Sully and Esposito were pulling the car into a parking space. She found one close by, they made a quick plan, and then went inside. Sully and Esposito sat down at a table next to their subject, and Beckett approached him. Inconspicuously taking her badge from her waistband, she showed it to the man at the table and asked, "May I sit here?"

The young man sat up straighter and nodded. "What's this about, officer?" he asked nervously, speaking quietly as if he were embarrassed.

Beckett spoke to him quietly as well. "Is your first name Scott?"

"Yes. How did you know…"

"Do you know a woman named Darlene Oswald?"

"Darlene? Wait. Whatever it is you think she did, I'm sure she didn't. She's never been in any kind of trouble. Neither have I. If you want to talk to her, she should be here any minute. She's supposed to meet me here for lunch, but she's a little late."

"At this point, you aren't in any trouble, either, but we do need to talk to you. We're hoping you can help us with an investigation, but it might be better to discuss it at the precinct. Afterward we can bring you back here or take you home if necessary. It's only a few blocks from here. "When he hesitated, she said, "It has to do with Darlene, and it's important. We'd really appreciate it."

Scott sighed, nodded, took out money for his coffee, and left it on the table before walking out with her. Sully and Esposito were right behind them, and Beckett introduced them. "Their car is right here. You ride with them. My car is around the corner, and I'll be right behind you."

They took Scott to the conference room to talk, and he honestly didn't seem to know that Darlene was dead.

"I don't understand why you didn't want to wait for Darlene," he said, seeming genuinely confused. "You could have talked to both of us."

"Scott, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Darlene was murdered."

"Murdered? No."

We thought you might prefer to hear that when you weren't in a room full of strangers having lunch."

He propped his elbows on the table and ran his hands through his hair, holding his head with a hand on each side of it. With a sheen of tears in his eyes, he asked, "When? How?"

"Between six-thirty and nine Sunday night. Blunt force trauma…a head wound." Beckett answered gently. "We're hoping you can help us figure out why someone would kill her. Other than the murderer, it looks like you were probably the last person to see her alive. Can you think of anyone who might have wanted to hurt her?"

"No. Everybody loved her. She was bright and bubbly and kind and full of good ideas…"

"How did you know her?"

"We met at college…business classes. We had planned to start a business and had made it far enough to be looking at real estate not far from here. We found what looked like the perfect place; but when the realtor showed it to us, it looked like somebody was living there…you know, like a street person or something. The realtor was upset that the stuff hadn't been cleared out. She assured us that no one was using it now and that it would be removed quickly."

"Were there any difficulties or hard feelings anywhere in the business dealings up to this point?"

"No. Everything was going smoothly."

"And where were you between six-thirty and nine on Sunday night?"

"You don't think I would…"

"It helps to eliminate as many people as possible. That's all," Beckett answered.

"We stood on the street and talked after the realtor left. That was about six-thirty. We both still have fulltime jobs, and the realtor was willing to meet us on Sunday. The place looked like it would be perfect once we fixed it up, and we were pretty stoked. It felt like we were getting close to what we'd been working for all this time. I had to leave to meet some friends for dinner, but Darlene said she wanted to stay and look around the outside. She sounded like she just didn't want to leave yet. If I'd stayed with her..."

"We'll need you to write down your friends' names and where you went that night. Again, elimination purposes. Part of the process of finding the right suspect." She pushed a pen and a small legal pad across the table to him.

As he picked up the pen, he assured her, "If it'll help you find who killed Darlene, my life is an open book."

After a few more questions, Beckett thanked Scott, and Sully took him home.

"I don't think he had anything to do with it," Beckett said.

"Me, either," Esposito agreed, and Ryan nodded.

Calling the list of neighbors the uniforms had provided them the day before netted the detectives more information about the victim, including confirmation that she and a partner were well on the way to starting a business; but it gave them nothing useful as far as the murder.

Sully and Beckett went to talk to her coworkers while Ryan and Esposito went to look around at the building where Scott Rhodes said he had left Darlene on Sunday night. Behind the building, they found a door that was locked, but they almost missed a smaller door in the far corner of the building with a lot of posts and rebar and plywood propped near it, effectively hiding it from view. That one was unlocked. They let Beckett know where they were, cleared the building, and looked around, finding evidence of a squatter, mostly in a room that couldn't be seen from the one window in the front. Then Ryan called Beckett again. "We need to call CSU, Beckett. There's definitely been a squatter here, but it looks like it's present tense. There's nobody here right now, but there's blood. This may be where she was killed. We're gonna wait for CSU, but we'll want backup." They talked specifics as they moved to have sight of the unlocked back door until their backup arrived.

An unmarked car was stationed on the street where there was a good view of the back doors, leaving the boys more comfortable about bringing CSU in through the front. Knowing they would need to be there as soon as CSU had an area clear, the two detectives stood watch for their new colleagues as they did their work.

By the time CSU had cleared the first area, Beckett and Sully were there too, and the four detectives moved in to do their jobs. Returning to the precinct, they entered the bullpen with Beckett saying, "Cortez is sending a couple of uniforms to canvass the area around the building to see if anybody knows who's squatting there."

"Looks like she was probably killed there." Ryan speculated.

"And then taken a block away and dumped?" Sully asked.

"If it's the guy who was living there, he considers it his home. He probably didn't want to live with a dead body in it," Esposito answered. "And didn't want anybody finding that unlocked back door."

Going to the murder board, Beckett recorded their new information from the morning and they began to talk theory, bouncing thoughts back and forth.

"It makes no sense for Scott Rhodes to have killed her. We can follow up on the realtor and the paperwork they filed to see if anything stands out, but I doubt we'll find anything."

"Me, either. So we wait for CSU results before we bring him in again?"

"That's my vote."

"If that turns out to be Darlene's blood, the two probabilities are that the squatter killed her or somebody else killed her there to make it look that way."

"I could see that the guy would be upset that he'd have to find another place to stay, but how would he know about the plans? Scott mentioned that there was evidence someone had been there, but he didn't mention seeing anybody."

"That back door was unlocked. He could have heard their voices and stayed where they couldn't see him…caught the whole sale conversation."

"If he'd kill for that, he could be dangerous when he finds out his belongings are missing."

"Yeah. That's probably everything he owns."

"It's sad."

"Guess we'll have to wait for CSU to process the fingerprints."

It wasn't long before they had fingerprints that linked to a Benjamin Lawrence Nash, Army veteran. After lunch, the uniforms who were canvassing around the building let them know that several people were pretty sure it was a homeless man everybody knew as Benny. On his lucid days, people would give him odd jobs, and otherwise he had a small core of people who gave him a little cash now and then. There were times he seemed to be in a haze…living in his own world, though. From what he wore and little bits of random conversation during his good times, they thought he was probably a military veteran. They said they felt bad for him, that he kept to himself a lot…was unpredictable and probably had mental health issues but had never been violent.

"It fits the fingerprints," Esposito said sadly.

Beckett gave him a sympathetic look as she returned their attention to the case. "We need to get an APB out on Mr. Nash. The people who gave us the information about him haven't seen him in a couple of days."

It was late on Thursday afternoon before Benny Nash was found and brought in, and Beckett had Esposito accompany her for the interrogation.

"Mr. Nash…"

"Just Benny," he said, fidgeting in his seat. "Mr. Nash isn't me anymore," He seemed to be nervous and barely holding on to reality.

"You were Army?" Esposito asked calmly. In response, Benny just nodded. "Me, too," Esposito answered. "You saw some bad stuff, didn't you?"

Benny nodded again and rocked back and forth a little bit in his chair.

"You're here because we have questions about a murder, Benny."

The man nodded and continued the slight rocking. He said he didn't know Darlene, but he did know who she was when a picture was shown, Beckett started to show him the crime scene photo, but Esposito stopped her with a non-verbal request to allow him to do it.

"Sometimes bad things happen here, too. This is one of them." Pushing the picture across to Benny, he asked, "Do you know how this happened to Darlene?"

Benny looked at the picture, still rocking, then looked away immediately. "I didn't mean to hurt her. She found my door and came inside after they all left. I heard them. I was just trying to tell her…" His voice faded away.

"What were you trying to tell her?"

"That it was my home, and they were going to take it away...throw out all my stuff. But she didn't understand. She said I could have my stuff and they'd find me a shelter until they could find me another place, but she didn't understand," he insisted, becoming a little agitated.

"What didn't she understand?" Beckett asked softly.

"Too many people. There's noise in my head...always bad noise in my head. When there are lots of people, there's more noise…and I get scared. And sometimes it makes me want to hurt them, but they aren't doing bad things." He made a keening sound that seemed to fit the rocking motion. "I don't want to hurt anybody. If I went home…just me…the noise wasn't so bad anymore." He paused for a long moment. "She was always nice to me…gave me money sometimes…brought me things to eat sometimes…made me cookies at Christmas. I thought she'd understand, but she didn't." He became more agitated. "I kept trying to explain about the noise, but she didn't understand. I can't… The shelters…there's noise… And little places scare me. Need space…quiet places…room to move around. I didn't mean to hurt her, but she kept talking...and I couldn't make her understand. And I needed my home so I wouldn't hurt anybody. I was so frustrated…and I picked up something and hit her. It's why I needed my home…with nobody there. I didn't mean to hurt her."

The keening started again, and they gave him a moment before Esposito asked, "Did you move her body to the next block?"

He nodded again. "After dark… I wanted somebody to find her. More people near there," he answered.

"You killed her, Benny," Beckett told him. "We're gonna have to take you to a small place for a little while, and then we'll take you to somebody who does understand as soon as we can."

Esposito walked with Benny and waited as he was processed, then walked him to holding with the officer who was assigned to him and said he'd be back to check on him later.

Beckett had Ryan make a copy of the interrogation tape and then went to the captain to let him know they had a confession and to fully explain the situation.

"You going soft on me Beckett?" Bronson answered unsympathetically.

"I'm just presenting the facts. He needs to see the department shrink before we talk to the DA about charges. I don't see it going past manslaughter, and he may not be deemed fit to stand trial. Here's a recording of the interrogation. You can decide for yourself where things stand." She placed a stick drive on his desk before she walked away.

After a visit from a department psychologist, Beckett and Esposito met with the doctor, who recommended hospitalization until Benny could be more fully evaluated.

"Can you recommend a VA facility with a good mental health department?" Esposito asked. "I'm just asking to send him where he's with people who know how he got here. We see too much of this. Coming home isn't always easy. You see things, have to do things that…" There was a deep sigh. "Just saying, a man serves his country and comes home and he's reduced to this. It's not right."

Beckett briefly rested a supportive hand on his arm, and the psychologist promised he'd do the best he could.

As they walked away, Beckett said, "This one's hitting a little too close to home?"

"There but for the grace of God, and all that, you know?"

Beckett nodded and allowed him to sort out his thoughts as they walked back to the bullpen in the companionable silence of old friends.

The paperwork was filed, Benny was taken to a VA hospital that night, and their first case at the fifty-first was closed.

xxxxx

Beckett went home to her two Castle men and unwound from the day's stresses, and she gave back to them as much joy and comfort as they gave her.


	104. Chapter 104

SC – 104

For Kate, Friday morning came with the promise of dinner with her men. Castle would be there with Jamie to pick her up at the end of her shift. The workday started easily; their last case was closed, and they had turned in their paperwork the day before. Then, just before ten, the captain was suddenly in the bullpen bellowing at Griffith.

"What the hell did you do last night? I just had some woman on the phone telling me that if I didn't fire you she was going to sue the city. Among other things, she said you shoved her up against a wall."

"Sir, I…" Griffith started, but she was cut off.

"She says she's already put her story on her Facebook page. You know what that means. It's going to be all over the internet, and the brass is going to pick up on it."

"Sir, if you…"

"Desk duty until further notice!" Pointing a finger at her angrily, he added, And if reporters show up, don't say a word. We'll deal with this later. I have to make a phone call. I don't need this kind of nuisance."

Washington made an effort to defend her. "Sir, I was there, and…"

"Then you're on desk duty, too."

"Captain…" Beckett managed to say before she was cut off as well.

"You stay out of it, Beckett."

Beckett's response after he left was to go directly to Griffith's desk and ask for her side of the story. The woman who was complaining had apparently taken offense to the benign question Griffith was asking in reference to the case they were working on and had been hostile, spewing expletives and accusations as she ran from the area.

Washington backed up Griffith's assertion that she had done nothing threatening or offensive.

"Were there witnesses?" Beckett asked.

"Probably a dozen," Griffith answered.

"Check the notes I just took and make corrections if you or Washington need to add or adjust anything. Then copy any notes from the situation last night, especially anything specific to this woman, and give them to me. I'll see what I can get from the witnesses. Do it now while he's making his phone call."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Griffith said, looking down. "He…"

Beckett smiled, giving Griffith's arm an encouraging pat as she stood. Griffith and Washington read through her notes and added a couple of of their own. Equipped with the notes she had taken on what she believed to be accurate information, she was only waiting until Griffith had made her copies before she faced Bronson to ask about dealing with the problem. While Griffith was at the copier and Beckett was explaining the situation to her team, Deputy Chief Alvarez stepped out of the elevator and walked directly into the bullpen.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen." The detectives began to stand, but he told them to sit down, that he was only there for a visit.

The sound had immediately drawn Bronson to see who was addressing his homicide detectives; and standing behind the deputy chief, he didn't look pleased. However, he put on his game face and walked up beside him. "Good morning, Sir. How can we help you?"

"Just here for a visit, Captain. I wanted to see how our pilot program is progressing. Chief Dawson and I will be making several visits over the next six months to gauge the possible benefits."

"It's a little early to see much of a change yet," Bronson answered.

"We need to see the present situation so we have a basis for comparison later," Alvarez explained. "I've already spoken to the team in Robbery. Detective Beckett, is everything working well here for you and your partners?"

"We're fine, Sir."

As she answered, the deputy chief was looking around at the other detectives in the room. "No problems at all?"

"Well, apparently there was an incident last night, and someone has made accusations against one of our detectives. It's likely that there's nothing to it, but the woman has called the captain and seemed determined to make trouble."

"When did she call?'

"This morning…about fifteen minutes ago. That was the first I'd heard of it," Bronson answered, glaring at Beckett from where he stood slightly forward of Alvarez.

"I assume an investigation is in the planning stages."

"Yes, Sir," Bronson said.

"We don't have a case right now, and information has already been gathered from Detective Griffith and her partner. Detective Sully and I are willing to help when the captain is ready," Beckett responded.

Looking at Bronson, Alvarez said, "I'm sure that won't be long. Right, Captain?"

"No, Sir. Not long at all," Bronson answered.

"I'd like your thoughts before I go, Captain Bronson. Your office?"

Bronson motioned toward his office and walked back there with Alvarez. The deputy chief closed the door behind him and said, "Don't give your sergeant trouble for not alerting you to my presence. He was under orders not to…and will be for other unannounced visits as well. That goes for the other precincts, too."

"Yes, Sir."

"Do you have any thoughts on the effectiveness of the new personnel?" Are they getting the job done? Making an effort to be part of the precinct? Are others here making an effort to work with them?"

"Robbery is working on a case that came in on Wednesday. Homicide caught a case on Monday and cleared it on Thursday afternoon. Everything was in order before they left yesterday. The rest is okay. Too early to know much on that score yet," he answered, still standing.

Detective Beckett told me she and her partners were fine here, but the surprised looks on the faces of the other detectives told me a different story. I'm not new at this and didn't get here by not being a good detective myself; and I suspect your behavior toward the teams from the twelfth, to be polite, hasn't been particularly helpful. My intentions in regard to your behavior still stand if I find evidence of abuse of power or attempts to sabotage this program. Lieutenant Beckett has given me no indication that there's a problem; but if you know the situation to be different, you should think twice about what you're doing. Since it's so early in the transfers, I expect she was trying to keep the peace. However, future visits at the four precincts will include private interviews with random members of the personnel; and if a problem is there, it will come out eventually. You don't like this state of affairs, and I understand that. But remember that it's Chief Dawson's orders…for all of us. We'll be working with it until the end of December." He turned back as he reached for the door knob. "In case you were concerned about your detectives at the twelfth, they've been welcomed at that precinct and seem to be acclimating well. Oh, and Beckett already has the information she needs. You could save yourself some time and stress by letting her investigate this new problem before it has a chance to get bigger. If reporters start to hone in, she knows how to handle them." Then he left.

Bronson sat down at his desk and glowered at the doorway where the deputy chief had just walked away, then he resentfully stood again to call Beckett and let her look into his Griffith troubles. He stood in the hallway near the bullpen and called her name rather than bellowed it.

"Yes, Sir?"

"My office now," he said as he turned and walked back.

"Good luck," Sully muttered.

"Thanks."

"Close the door," Bronson ordered when she arrived. Sounding resigned, he indicated a chair near his desk and grumped, "Might as well sit down."

Beckett sat confidently, and he looked at her intently, again leaning back in his chair. "I guess you figure I owe you now?"

"I'm pretty sure you do," she answered.

"So what are you hoping to get for yourself from this?"

"I don't know why you've taken such a dislike to me, Captain; but I'm going to speak my mind, and you can write me up if you feel the need. It can't make you angrier at me than you already are. I'm not looking for anything for myself. To be honest, I've been through a lot during my time in the department. There are several close seconds; but the worst of it was being shot in the chest by a sniper, and spending over a year after that knowing I had a target on my back, wondering when it might happen again. You're an NYPD captain. I imagine you were at Roy's funeral that day. It took me almost four months of pain and hard work to get back to full duty after it happened, so I'm sure I'll survive whatever you have in store for me for the next four months. At this point, the harassment here is barely a blip on my radar."

"Then what did you expect to gain from your little act out there?"

"I want the harassment and humiliations to stop. Keep in mind that I'm perfectly capable of filling out complaint forms if necessary, but I'd rather give us all enough leeway to work it out. Right now, I'm the lieutenant for your homicide division; so while I'm here, your people are my people, too; and I intend to have their backs when they need it. You've been harassing all of us from the twelfth since we walked in here on Monday, and we can take it; but we shouldn't have to. We plan to work just as hard for you as we have for anybody else. And I've seen the way you treat the people who were already working for you, the lack of respect or encouragement, the public snide remarks. What I want out of 'my little act' is for that to stop. Nobody expects you to turn warm and fuzzy, pay compliments and pat people on the back. Just don't make their jobs harder. We both know how fast an innocent looking situation can go bad. They put their lives on the line every time they go out of the precinct, and they deserve respect for that."

"Well, aren't you all sunshine and buttercups?" he said sarcastically.

"No, Sir. I just know it's easier to do a good job when you don't dread having to go to work."

"Hmmmph!

"I'm pretty sure Alvarez had something to say to you this morning, but he brought it back here rather than making it public. This morning, with Griffith? That should have been handled the same way, but it wasn't; and as a result you have potential trouble brewing and still have no idea what actually happened. If someone from 1PP calls, you still don't know her side of the story. If it turns out to be her fault, so be it; but she didn't need to be humiliated in the bullpen."

"So this is the women sticking together?"

"No. It's cops giving their own a fair chance. If she created the problem, she should have to deal with the consequences. If she didn't, she deserves the department's support….starting here."

Bronson seemed to be assessing her again and still didn't look happy, but he did seem to be thinking it through. Grudgingly he told her, "Since you already have the information, you might as well go ahead and investigate. I'm guessing you talked to Griffith as soon as I left the room."

"I did."

"Even though I told you to stay out of it?"

"My people. I intend to back them up."

"Fine," he huffed. "Tell me what happened." Beckett repeated Griffith's explanation and Washington's additional comments, and then he said gruffly, "Go find your witnesses. See if we can make this go away."

"Thank you."

"Beckett, I'm giving you today, but don't ever try to speak for me or go around me like that again, especially in front of a superior officer. Is that clear?"

"Understood. I realize I overstepped; but for all of us, it needed to be handled quickly. And some of it turned out to your advantage."

"You got balls. I'll give you that," he grumbled as she stood.

"Inappropriate, Sir. But no. No truth to that rumor."

There was a non-descript snort of a noise from Bronson that could almost have been interpreted as humor, accompanied by a dismissive wave of his hand, and Beckett went to consult with Sully before leaving to find witnesses.

xxxxx

Beckett and Sully spoke to the manager of the neighborhood deli where the incident with Griffith had taken place. The owner said he was at the door, saw the entire incident, and assured them that none of the accusations were accurate. He said he had gone to school with the woman in question.

"She's always looked for ways to cause trouble, and social media has made it worse; but it's always been feuds with the neighbors, local businesses, that kind of thing. Wherever she is, you can bet somebody has a cell phone ready to record. You never know when she'll start something, but she's never gone after the police like this before. You should have at least ten witnesses from last night who would back Detective Griffith, some who were in our outdoor seating area and a few who were just passing by. When she was Officer Griffith, she was great, treated us with respect and got the same in return. She took time with the kids and spent a little extra time with the ones who looked like they were headed for trouble, and the older people sort of adopted her. She did some community work sometimes on her time off, too. All of us appreciated her. Ol' Marsha picked on the wrong person this time. Most of the neighborhood will help you however we can. Can't you arrest Marsha for a false report or something?"

"We're looking into all of it. Did any of the witnesses, your customers, pay with cards last night?"

"Yeah. Come on in. I'll see if I can find them. Do you want the CCTV recording? I have names of a couple of the people passing by, but not addresses. Anything you need, just ask. I'd love to see her locked up, even if it's just for a couple of days."

They found names of two witnesses through their credit card receipts. All of them lived in the area, and others turned up in a chain, one witness having some information they could use to find another one. By late afternoon, as well as the camera footage from the deli, they had found and interviewed eight witnesses, all of whom backed Griffith's story; and three of them had videos on their phones.

It seemed that Griffith and Washington had stopped and spoken to passersby and to people who were seated in the outside area of the little deli, presenting a photo and asking if they had seen their person of interest. The question had been phrased the same way to each potential witness, but the woman in question, Marsha Talbot, had started shouting that she didn't even know the man and she was being accused of a crime(which neither detective mentioned). Her Facebook page added that Griffith had shoved her against the wall and threatened before she ran in fear of injury.

The witnesses, however, said that Marsha had flung herself against the wall and started shouting as if she had been pushed. Then she ran from the restaurant, shouting expletives and accusations as everyone else, including the detectives, who obviously never touched her, gaped in astonishment. The videos, taken from three different angles, clearly backed the witnesses.

When they returned to the precinct, the Facebook page had drawn some interest, but the refuting evidence was clear.

Beckett and Sully organized the evidence, presented it to Bronson and left the rest to him. He grunted something that might, although quite vaguely, be interpreted as appreciation, or at least acknowledgment, before they left.

By the time all that was done, the detectives' shifts were over, and the desk sergeant was calling. "Beckett, I got a couple of guys down here that claim to be yours…one big one and one little one. Should I send them up?"

"Yeah. They won't be up here long. Thanks, Cortez."

While they were on the way up, Beckett took time for a bathroom break so they could leave as soon as possible, and Esposito walked over to greet Castle when he exited the elevator with Jamie in his arms.

"Hey, you brought Baby Castle."

"Tio Javi!" Jamie giggled as Esposito tickled his tummy.

Then Beckett was back in the room, and Jamie turned to Castle with an expression on his face identical to the exaggerated one Castle used so often when he was reading or playing with his son. Jamie gave the exact same little gasp of surprise along with the wide eyes, pointed and said, "Mommy!" Then he turned toward Beckett and was bouncing and squirming to get to her.

"Geez, Castle," Esposito said with a laugh. "It isn't enough the poor kid's your clone? You have to teach him your expressions, too?"

Complete, adorable innocence wasn't something common to the homicide bullpen, and all eyes were on them.

"Hey, Castle," Beckett said with full eye contact and a smile nobody at the fifty-first had seen before, then she turned her attention to her son, holding out her arms. "Hand over my baby."

Jamie practically threw himself out of Castle's arms and into his mother's. She hugged him, and he sat up on her arm as she held him, patting his little hands in places all over his face and saying, "Tiss, tiss tiss, tiss, tiss, tiss, tiss, with a big smile.

Beckett planted kisses rapidly all over his face; and he belly laughed, creating smiles on the faces of half the people in the bullpen. Castle watched the two of them with the pride of a loving husband and father and enjoyed knowing that her family could bring that smile from her in spite of a rough week.

"Sorry," Beckett apologized to the rest of the bullpen. "We'll take this display elsewhere. These two gentlemen are taking me out for dinner. This is my husband, Richard Castle, and our son, Jamie."

Some hands were lifted in greeting, and there were a few handshakes for Castle as people left their work hours behind. Several versions of "Cute kid" were heard during the exchanges, and Castle was his usual gregarious self. Bronson stood and watched from the short hallway outside his office, but he said nothing. Beckett, with Jamie clinging to her like a koala, picked up her purse from the desk drawer and joined Castle, who was talking to Farmer.

As they were leaving, Castle's hand at the small of his wife's back, they couldn't miss Bronson standing there; so Beckett introduced him to Castle. Bronson nodded, and Castle said, "Good to meet you", and that was it. No handshake, no further words. But no snide remarks, either…from either man. Small blessings.

After they entered the elevator, Beckett said, "God, when did I turn into that mom who turns completely unprofessional in public at the sight of her baby? I totally forgot myself."

"You totally looked like a professional woman who's completely in love with her baby. And besides, your shift was over. You were off the job. Don't stress over it."

"He's definitely worth a little embarrassment."

"Yeah, he is. Where would you like to go for dinner?" Castle asked as they left the elevator. "Do you want to try somewhere around here or would you rather go back to Manhattan?"

"There's a place a few blocks from here. The owner helped us out on the case we just closed and invited us to try out his restaurant for lunch one day, but we never got there. Some of the others said it's good, though."

"What's it called?"

"Frenchy's" The owner's name is Willis French."

Beckett introduced her husband and son when the owner came to greet them; and Mr. French, the upset of a murder investigation being over, insisted they call him Frenchy. "The rest of the neighborhood does," he said. "And from what I hear, you're going to be part of it for a while, Lieutenant Beckett. I'll be happy to have you here any time. You, too, Mr. Castle."

He seated them, brought a high chair, interacted with Jamie for a minute, and handed them their menus before a look crossed his face. "Castle? Richard Castle, the writer?"

Castle nodded and put a finger to his lips hoping the man would understand he didn't want to be noticed. Fortunately, the question had been asked amid the noise of the early dinner crowd.

"Then you must be…"

Beckett interrupted. "I'm just me. He took some elements of me and made up the rest of her. She's fiction. I'm not."

"Sorry." There was a twinkle in his eye, though. "My wife will be so excited about this. We both like your books."

"I appreciate that. It's always nice to know somebody is enjoying them."

"I should let you look at the menu. I'll send you a server in a couple of minutes."

The server was a young woman who had been in the restaurant when Scott Rhodes had left with the detectives. Frenchy had alerted his employees to the situation, so she recognized Beckett. After a long moment with Jamie, who had a strong charm offensive going that evening, she said, "Hi Lieutenant Beckett. I'm Reba. Your little boy is adorable. Have you decided what you want yet, or do you need a few minutes?" Beckett ordered, and then Reba said, "This must be your husband." Hearing an affirmative, Reba turned to Castle and asked, "What can I get for you, Mr. Beckett?"

After a nonplussed moment and watching a tiny, smirk on his wife's lips, he answered smoothly, "Mr. Beckett will have the rib-eye steak." When the order was complete and Reba left, he looked at Kate and said "You enjoyed that, didn't you?"

"Yeah." She giggled. "It's one way to be more anonymous, don't you think?"

"So, if Frenchy doesn't give us away, we're the Beckett's tonight?" Kate grinned mischievously and nodded, and they turned back to Jamie. "Good thing you're too young for an identity crisis, Kid," he told his son good naturedly.

They thoroughly enjoyed the meal and the service and complimented the owner before they left.

"Glad you enjoyed it," Frenchy told them. "Come back again when you have a chance."

"Count on it," Castle answered.

Jamie got another little bit of the man's attention and smiled and waved over Castle's shoulder when Beckett told him to say goodbye. Then they went home and enjoyed some quiet time before Jamie was asleep.

Kate sat down on the sofa looking tired and Castle followed her. "You said it was an interesting day. Tell me about it," he said, sitting down beside her and swinging an arm around her shoulders.

She relayed Griffith's problem with Marsha Talbot. Then she told him about her very frank conversation with Captain Bronson, and the "get out of jail free card" she gave him when she answered Alvarez about how her team was faring at the fifty-first.

"I'd been looking for an opening to talk to him all week, and I admit that I saw the opportunity and took advantage of the fact that he might think he owed me one. I did it intentionally so I could make my point for everybody else, and then I overstepped in answering the deputy chief about Griffith with Bronson right there. I didn't trust Bronson to handle it well, and I wanted to be sure Griffith wouldn't have the problem hanging over her longer than necessary. I pushed my luck pretty hard, and he had every right to give me trouble this time. He was still cantankerous, but he listened…with annoyance, but he listened. It may accomplish nothing, but I tried."

"You brought him everything he needed to take care of the problem with Griffith, and he didn't have to lift a finger to get it. That's bound to be worth something."

"Maybe. I guess I'll know next week. He let it go today, but he warned me not to do anything like that again. I already knew that, though. I did push it." She sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I'm proud of you," he told her and planted a kiss on her head. He knew she would feel his lips turn up in a smile as he added, "Your sugar daddy is available anytime it gets too hard to take."

She laughed and swatted his arm lightly before answering, "Good to know." After a few minutes of sitting quietly just enjoying being close, she said. "I'm on call this weekend, and considering how this week has gone, I'll probably get the first call that comes in."

"Then you should to go to bed and get some sleep."

"Could we go to bed and _not_ get some sleep first?" she asked mischievously.

"Oh, I could definitely live with that," he answered with his smirky little half smile and stood, holding his hand out to help her up.


	105. Chapter 105

Chapter 105

Beckett was on call over the weekend. Saturday passed without having to leave home, but Sunday afternoon there was a call; and since Alexis and JD were coming for a visit and dinner, she was disappointed. She spent a few minutes with her guys before she left and apologized to Alexis and JD when they were coming and she was going.

Frank Stokes was the ME on call, and he wasn't any happier about leaving Lanie behind than Beckett was about leaving her family. Sully just hated having to leave the game he was watching. The crime scene was small, just the sidewalk and the area in front of the victim's home and the street where a car had stopped. The cause of death could almost certainly be attributed to the gunshot wound to the head.

It didn't take long to interview the shocked neighbors, most of whom were already in their front yards…or the devastated parents. One of the neighbors said he'd been kneeling, working in his front yard, when he heard a car screech to a stop across the street. He stood to check on it and heard a voice yelling from the car…something about a girl; then there was a shot fired, and the car sped off. He said something didn't look right about the situation, and he got the license number just before the shot was fired. Then he saw his teenage neighbor crumple to the sidewalk.

Beckett was home by ten, and Castle came out of the study to meet her.

"I didn't expect you to be home this soon," he told her, adding a kiss for a welcome.

"It wasn't quite a drive-by but close. A neighbor thought something looked fishy and got the plate number just before the shooting. Officers spotted the car, called for backup since they knew there was a weapon, and pulled them over. The gun was lying on the back seat with visible fingerprints. We interrogated the two who were in the car, both legally adult high school kids; and of course they blamed each other. When we get the fingerprints in tomorrow, we'll see who was lying."

"You didn't get fingerprint matches already?"

"I can't imagine they haven't been in trouble before, but somehow they weren't in the system. We have to wait for the prints from the gun. And honestly, I didn't mind leaving them in custody overnight."

"Do you know why it happened?"

"Looks like the bad guy's girlfriend got tired of the trouble and started seeing a guy with decent grades and a better attitude. I felt so bad for the victim's family."

"What a waste," Castle answered. "I can't imagine anything worse than losing a child, especially like that."

Beckett wrapped her arms around her husband's waist, and he held her, rubbing her back gently in sympathy for a long moment. She sighed and held him a little tighter. Finally she lifted her head, gave him a lingering kiss, and asked, "Did you miss me?"

"Of course I did," he answered. "Our children and I had a very nice afternoon and dinner, but it would have been more fun if you had been here, too."

"You need to have all of them to yourself now and then. Alexis isn't here as much now, and the dynamic is different when she and JD are with Jamie. I know you loved it."

"I did. Doesn't mean I didn't miss you, though." He kissed the tip of her nose and said, "Come on. We saved you some dinner."

"I was hoping you would. It was smelling really good when I had to leave."

xxxxx

Monday morning, Ryan and Esposito asked why they weren't called in, then they realized the case was practically closed already and simply thanked Beckett.

During the morning, while they had nothing pressing to do, Beckett walked around the bullpen visiting and asking her low key questions about cases, leaving it looking more like she was encouraging the others to explain their cases than that she was looking for information about how they work. She offered suggestions where it was appropriate and praised what was being done well, and everyone was left with a smile.

As she walked past one of the two teams of mostly older men…not Egan's…Mason said quietly, "I've been around long enough to see what you did there. You're good."

She flashed him a smile. "Thanks, Mason. I appreciate that. Just doing my job, though." He smiled back, and she returned to her desk.

When the lab report came in, they charged the passenger with murder and the driver as an accessory to murder. Then Beckett and Sully finished their paperwork and left the precinct on time.

Castle met her at the loft door with a kiss, and Jamie looked up from where he was playing with his blocks and ran to meet her, asking for "tisses", and she made a big show about how glad she was to see him.

"Mommy play?" he asked. "In a minute, Baby Boy", she said, nuzzling under his chin to make him giggle. Turning to Castle, she asked "How is the writing going?"

"Good ideas and dialogue floating through my head, but no time to write them down."

"Then I've got Jamie and dinner tonight. Close yourself in and do what you need to do."

Castle grabbed her face with both hands and gave her a big kiss, then he gave Jamie a couple of silly kisses before going to the study and closing the door.

Kate sat down on the floor and played blocks and cars with Jamie. She made a road with the blocks and drove her car down it, and Jamie drove his there the same way. When he tired of that, they built towers until they were tall enough to fall down. Eventually they sat down with a couple of books before Kate started dinner. She cut vegetables for the salad as other things were cooking, and when her little boy tugged on her shirt for attention, she decided to let him help. She stood him on the seat of his high chair, stood close behind him, and made a big deal of helping him wash his hands. Then she put pieces of cut veggies in front of him and let him put them in the salad bowls while she held him in place.

When Castle came out of his study for dinner, the unfinished part of his chapter was completed and ready for his edits before he would send it to Gina. Dinner was relaxing for all of them; and Kate told Castle that Jamie had helped with the salads, bringing very Castlesque responses for Jamie's benefit.

When they went to put Jamie to bed, he was sleepy and snuggly, and Castle held him close, kissed his head and handed him to Kate.

"'Night, 'night kiss, Mommy?"

Both parents were obviously surprised at the new pronunciation, but making a fuss over it right then could have wound their baby up again. He got his kiss, and they tucked him in, and went downstairs.

When they reached the first floor, Kate said dolefully, "He said 'kiss'."

"Yeah, he did. I thought he never would," Castle answered, turning to his wife and seeing tears rolling down her cheeks. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"He said 'kiss', she sniffled. "I liked giving him his 'tisses'. Then there was full blown crying.

He held her close and rubbed her back gently. "I thought we both wanted him to correct his words. You're really having trouble with this, aren't you?"

"I do want that. I just wasn't ready for it yet. It was so cute and sweet." There was more sniffling. "I feel like he's about to grow up, and I'm not ready for that, either."

"Honey," he said and kissed her head, holding her for a moment longer. "He's not even two yet. It isn't like we have to pack him up and send him off to college with Alexis and JD next week."

"I'm being stupid. I just didn't know it would feel like this."

"It isn't stupid. I shed a few manly tears when Alexis reached landmarks over the years. Same kind of reasons."

Yeah?"

"Yeah. You're just being a mom. It's okay."

"You're good at making me feel better."

"Part of the job description. Article number seven. Make wife feel better." Hearing a watery little laugh, he held her tighter, trying to do his job to the best of his ability.

xxxxx

The team went for an early lunch together after another morning without a murder to solve.

"If nothing comes in today, we may have to offer to look at some cold cases," Beckett told the others. "I spent yesterday diplomatically mentoring, and it went well; but I don't think I can get away with it again today."

"Probably not, even though you're usually pretty subtle." Ryan agreed.

"I might not have been as subtle as I thought. Mason caught it and said I was good."

"One of the old dudes said you were good?" Sully asked, looking surprised.

"For real?" Esposito echoed. "Did I just hear ice breaking?"

"Yeah. That's what I thought, too," Beckett answered. "Maybe there's hope?"

"From your lips to God's ears," Esposito agreed. "If Bronson or Egan start up again, I don't know how much longer my self-control can hold out."

Sully grinned. "Go back to your army days. Don't say a word. Look at them like you're lining up your next target. Just don't shoot them."

All of them laughed, and Esposito said, "That's not bad, man. It might even be fun." He and Sully bumped fists, then they all took care of their checks and went back to the precinct.

By mid-afternoon, there was a body, but the situation wasn't nearly as easy as the last case. After three weeks of dead ends, going to the loft so they could brainstorm with Castle, and picking up another case when nothing was panning out, they finally found a lead that at least offered hope. The second case was closed in a couple of weeks, but they remained stymied by the other one.

While they were leaving their newest crime scene, Ryan said, "Things have been more bearable since Alvarez made that first visit. You think he knew…maybe said something?"

"I'm pretty sure he said something back at the orientation. The two of them disappeared about the same time. And I'm almost positive he had something to say at the precinct," Beckett answered.

"It probably didn't hurt that Alverez announced he and Chief Dawson would be making some visits. Seems to me they've all probably been unannounced, too. And Alvarez meant it. The chief has been here twice, too. Bronson must be looking over his shoulder all the time."

"I'm still enjoying looking at Bronson and Egan like targets," Esposito said with a chuckle. "I think it makes them nervous. They give me 'the look", and I give them that one right back and then walk away."

As the weeks went by, the younger homicide detectives started turning to Beckett and her team with difficult cases, asking advice or wanting an extra set of eyes, and they generally benefitted from the assistance. Mason's group was showing the people from the twelfth more respect. Egan's snide remarks had toned way down, but he was still a decidedly obnoxious individual and was still running back and forth to Bronson like the class tattletale. They had begun to lose track of what he might be reporting. The rest of his team seemed to be softening a little bit, though.

By early October, Beckett had realized that Mason was almost always in the bullpen rather than in the field. He consistently worked on whatever the case called for and was constantly on the phone, working on computer searches, combing through records, etc. One day when she and his partner, McKinney, were the only ones in the breakroom , she asked about it.

"Hey, McKinney, is Mason on some kind of desk duty? I've noticed he does most of his work here."

He exhaled a deep sigh. "You don't miss much. We figured you'd notice. It's not exactly desk duty, but it's not exactly not."

"What does that mean?"

"It's not official desk duty. It's understood desk duty. Mason's a proud man, Beckett. He doesn't like to talk about it, and he hides it the best he can; but he was shot a couple of years ago…kind of upper hip/lower back area. It wasn't close enough to his spine for paralysis, but it took a while for him to get back to work. At first it looked like he'd be fine, and he requalified for the field; so officially he's on full duty. There were some residual effects that caught up with him, though; and the field activity was taking a toll. We could see he couldn't do what he used to, and he knew that could be dangerous for all of us; so we started leaving him here and taking the field work ourselves."

"So he's always here?"

"You gotta understand, he wants to work…doesn't like the idea of having to go on disability, and he's afraid that would happen. On his good days he goes with us for things that shouldn't be dangerous. That way we can get his name in the field reports now and then. He was good at the crime scenes before…picked up a lot, and we miss having that input. He still works hard, though. He's always been conscientious about that."

"I've seen that. No complaints on that score. "And the Captain knows about this?"

"Yeah. I think they went to the Academy together. He's okay with it."

"He's been working on the computer with Ryan when they have some spare time."

"Yeah. He loves that stuff. He's always telling us what he's learned from Ryan." He paused and sighed again. "Listen, he's got three years left until retirement, and he's gonna need his pension and benefits. Can you just let it go?"

"He's doing his share. I don't have a problem with that." Then Beckett told him about the camera method they used when she was on desk duty. "My husband was working with us then as a consultant, and he recorded the crime scenes so I could see everything they did. I hated feeling left out, and it gave me that input you were talking about. I can show you some of the videos so you can see what we did if you want. Maybe Mason could still be a part of that."

"I'll talk to him, see what he thinks. Thanks. And you won't…"

"While I'm here, I'm your lieutenant. I just wanted to understand, and now I do. No need to fix something that doesn't look broken."

McKinney looked relieved. "Thanks, Beckett." He gave a little salute with a lift of his coffee cup, she filled her own cup, and they both went back to work.

"Hey, Ryan," she said as she sat down at her desk. "You and Mason have been spending a lot of computer time together."

"Yeah," he answered, looking up from his work.

"Is he any good?"

"He's pretty quick. If he'd had the training, I think he might be way ahead of me."

"So you think he might qualify for tech work if he had the right classes?"

"Probably. That and a good mentor to intern with. I never have to tell him anything more than once. Any particular reason?"

"Not now, no. Mostly curiosity."

xxxxx

A few days later, Mason was on her mind again, and Ryan had said how much he enjoyed working with him. She mentioned him to Castle when she got home…told him the whole story.

"Does the department have training available for him?"

"I don't know."

"But you want to check into it, don't you?"

"Yeah. I guess I do. He seems like a good guy, and Ryan says he has a lot of promise."

"If the department doesn't provide what he needs and they can make some time accommodations for him, you don't have to ask. Just offer our help."

She looked down. "Okay."

"You still think of it as my money, don't you? You still don't understand that there's a lot of Nikki Heat money in our accounts because you inspired her. There's a lot of writing fueled by a happy writer because you loved my family and decided to be a part of it, and there's a lot of authenticity in the writing that I would have missed if you hadn't put up with having me follow you around at work. It's ours. One day I'll make you understand."

"I let go sometimes."

"Once in a while for special occasions, maybe. But you still don't let me spoil you too much; and in all this time, you still haven't spent as much as the other two did in just a couple of years.

"I don't need all that. I just need you."

"You have the weekend off, right?"

"Yeah."

"Why don't we take the family to the Hamptons? I always know you'll let me indulge you that way. We could leave from the precinct on Friday after your shift." He gave her a little smirk. "I don't quite see you asking Bronson to let you leave early so you can go to your beach house in the Hamptons."

"I'd never hear the end of that," she agreed. A wistful look took up residence on her face. "We haven't had a real family weekend since Alexis's wedding. And it's so peaceful there. It sounds perfect. Should I call Dad?"

"Of course. He's family. Maybe we should call John, too."

"Friday is day after tomorrow. Can we start packing now?" she asked mischievously.

"It's October. It won't be warm, but the pool is heated, and we have the overhead heaters out there. We could still enjoy the pool and the peace and quiet."

"I can hardly wait to get there."

"Me, either. Let's make some phone calls and start packing. I don't want you to change your mind."

"Not a chance. You excited about this or something, Castle?"

"I'm thinking a relaxing day with family, baby tucked in, romantic fire in the bedroom fireplace, us dressed for bed in something sexy…" He paused for a moment, imagining. "Yep. I'm excited."

xxxxx

Beckett went to see Bronson and talked to him about Mason. She explained what she'd learned; but before she could ask about whether it would be possible to work out time to provide training for him, Bronson had assumed the worst.

"So for all this time, we've been taking care of our own, like you told me we should, by the way; and you're going to waltz in and tell him he needs to leave on disability?"

"Of course not! The man works hard. Why would I want to deprive the precinct of that? Ryan has been working with him, and he says Mason is a natural for tech work. Mason seems to love it. I was thinking , if the department can work it out, maybe we could get him some training. If Mason wants that, of course. It would be an official desk job that would take him to retirement.

"Funds are in short supply right now, but I'll talk to Mason. If he sounds interested, I'll check around and see if we can do anything."

"If Mason is interested and the department can't fund it…" Beckett looked a little bit uncomfortable. "If they can just work with him on the time to get the work done to qualify for tech…um…my husband is willing to take care of any class fees."

"Mason's not gonna to go for that. He's gonna see it as charity."

"Then we'd just have to call it a scholarship or a grant or something."

"Your husband doesn't even know him. Hell, you barely know him. Why would the two of you want to do this?"

"Mason seems like a good man. As long as no one else is in danger, getting shot shouldn't leave him in a place where he has to worry about his job situation. My people, too, remember? Gotta back them up." She paused a moment and added, "And Richard Castle is another good man."

"I'll see what I can find out."

"Thank you, Captain. I appreciate it."

The responding grunt sounded a little less obnoxious when she left.

xxxxx

Again, Castle came to pick Beckett up at the precinct at shift change. This time, several of the detectives who had spent a few minutes talking to Castle the week before greeted him easily, most of them asking various forms of, "Where's the little guy?"

As Beckett approached her husband, she asked the same thing.

"He's in the car with Mother and Alexis and JD. Don't worry. I didn't forget him," Castle answered playfully. You ready?" She smiled and nodded.

Tran chortled at that exchange. "Castle says you're going out of town, Enjoy your trip. See you Monday."

As they walked out of the bullpen, Castle told her, "Your Dad and Meagan will be there tonight, and John is coming in mid-morning tomorrow."

Bronson was watching again when they left and nodded and said, "Mr. Castle." It was nothing more than an acknowledgment, made with the sound of a man who was obviously not accustomed to random conversation with strangers he doesn't want around; but Castle smiled slightly and answered in like kind before escorting his wife out to their waiting car. Civility wasn't a bad thing.

Then the Castle family drove away to enjoy a weekend of family time and the peace and quiet of their beach house.


	106. Chapter 106

Chapter 106

After moving slowly out of the city in the rush hour traffic, Castle was able to pick up some speed later and have his family at the Hamptons house in time for a late dinner. Kate called in a dinner order about fifteen minutes before they reached the beach house.

JD stayed behind with Castle to help bring in the luggage, both men insisting it was their job. Except for Martha, the independent women of the family rolled their eyes, took in their small bags, and thanked them. Martha, however independent she might be in many ways, had taught her son the manners of an old fashioned gentleman. She simply agreed with them, took Jamie from Kate, and swept into the house with no accoutrements other than her purse and her grandson.

"Mr. Castle?"

"Oh, it must be serious, JD. What happened to 'Dad'?" Castle asked as he reached into the back of the SUV.

"It didn't seem quite appropriate for this." The younger man paused and ran his fingers through his hair. "When I was here before, I respected your rules about rooms, but I intend to share a room with my wife from now on."

Castle sighed. "Son, I wouldn't expect anything else. And you're right to stand up for that. God help anyone who tries to convince me I shouldn't be with Kate." Hauling the last bag from the back of the SUV, he told his son-in-law, "It still isn't my favorite thing to know about; but, deep down, I want you and Alexis to have what Kate and I do, including sharing a bed and enjoying it." Lifting two of the bags to take them inside as he watched JD do the same, he added, "I just don't want to have to think about all of it." He followed that up with a little shudder.

JD chuckled. "Thanks…I think."

"But I want one more baby. We need a Beckett clone. Just try not to make me a grandfather before Kate and I get there, would you?"

"Duly noted," JD answered good-naturedly as they reached the house. "No plans for that any time in the near future."

Castle smiled as he put down one piece of luggage long enough to open the door. "Good to know."

By the time the luggage had been distributed, the food was delivered; and right after dinner, Jamie was properly rocked, read to, and tucked in. Jim and Meagan got there too late to see Jamie, but not too late to join the card game with Martha, Alexis, and JD.

"Do you mind if we go for a walk?" Kate asked the others. "Would you keep an ear out for Jamie?"

"No problem," Jim said. "If he wakes up, I'll be glad to go up and have some time with him. "Enjoy your walk while I win this game." The last words were issued as a challenge as he looked at Alexis.

"Oh, Granddad's trash talking already," Alexis answered. "We'll just see about that," she challenged back.

As Kate and Castle put on their jackets and walked out the back door, they heard her father saying, "Bring it on, Kid." That was followed by chuckles from those at the table.

Walking toward the beach, Castle said, "Your dad has brought a lot to our family."

"Your family has brought a lot to him, too."

" _Our_ family, Kate. Everything we have is ours." He put an arm around her shoulder, partly because he just wanted her close and partly to share body heat against the cold October breeze off the water.

"I know. I was just thinking about the beginning when we were pulling the parts of our tiny families together. Dad was lonely. It did him good to feel like part of a family again."

"You knew my family and I were a package deal. We knew you and your Dad were, too. It's kind of hard to remember not having him around now."

It was pretty chilly, so they took a shorter walk than usual. Since their favorite bench was in a spot reasonably sheltered from the cold breeze, they stopped before going back to the house and snuggled there for a little while, remembering their first trip to the Hamptons together.

"The first time we were here…" Kate started but was interrupted by her husband's kiss.

"I remember," he told her, resting his forehead on hers.

"By the time I went back to the city, I was already feeling like we might make this work; but it's hard to believe what we've built in just a few years."

"All you expected at first was my family and your dad. Now you have a son, a married daughter and a son-in-law, a mother-in-law, a father and his fiancé, and the son-in-law's grandfather." He looked at her with his lopsided smile and teased, "I'm proud of you. You're holding up well."

She laughed. "You left out the best husband in the world."

"Best wife, too," he answered, and placed a kiss on her lips. "I guess that means we're still happy."

She kissed him back and added with her own teasing smile. "I guess it does."

They sat close, keeping each other warm until Castle felt Kate shiver when there was a stronger than usual gust to the breeze. "Care to go and start the fireplace in the bedroom?" he asked. "I know you're tired and cold."

She nodded, and they walked back to the house with their arms wrapped around one another. After stopping for a few minutes to talk to the others, Kate claimed exhaustion, which wasn't a lie; and the couple took a warm shower, turned on the fireplace, and snuggled under the covers for the night.

Jamie was awake at practically the crack of dawn, so Rick and Kate got up with him and took him downstairs to avoid waking anyone else. After coffee, fruit juice for Jamie, and some toast to hold them until breakfast, the little boy was bundled up in warm clothes and taken with them to the beach to look for sea shells. Once they had found a few, he got the idea and started looking, bringing them all kinds of little pieces of shells. Then he seemed fascinated by their footprints in the sand. Castle showed him how to make more footprints, and his parents grinned as their son stomped in the sand, pointed at his footprints, and laughed. Then they compared the footprints to the three bears, and now and then, they'd run around each other randomly and have Jamie point out which prints belonged to whom.

When the sun was higher, it was a little warmer; so Kate went in to find some books, and she and Rick sat on the bench and enjoyed taking turns reading to their son before they went in to start breakfast for the whole family. Considering the time though, brunch was becoming a more fitting title. Everyone else had planned on sleeping late that morning, so they had taken their time on the beach and read enough books with Jamie to make him a very happy little boy. Alexis and JD soon came downstairs a little bleary eyed, saying they were following the smell of coffee, and the others weren't far behind them. John arrived at the house just as they were putting the food on the table and was immediately teased about his timing. He just grinned and got himself a plate.

That afternoon, Martha, John, Jim, and Meagan went to see what shops were still open after tourist season, and Alexis and JD played with Jamie in the pool for a while, giving Rick and Kate a little time to themselves. The family members at the house joined the shoppers for the dinner reservation Rick had made before Friday's trip from Manhattan; and while they were there, Jim and Meagan announced that they had found a church, and the minister was willing to perform the ceremony the week before Thanksgiving.

Among the congratulations, Rick asked, "Shall I call Bradford again? You know how fast and efficient he can be."

"This wedding will be much too small for his talents," Meagan answered. "It's going to be just family…all of us here, and my brother and sister and their families. A few important friends. Dinner for everyone afterward. Very simple."

"He'd probably be relieved to do something small. Between your two households you have everything you need. It could be our wedding gift…easy wedding planning," Rick insisted. "He did tell me to call him anytime we needed another one-month wedding, and you know he enjoys us." He watched them looking at one another as if considering, and then he went to close the deal, addressing Meagan. "It would save Jim some time away from work and bring a lot of good things right to you instead of your having to research them and traipse all over town. And he aims to please. You'll get exactly what you want."

Jim finally said, "We can at least talk to him."

Castle smiled. "I'll call him Monday morning and give him your numbers."

That night, when Rick and Kate were finally alone in their room, he asked, "Remember our plan? Fireplace, wearing something sexy, taking our time?"

By the time the question was out of his mouth, Kate had already pulled some silk pajama bottoms and a short matching robe out of her husband's dresser and was throwing them to him. "There's yours," she said with a cheeky grin. "I like seeing your bare chest peeking out from behind all that silk." Then she opened the chest of drawers he had added to the room for her and pulled out the nightgown he had told her was his favorite.

"Be right back," she said, walking toward the bathroom with a little extra hip action.

When she came back to an appreciatively lustful look from her husband, she walked directly into his embrace. He held her for a moment before they moved to the loveseat in the small corner sitting area of their room and propped their feet on the coffee table as they cuddled against one another.

"You look delicious," he said, pulling her closer and nibbling playfully at her neck.

"You do, too," she answered, dropping a kiss on his bare chest.

"Jim and Meagan said they'd get Jamie in the morning and make breakfast for everybody. We have the whole night if we want it."

"Mmmmmmmm…"

"My thoughts exactly."

"Do you think we'll ever outgrow wanting each other this much?"

"No," he answered emphatically.

"Me either."

They sat, talking and enjoying being close for a while, indulging in kisses and touches until more was needed. They ended up in bed and then the bathtub…and then the bed again, followed by a calming shower before falling asleep, both of them quite content.

When they went downstairs in the morning, they were both following Alexis and JD's example and doing the bleary eyed following of the smell of coffee.

Sunday morning brought drizzling rain. Before they left the city, Castle had the pool maintenance company check to be sure the overhead heaters worked and put up the fabric enclosures that cut down on the wind; so the pool area was reasonably comfortable for that time of year. When the rain stopped mid-morning, they all spent some time at the pool and opted to leave earlier than they had intended to avoid driving through the storm predicted for the evening.

Back at home, when everyone was settled for the night and they were alone again, Rick and Kate stood at the window, watching what they could see of the strong thunderstorm. He was standing behind her with his arms around her waist.

Kate leaned her head back on his shoulder. "I'm glad we left early enough we didn't have to drive in this. It's fascinating to watch from in here where we're safe and dry, though."

"Remember storm sex?" he asked mischievously.

"Hard to forget," she answered, turning her face toward his with a smile. "It's my vote for the reason we have a little Castle clone to help us make footprints in the sand. Looking for an encore performance, Mr. Castle? Do you think it would be as good?"

"We don't need a storm. We're always good," he answered with a little grin, suggesting, "But we could see how it compares."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. We should enjoy tonight while you're still relaxed. Who knows what could turn up tomorrow that could have you working long hours again?"

Her answer was a thorough kiss followed by a giggle as he scooped her up and dropped her on the bed, playfully following by leaping in and catching himself on his forearms so he didn't squash her.

xxxxx

Monday morning Beckett dragged herself to the fifty-first again.

As she walked to the door, Griffith joined her from the other direction, smiling and easing Beckett's less than happy mood. "Did you have a good weekend away? Wherever it was, I hope you enjoyed it."

"We went to the beach with the whole family…all nine of us…parents, kids, my dad's fiancé, and they all helped with Jamie. It was very relaxing."

"Probably didn't hurt that it gave you time to have that gorgeous husband of yours to yourself for a little while."

"Yeah. We walked on the beach without having to wonder what baby Castle would be getting into next." She smiled then and added, "We took Jamie later, and he figured out how to look for shells and make footprints in the sand. He gets so excited about things."

Having seen Castle's reactions in talking to others at the precinct, Griffith asked, "Jamie or Castle?"

Beckett laughed, "Both of them, actually. Their enthusiasm is contagious."

Demming had been right behind them as they came in, and asked them to hold the door of the elevator.

"That's your son's name…Jamie," he asked.

"Yep," Beckett answered.

"For Jameson Rook?"

"No. For my father…and his. Richard James. He's Jamie so we don't have big Jim and Little Jim or Big Rick and Little Rick. Neither of us ever liked that."

"Next time Castle brings him by, tell him to come down and let us meet him."

"Sure. We never tire of showing him off."

"For good reason," Griffith chimed in. "He's adorable."

Demming held up his hand in parting as he got off on his floor.

A new body was found early in the day, and the team was involved from mid-morning on. It ran smoothly for a change, and they had closed that case by the end of the week.

xxxxx

Near the end of their shift in the last week of October, they were called to a crime scene at a storage facility. The victim had been shot just inside a corridor of storage units. CSU had finished their work, and the ME was with the body when Beckett's team lifted the yellow tape at the barrier and joined him. They liked the ME, Cory Blake, a man about Castle's age. He was easy going and seemed to be conscientious about his job.

"Hey, Blake," Beckett said as they arrived about four-thirty. "What have we got?"

"Looks like a Hispanic male, probably mid to late thirties, three gunshot wounds to the chest. I'd estimate time of death to be between nine and midnight last night. Looks like he was shot right here…up close and personal. I can be more accurate later."

The team looked around, Ryan wielding the camera in case they wanted to involve Castle, and they asked a few more questions.

"Anything else you need to see before I remove the body?" Dr. Blake asked.

Beckett looked at her team before answering, but none of them seemed to have any more questions. "No. Do what you need to do. And thanks," Beckett responded.

"Blood spatter on the wall about chest height," Esposito observed. "Must have been standing when he was shot."

"There's no sign of a struggle. Maybe he knew the shooter," Sully suggested.

"No sign he was moved. Could have been killed over something in one of these units," Ryan offered.

Beckett nodded. "Could be anything. We need an officer assigned here overnight. Can't have people trying to access these units yet."

"I got that," Esposito volunteered.

"Sully, check the front office and see if anybody is there yet. If not, see if you can find a contact number for the owner."

Sully called Beckett's phone a few minutes later. "There's still nobody here, but I found the owner's emergency contact number on the counter behind the front desk. Calling him now."

"On our way," Beckett told him.

Esposito waited until an officer on site arrived to cover the crime scene until dispatch could send someone else, then he met the others in the office about the time the owner arrived. They had missed the day manager twice. He had been helping a customer and had to come back for bolt cutters to finish the job and left again.

The owner, Gilberto Valdez, was about to have dinner with his family when he received their call. He promised to be right there, told his wife to have dinner and go on to the movie without him. He then walked around the block to meet the detectives at the front office. He told them he got a call that morning from the man with the bolt cutters saying that the night manager wasn't there when the eight to five shift started. Nobody thought anything of it because the man's wife was pregnant and due any day. He said the guy had been a bundle of nerves all week, and they figured he must have gone into a panic and left to take her to the hospital. They expected that he'd call with the news when the baby arrived.

"Have you heard from him yet, Mr. Valdez?" Beckett asked.

"No. But babies take a while sometimes. And everybody calls me Gil."

"Do you recognize this man?" she asked, showing him a picture of the victim's face.

"Oh, my god. That's Dom. Is he the one who was killed?"

"I'm afraid so. Was he a friend?"

"He was my nephew. This is a family business. He had night shift this month."

"What can you tell me about him? Did he have enemies? Was he in any kind of trouble…"

"No. Don't put any of this on him. He was a good kid all his life. Never in any trouble. I can't imagine he had enemies. He might have had an irate customer now and then, but he could usually calm them down. He had his finances in order, paid all his bills, didn't gamble. No drugs. Why would this happen?"

"We're going to do everything we can to figure that out. We need to inform his wife and talk to her. You said she's due any day?"

"Right." He ran shaking fingers through his hair. "It's their third one. Dom was so excited. The first two are girls, and this one is a boy. He'll never even get to see him."

Beckett spoke gently to the man who was so obviously hurting. "Does his wife have anyone close by, a friend or neighbor who could help when we speak to her? She probably shouldn't be alone under these circumstances."

"She's friendly with her next door neighbor. The neighbor's husband owns the bar where I was having dinner. I'll call her. Then I'll call my wife and go over there myself."

"We'll need her contact information and any other information you have here on Dom. We never know when something might lead to something else."

"Anything I can do, Detective." He took a folder from a file cabinet in his office and handed it to Beckett. "Do you need anything else?"

"Surveillance video for last night."

"It's yours. Does he need to be identified at the…" He stopped, drawing in a ragged breath, and took a moment to collect himself. "I don't want Celia to have to do that, especially right now."

"One of the other detectives will give you the address before we leave. The Medical Examiner is Dr. Blake. He can explain how to make arrangements."

"I'll take care of the security videos for you right now. Is somebody going to wait for it?"

"Ryan and Esposito will wait. But before you do that, would you call the neighbor and let me know if someone will be with Dom's wife to be with the children when I talk to her?"

He made the phone call and said her neighbor would be watching for them and would be over as soon as she saw them. Thanks for being so thoughtful toward her."

Beckett nodded before she left, and the boys acknowledged her departure with a sympathetic look.

As Beckett and Sully got out of the car in the neighborhood of small, neat houses, a woman exited the adjacent house and met them. "Are you the detectives?"

Beckett nodded. "This must be the worst part of your job," she said sympathetically. "May I come in with you?"

"Of course. Can you shield the children from it so she can decide how to tell them? I'll help with that if she wants me to."

"I'll do whatever she needs. I'm Lydia, by the way."

"Lieutenant Beckett and Detective Sully," Kate answered.

The information and the brief interview were as difficult as they had expected. The neighbor was keeping the children entertained in the kitchen as Beckett spoke softly in the living room. Lydia was trying not to be obvious, but she was definitely listening to as much as she could hear.

When Sully asked if anything had seemed out the ordinary or if Dom had been worried about anything, Celia looked like she was about to say something; but then just shook her head and said, "No. We've been so distracted about the baby, I'm not sure either of us would have noticed anyway."

Beckett handed Celia her card and told her to call if she thought of anything. "I'm so sorry for your family's loss," she finished.

"Thank you," Celia sniffled, wringing the Kleenex in her hand. "You've both been very kind."

From the kitchen they could all hear Lydia saying to the girls, "Mommy isn't feeling too well right now. Why don't you come to my house with me, and we'll make her some cookies."

"Is she having the baby now?" a young voice asked.

"No. She just feels really bad right now. Let's let her lie down for a little while. I'll go and tell her, and we'll go out the back door." She walked into the living room and asked, "You heard?"

Celia gave her a teary thank you and looked relieved. "I'll talk to them a little later. I don't know what to say to them," she whispered. "Keep them away from the TV?"

"I will. Call me if you need anything. I'll check with you before I bring the girls back."

Celia nodded and walked the detectives to the door, and Beckett was relieved to see Gil coming up the front walk when they were leaving.

"My mother will be here soon, and she'll spend the night," he told them. "I'll fill in until she gets here."

"If you think of anything or find anything that might have a bearing on this, please call us," Beckett reminded him.

He agreed and rushed up the steps.

xxxxx

At the precinct, they went through their normal routine, organized the pittance of information they had so far, and decided to start work in earnest the next morning when they would have CSU reports and maybe some lab reports, as well as fresh eyes for the security footage.

By the next afternoon, they had a ballistics report. Ryan and Esposito had spent a lot of time going through the surveillance videos. They had found shots of a man in a black hoodie, but nothing showing his face. They even found footage of the shooting, but there wasn't enough there to identify anyone other than the victim. Then Ryan suddenly said, "Got him!" and printed the frame, complete with time stamp, clearly showing a recognizable face in a black hoodie. The man was leaving through the front door of the building and looked smug. "We need to see if Gil Sanchez recognizes this guy."

He hit print on his computer, and Esposito went to get the copies. Returning from the printer, he hung one of the copies on the murder board, and Egan was suddenly paying more attention. It was only a few minutes later that Egan again sauntered off down the hallway, headed to Bronson's office.

"Did you see that?" Esposito asked, keeping his voice down. All of them were acting nonchalant as they held a terse conversation.

"I sure did. Wonder if he thinks he's being subtle?" Sully scoffed.

"So did I, and I don't like it," Beckett agreed. "I'm printing what we have. Ryan, copy those videos as fast as you can. I want to document everything we have right now. I don't know why, but I've got a bad feeling about this. Esposito, if they're back before you have all the copies, hide all but one somewhere in the copy room. I don't trust that man."

"He left almost as soon as Esposito posted the picture on the board," Ryan said as he worked. "Something's up if you ask me."

By the skin of their teeth, they managed to have all the files copied and set aside and appeared to still be working on their interview reports when Bronson and Egan came into the bullpen about fifteen minutes later.

"How's the new case going, Beckett?" Bronson asked in his normal non-charming manner.

"Barely started, but we did get a ballistics report today, and Ryan is about to run facial recognition on an unidentified face we found on the security video."

Egan got a little closer and said, "Hey, I know that guy. Why is his picture up here?"

"Right now, he's a person of interest," Ryan answered. "We've got footage of the murder, but nothing that shows the shooter's face. It shows the gun, which is compatible with the ballistics report, but he never turns where you can see his face. This was recorded as he left the storage office less than ten minutes after the time stamp on the shooting."

"Well, the guy I know must have one of those…whadda you call 'em?...doppelgangers? 'Cause I was at the bar that night, The Top Hat, with a friend, and my guy was there the whole time. My friend and I played some pool and stayed until almost closing. The kid might have left a couple of minutes to go to the head, but that was it. Couldn't be him. Sure does look like him, though."

"I guess we'll have to go looking for doppelgangers, then," Sully answered.

"No need," Bronson told them. "Beckett, you're big on training. I'm giving this one to Eagan's team. I want you and your people out in the field with the other teams this week."

"Why?" Beckett asked. "We've already started on the case. We could do that when it's closed."

"Because your captain has given you new orders," he snapped, calmly for him, as he turned to leave. "Get your file together, give it to Egan, and decide who's gonna ride with who tomorrow." he called over his shoulder.

The rest of the bullpen was quiet, watching the show with no understanding of what just happened; and Beckett's team was furious.

"You heard him," Beckett said to the men on her team. "Type up your statements so I can organize the file."

They all went to work as Egan leaned back and looked pleased. They finished about an hour after the end of their shift and Beckett dropped the file noisily on Egan's desk. "All yours," she said, and he smiled what the whole team had decided was his slimy smile.

As the team put on their jackets, Beckett asked loud enough for others to hear, "Want to stop for drinks on the way home?" She then leaned toward her desk drawer to be sure the file copies weren't visible in the large purse she fortuitously had brought with her that day. She zipped it and lifted it out.

"Want to call Castle and meet him at the Haunt?" Ryan asked. "Maybe grab a sandwich or something?"

"Sure. He'd like that, but he'll need to get somebody to watch Jamie. I'll call when I get to the car."

Outside the precinct, they agreed on a time to meet, agreed not to spew their anger in public so close to the fifty-first, and headed back to Manhattan.

Once in the car, Beckett called Castle. "Hey. You want to join us at The Old Haunt and listen to us vent so you don't have to hear it at home?"

"That bad?"

"Yep."

"I'll call you right back."

"Okay."

A few minutes later, Beckett's phone rang and her husband said, "Mother is already on her way home. She'll watch Jamie, and I'll be there when you get there."

Castle was waiting in their regular booth when they entered the bar and was surprised when he saw the figurative dark cloud that followed them in. Standing when they reached the table, he said, "It must be bad. Drinks coming up. The usual?"

The team nodded and sort of fell despondently into their seats while Castle delivered their orders to the barkeeper.


	107. Chapter 107

Chapter 107

Castle returned with a tray of drinks for his wife and their friends.

"All of you look…" Putting the tray down on the table but not serving anything, he said, "Listen. Is this bad enough you might want to take it to my office? Comfy sofa, armchairs…privacy."

"That might not be a bad idea," Ryan answered.

He picked up the tray and told Kate to go ahead and open the door, so she went first and hit the latch as they passed it. Not having been to the office before, Sully was blown away when things started moving to expose the stairs. Following them down, he was looking around saying, "That was…"

"Pretty cool, huh?" Castle said, both he and Sully a little out of sync with the serious feeling of the moment. "It was a speakeasy back in the twenties." He put the tray down on the table and said "Help yourselves," before he called the bartender and ordered another round of the same to be brought down in fifteen or twenty minutes. All the detectives looked like they might need it.

Aiming Kate to the plush, leather sofa where he could sit beside her and have her close to him, he finally demanded, "Somebody talk to me. What's going on?"

The rest of the room's inhabitants looked at each other as if deciding who would start, and finally Esposito took the reins, "The case we got yesterday?"

"The guy whose wife is about to have a baby?" Castle asked to clarify.

"Yeah. Well, it isn't our case anymore."

For the moment, Kate seemed content to melt into the comfort of Castle's arm around her shoulders and let the others explain the problem, so Castle held her a little tighter. "And how did that happen?" he asked "Is that what threw you into this state of… You know what? I don't even know what to call it. I've never seen it before. It's more than just anger, isn't it?"

"We had a good lead," Ryan told him, wading into the explanation. "The murder showed up on the security footage, but the shooter was wearing a black hoodie and we couldn't see a face. Less than ten minutes after the shooting was over, a black hoodie guy shows up on video, full face, leaving the office and looking pleased with himself. Within a few minutes after Espo hung the printout of his face on the murder board, Egan was headed to Bronson's office again."

Sully picked it up from there. "About fifteen minutes later, Bronson and his spy are asking about progress on the case, and Egan turns into black hoodie guy's alibi for the whole TOD window."

Kate added her two cents worth then. "And after all this time, Bronson is suddenly interested in training. We know he couldn't care less about having me out for field evaluations. He's ordered my whole team to ride with other teams starting tomorrow. We didn't only have to give the case to Egan's team, we won't even be in the office as much to pick up on where it's going. Every team there has an active case at the moment."

"Where did all that come from?" Castle asked, looking at his wife.

"We don't know. And it seemed to stun everybody but Egan, too."

"Do you think he's going to throw the case, or was it more like they just wanted to contain it for some reason?"

"We don't know," Esposito answered," but Beckett's gut took over before it happened, and she had us copy every piece of information we had so we'd have it documented…just in case something doesn't look kosher later on."

"Sully and I went to the post office on our way here and mailed a copy of everything we gave Egan today, including a copy of the security videos. I did it the way I've heard called a poor man's copyright. I added a couple of steps, but I mailed it to Gates rather than to myself. I put the file in an envelope, sealed it, and had the postal clerk sign and date it across the seal. Then I added a cover letter to Gates explaining the possible problem and saying I'd keep her apprised as to whether to worry about it, and I asked her to hold on to it just in case. I know we can trust her to handle it with the appropriate discretion. All of that went into another envelope so she wouldn't have to open the sealed one, and it was sent requiring her signature so it wouldn't fall into anyone else's hands. Castle, I don't want to think a cop would try to manipulate a murder investigation, but this looks bad."

"What do you know about Egan and Bronson, other than their less than pleasant personalities?"

"They were probably at the academy about the same time Roy was, so they come from a time when things in the department were a little…looser. There may be another reason he wants to hold on to this investigation, but after Egan's volunteering as an alibi…"

"You're afraid you've just been told that black hoodie guy is gonna get away with murder?"

"I didn't want to say it, and I don't even want to think it. But…" her voice trailed off.

"What are your options?"

"We may have already done all we can do until we're sure the investigation is going the wrong way." Ryan told him. "We've got Egan's statement to worry about, but we have no authority to keep investigating the case; so we won't know what else to look for. We've discovered there are mostly good, conscientious cops there; but they all have to depend on Bronson for evaluations, and they don't always speak up when there are questions. He's pretty heavy handed, and they're a little scared of him. We get to leave in another couple of months, but they don't."

"We've broken the ice with some of them, but we're still a little leery of who to trust with questions about this," Sully said.

"Maybe it's time to start looking into Bronson and Egan's old associates," Castle suggested. "If Roy had them back in the day, maybe Bronson and Egan did, too…or childhood friends who went the wrong way, people willing to buy favor for warnings that somebody is watching or to get themselves or relatives out of trouble."

"But murder, Castle? That's a damn sight bigger than a favor." Esposito answered angrily.

"Maybe it is time to look into things," Beckett answered. "Considering how shocked everyone else looked, maybe somebody will mention it tomorrow and we can gauge whether we should discuss it or not."

Castle added, "And it doesn't hurt that Dawson and Alvarez are still dropping by. If he and Egan are really trying to cover something up, the only reason I can see that Bronson would do something this stupid is if they're being threatened. If they do have an arrangement with somebody, some of the honest cops there will know something, or at least be aware of rumors. Maybe being in the field tomorrow will open up an opportunity…without Bronson noticing...to find out if this has happened before."

"Maybe it will," Kate answered. "Probably won't help any of us sleep tonight, though."

There was a knock on the door, and the bartender was there with the second round of drinks.

Castle used the moment of distraction to whisper to his wife, "I'll see if I can help with that not sleeping thing."

"I'd like that," she whispered back before Sully brought in the tray Brian had delivered.

"So tomorrow we play it by ear?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah. Two of us with each team," Beckett said. One of you can casually mention something like, 'Since we don't have a case other than what you're working on…' And the other can watch for who looks just as upset as we do. Maybe you can find a way to single that one out later and talk one on one. See what they know."

"Okay. We all seem to get along with Farmer, and most of that team has been pretty responsive," Esposito said. "Ryan and I can ride with them. You and Sully should go with Malone's team. I'm pretty sure Griffith's got a little hero worship going with you. She seems to have her priorities in order, too."

"So you have a plan," Castle said. "Wish I could be around, too."

"I need to get home to Jenny." Ryan stated. "I wasn't supposed to say anything until after the doctor's appointment on Friday, but I have to tell somebody. We think we're pregnant. Both home tests were positive. The doctor's visit will confirm it on Friday. Keep it quiet, okay?"

A chorus of congratulations filled the room, and Ryan thanked them with an excited, goofy grin on his face.

"We should finish our drinks and all head home while we have something better to think about."

"I think I'll skip the second drink," Ryan said. "I'm driving."

"Did you take a cab here," Kate asked her husband.

"Yeah. Why?"

"You only had one drink. I'm having a second one. You drive." She handed him her keys.

Looking at the other men in the room, he said. "It's worse than I thought. She's letting me drive the cop car."

"Just don't plan on using the lights or the siren," she warned with a smirk, and they all laughed.

"You can ride with us, Sully. You live more in our direction than theirs," Ryan volunteered.

"Why don't I order some subs for everybody to take home?" Castle offered. "You guys don't look like you want to cook."

There were sounds of agreement, and he called the order up to Brian. Then the room fell into the comfortable silence of friends as they finished their drinks before picking up their sandwiches on their way out and heading home.

xxxxx

They followed their plan the next day, making no fuss about their new assignment. Beckett told Tran's team and Malone's team they would have company in the field that day. And her team split between them as they worked on their cases.

Following leads that morning for Beckett and Sully and in the afternoon for Ryan and Esposito, the people from the twelfth found that they barely had to mention that they had no case before the others were expressing their opinions on the subject…none of them good.

As Malone's team prepared to eat lunch, Washington suggested they take their food to the park across the street where the tables were farther apart and there were fewer people. Even then, he kept his voice on the quiet side. "Listen, Beckett. There's a guy in Robbery. We get together to play basketball after work sometimes. He says this happens there now and then, a case getting reassigned. Bronson has a go to team there, too…another one of his old buddies. It doesn't sound like it happens all the time, but once in a while he gives a case to his buddy's team, and it almost always goes nowhere 'for lack of evidence'."

Malone sighed. "A friend of mine in Narcotics says it happens there occasionally, too. I didn't know about Robbery. I've been here ten years, and I don't remember it ever happening in homicide, though. We can't let that happen in homicide. How do we handle this?"

"We have to wait until their intentions are obvious before we can do anything. That doesn't mean if any of us ends up in one of Dawson's or Alverez's interviews that we can't mention it. Those interviews are supposed to be confidential, so none of you would have to worry about retaliation," Beckett answered. "I trust the chief and the deputy chief. If the opportunity arises, I'll find a way to ask them if they can up the number of interviews this time a little to make it more anonymous."

"What a mess," Griffith answered.

"Well, at least we're coming back with some good information for your own case," Beckett observed. "I think all of you handled things well, especially the situation with the little boy."

"You gave us a couple of good tips, though" Stevens said. "I don't know about them, but I'll remember that."

"Thanks for the information about the go to teams in the other two departments," Beckett responded. "I appreciate that you trust me that much."

"Right now we trust you a hell of a lot more than we trust the captain," Malone assured her.

When the team met at The Old Haunt again the next night, their mood had lifted somewhat. Ryan and Esposito had similar conversations with Lee Tran's team, and didn't even have to mention the lack of a case. The other detectives were almost as angry as Ryan and Esposito. When Beckett's team compared notes, they realized Bronson had an old friend in every department who helped him cover up cases on occasion. But nobody had seen more than the passing on of information in homicide before. They decided their next move would be to stealthily look into whether there were connections between the cases that might tell them who was benefitting from the assistance. Knowing the other detectives were also angry, it seemed they might be able to find help. Nothing could be done until they had some sort of evidence. There was field work again the following day, and plans to gain any helpful information they could.

xxxxx

While they were gone the next day, Jordan Shaw and her team invaded the fifty-first. She went to Bronson's office first and let him know they would be there to work on a kidnapping case…a brother and sister who had been taken from New Jersey. They were involved because the kidnapping crossed state lines. Then she informed him they would be working with Beckett's team.

"Beckett's team is involved in training right now," Bronson told her. "You'll have to work with somebody else."

"Chief Dawson has approved our working with Beckett's team when we're in New York," she informed him. "It's more efficient to work with people we already know to be excellent partners. Since they're here, we'll be working out of the fifty-first this time."

"Beckett again. She's just the gift that keeps on giving," Bronson muttered.

"Where is the best place to set up?" Shaw asked.

Bronson stood up and walked with her to the conference room, grumbling the whole way.

She sent Avery to facilitate the moving of their equipment, then turned to Bronson and said, "If he's available, I'll be including Mr. Castle with my team as well."

Bronson laughed and looked at her as if she were crazy. "The FBI wants to include Mr. Mom in the investigation?"

"He worked with Beckett's team for four years before he was Mr. Mom, and he's worked with us a couple of times. He's a damned good detective, whether he has the credentials or not. It's a mistake to sell him short. I did that the first time and was quickly proven wrong. I'm just giving you the courtesy of letting you know he'll be part of our investigation, if he agrees."

When Malone's team returned to the precinct, Beckett was surprised to find Jordan Shaw and her team setting up their equipment in the conference room. She veered off course from her desk and stopped at the door of the room. "Jordan Shaw? Avery? What's going on?" she asked.

"Hey, Beckett. Good to see you. We have a kidnapping case. Two kids from New Jersey. You'll be working with us. I've told Captain Bronson I'm bringing Castle in, too. Do you think he can work it out?"

"I'll call him. I'm riding with other teams at the moment…training, so no other case right now. Long story for later."

The detectives Beckett and Sully were with that morning had stopped when Beckett veered toward the strangers in the conference room and were watching with open curiosity, so Beckett waved them over.

"Detectives Malone, Washington, Stevens, and Griffith, meet Agents Jordan Shaw and Shawn Avery, FBI. We work with them now and then when they're called in."

"Nice to meet you," Shaw said pleasantly, and Avery nodded. "Come on in, Beckett. We'll bring you up to date on the case.

"I'll talk to you a little later," Beckett assured Malone's group. My team has been assigned to work with Agent Shaw, but I'm not ignoring our discussion this morning," As they moved on to their desks Beckett turned back to the FBI agents saying, "Jordan, I don't think you've met my new partner, Ron Sully."

Sully shook hands with them and said, "Good to meet you both. Are you going to want me to work with you, too? I know you don't know me."

"You might be surprised," Jordan assured him with a teasing smile. "When there's somebody new to consider, we take a pretty thorough look ahead of time."

"Oh," Sully answered nervously.

"We'll let you know what to expect by tomorrow morning. Until then, let me get Beckett into the loop, and she can take it from there for the rest of you."

Work on whatever you can do to help with Malone's case," Beckett told Sully. I'll talk to you after Agent Shaw finishes with me."

"You got it."

"Let me call Castle first and let him know you want him to be here," she told Jordan. "That way he can start making some arrangements." She made the call and then ventured, "I assume you've met Captain Bronson?"

"Yeah. Real charmer, that one," Shaw said sarcastically.

"I'll be so glad to get back to the twelfth," Beckett whispered.

"I hear you passed the Captain's exam. Congratulations," Avery offered.

"Thanks. I guess now I just wait until somebody decides there's a place for me."

"Well, I doubt that's going to be too long," Shaw answered. "Unless they're just stupid."

"So what are we working on?"

"We have a brother and sister. Boy's ten, sister's eight. Their father is a drug dealer, subject of an undercover operation. The arrests came two days ago, and evidence is still being processed. But five days ago, the children were kidnapped while they were walking home from a friend's house barely after dark. It was less than a block away. The kidnappers were apparently waiting at a small park at the corner of the block right across the street from their home. We picked up a white van and a plate number on a neighbor's CCTV; but the van was stolen, and they must have had another vehicle waiting. We found the stolen van in an area without cameras, with evidence that a little girl her age had been there…a jacket. Her mother said she had one like that. No blood, so we're hoping they're still alive. We think the last sighting of the two children was in Manhattan near the Manhattan/Bronx line. Someone called in a suspicious situation with children being moved from a white van into a dark colored one; but there wasn't much information. By the time the cops got there, there was nothing to see. The woman who called it in seemed convinced the children were in trouble and trying to run away; but it was dark, and except when the children ran close to a street light before two men picked them up and shoved them in the van, she couldn't see much. There's no video, just a comparable description from a quick look in bad lighting; so we can't even be sure it's them. It's the closest thing to a lead that we have right now, though. We're assuming this has something to do with their father. The mother called the police after the father's "friends" didn't find anything…but she didn't call until day before yesterday after her husband and his friends had been arrested. That was three days after the kidnapping, so we just got involved yesterday afternoon. The trail is already five days old."

"Not a good starting point," Beckett answered.

"We're lucky to have even this much," Jordan agreed. "And it's a long shot at best. I'll leave it to you as to whether to involve Sully. I trust your judgment."

"There's something else going on here that needs attention. It's a complicated situation, and I can't in good conscience ignore it," Beckett said quietly.

"What's happening?" Shaw asked, obviously picking up on the need for discretion.

"As I said, a long story for later. And not here. Just be careful with information you might not want to share. We don't trust everybody here, the sour looking guy at your ten especially. That's Egan, and he seems to be Bronson's spy. We're not sure about the rest of his team yet. I need to talk to Malone's team, and I'll call Ryan and Esposito if they aren't back in a few minutes. I need to log in an evaluation for this morning, too. By the time you have everything set up, I should be done."

Shaw just nodded and went to talk to one of their techs.

Beckett walked over to Malone's team and said, "Obviously I won't be able to ride with you again tomorrow, but we'll get back to what we talked about this morning. It's still a priority for me."

"I understand," Malone answered.

"Good. Keep me informed if anything new turns up?"

"Will do," he answered.

She wrote up her evaluation for Malone's group and was about to call Ryan when he and Esposito walked in with Tran's team, and they presented a very similar scene to the one that had played out with Beckett. By then, Mason had wandered over to someone else's desk, close enough to watch through the door as they set up the computers and screens. He looked like a kid in a candy store, like he had a million questions and no idea what to ask first.

After introductions and similar assurances to Tran's team that Beckett had made to Malone's, the group from the twelfth was back at their desks.

Mason turned and asked Ryan, "Does that equipment do as much as it looks like it does?"

Ryan grinned. "It probably does more. And unbelievably fast. Hey, Beckett, Mason reminds me of Castle the first time he saw this stuff."

Castle walked up to his wife's desk just in time to hear part of what Ryan said. "What about Castle? I hear my presence has been requested."

"Castle, This is Mason," Beckett told him. "He's the one I said was doing some computer work with Ryan."

"Oh, you must be dying to get in there and see what they're doing," Castle said enthusiastically to Mason as he shook hands and looked into the conference room. It's so cool what they can do with all that."

Mason laughed. "Yeah, I'll bet it is. I guess Ryan was right. He said I reminded him of you the first time you saw this set-up. Looks like the fascination hasn't worn off."

Castle shook his head. "I'm a gadget guy. I love this stuff."

"I should get back to work. Looks like you have things to do, too. Good to meet you, Castle."

"Good to meet you, too," Castle said as he went to let Jordan Shaw know he was there.

After greeting Shaw and Avery and speaking to the others, he returned to the rest of his team for Beckett's briefing on why the FBI was there. At the end of shift, they agreed on a time for Shaw and Avery to meet them at the loft.

"We'll order dinner and show off our son," Castle promised. "Then you can go back to your hotel and collapse until morning…or at least until somebody calls you back in."

"That sounds great. Evidence from the arrest is trickling in," Avery answered. "With any luck we'll have most of it tomorrow, and we can start looking for something that might connect to the children. Barring a new development tonight, we'll be there."

After Beckett stopped to speak to Malone, they left for the day. As they drove home, Castle told her that he needed the time between getting home and having company there to finish outlining his next chapter. "It's all in my head right now. I just need to get it on paper. It's almost finished; but we don't know how much time I'll need for this case, so I'd like to finish it tonight."

"Then just head for your study as soon as we get home," she answered. "I'll take care of anything else."

"Mother will probably stay for dinner."

"Good. I like having your mother around."

"See, that's your crazy side talking."

Kate laughed and swatted his arm; and Castle goofed around, holding his arm and claiming spousal abuse. There was an unspoken agreement to put the precinct angst on hold at least until their guests arrived at the loft. Castle knew his wife needed a break from it. When he pulled into her space in the underground parking garage, he took the keys from the ignition and handed them to her. Then he got out of the car and opened the passenger door for her, pulling her into a satisfying kiss before putting an arm around her waist and walking with her into their building. They both needed that.

Jamie came running to meet them when they opened the door, and Castle grabbed him and held him over his head saying," Look, Mommy. It's SuperJamie! And he's flying." Jamie held his hands out in front of him and laughed as his father ran around the sofa with him. Then Castle snuggled him in and kissed his head.

"I want my baby boy," Kate insisted, and Jamie eagerly leaned over for her to take him. After she gave him his Mommy kisses, she told Castle, "Go get your outline finished while you have time," she insisted. "I've got the rest."

He gave her a quick kiss and waved across the room. "Hi, Mother. I'm going to get some work done."

"Nice to see you, too, Darling," she called back as he disappeared into the study. "Do the two of you ever make a quiet entrance here anymore?" she asked Kate drily but with amusement and affection.

"Not as much as we used to," she answered with a grin, nuzzling her son's neck. "The FBI agents who worked on the Bracken case will be here for dinner in a little while. There's been a kidnapping, and they were called in on it."

"The ones who came to dinner a while ago?"

"Yep. Those are the ones." Kate divided her attention between her son and her conversation with Martha, somehow managing both sufficiently. As she talked to Martha about Alexis and JD, her upcoming acting school projects and productions, etc., she continued to play with Jamie.

"You're an amazing mom and an amazing daughter-in-law, Kiddo," Martha finally said as she took in the whole picture. "And I can't tell you what you've done for my boy. I've honestly never seen him so happy except for times with Alexis. He was happy with just the two of them, but he was lonely, too. Even with Gina, I think when the new wore off he was still lonely in the marriage. This time he has a partner, not just a legal spouse. I knew from the beginning that you didn't even consider his money or his social connections. You've given him everything he ever needed."

"He's done the same for me, Martha. There was a time when I thought I'd never have this, but I'm happier than anybody has ever seen me, too." She kissed Jamie's head as he sat in her lap and played with one of his toys. "I should probably call in that dinner order. They'll be here in about twenty minutes."

When the two FBI agents arrived, Martha said, "Answer the door and introduce them to your baby. I'll let Richard know they're here."

When the door opened, Jordan walked inside and smiled from ear to ear. "You must be Jamie," she said, and the little boy leaned closer to his mother, seeming to be making a decision about the new guests.

Castle came out to meet them, and Avery exclaimed, "Oh my god. He looks exactly like Castle.!"

"He acts a lot like him, too," Kate answered playfully. "We could have trouble brewing."

"She knows she loves me anyway. Come on in," Castle answered, totally unaffected.

By the time dinner was over, Jamie had warmed up to the guests, and they had a pleasant visit.

Then when Jamie was in bed, Kate told them about the case that had been taken from her and reassigned.


	108. Chapter 108

Chapter 108

As evidence was processed after the drug arrest of Wilson "Willy" Klein in New Jersey, it was fed to the FBI's kidnapping case, and the FBI command center at the fifty-first was a constant hum. They were assessing what was useful for their purposes and printing what looked like possibly useful information.

Not long after she and Castle were at work, a call came in from Celia, the wife of the victim whose case had been reassigned. Beckett was checking emails, ready to return to the conference room, and she absent-mindedly answered with her standard, clipped "Beckett."

"Lieutenant Beckett. It's Celia Martinez…Dom's wife. I need to talk to you. There's something I didn't mention before."

As Celia spoke, Beckett found something random to print and used walking to the print room to be far enough away to have the conversation where she wouldn't be heard. "What didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to say anything when Lydia was here. She's always been good to me, but she listens for anything she can pick up…knows all the gossip. I don't know much because Dom wouldn't name anybody, and he said the less I knew, the better. I'm about to be raising three kids on my own, and if it had anything to do with his murder, I don't want my kids to lose another parent because people think I know something." She sounded stressed.

"What did he tell you?"

"He said he suspected that a couple of their customers were using their storage units for something illegal. He said the kind of activity he was seeing wasn't normal. Too much coming and going at odd hours and a lot of exchanges of what was stored. Sometimes a small, new business might use a couple of units as warehouse space until they can get a building, but he knows what that looks like. He said the people he was talking about didn't need to be doing that. That's all I know. I don't know if there's any connection or not, but I thought I should tell you."

"I'm glad you did, but I need you to know that the case was reassigned to Detective Egan. I shouldn't even be talking to you about this, but…"

"No." She sounded even more upset. "I've heard Detective Egan mentioned, and it generally hasn't been good. A lot of the older neighbors around here grew up together, Detective Egan included; and he has a reputation for being lazy about his job. There are people who don't trust him, and I don't want to have to talk to him. Can't I ask to have you back on Dom's case?"

"I'm doing what I can, but I have to do it carefully. I can't make any promises, and I doubt it would make a difference for you to call with a request. But please know that I won't ignore it."

"Thank you. Will you let me know if things change?"

"I will. And thank you for calling. I'll do my best." Egan was eying her as she walked back to her desk, and she made a small show of looking at the page she brought back, putting it with the papers related to the FBI case.

Castle was in the conference room looking at printouts of evidence in the drug case. "Do we have any information about who Klein was supplying?" he asked.

"This is coming from DEA. I spoke to the New Jersey office there early this morning, and we should have the majority of what they have, including the information from their undercover operative, by this afternoon. Lucky for us, the director there has no patience at all with using children to retaliate for their parents' crimes."

Beckett entered the conference room visibly upset and closed the door behind her.

"What is it?" Castle asked

"Celia just called, the wife of the victim in my hijacked case. She said her husband thought there was something illegal going on with a couple of people who had storage units, but he wouldn't give her names. He wanted to keep her out of it. It could have something to do with the murder, and I had to tell her I'd been taken off the case. She wasn't happy to hear Egan's name. Apparently he's from around here, and has a reputation for being lazy about his job. She said some people don't trust him; and since I'm one of them, what do I do now? I want to give Celia some closure, but if I tell Egan what she said, he may use it to help the people Dom was worried about. If I don't tell Egan, I'm withholding evidence. They've backed me into a no win corner."

"He should have talked to her himself by now," Jordan interrupted. "You said you had copies of the information you gave Egan?"

"We do."

"Bring the picture you mentioned. I can run facial recognition here."

"That would be great. It won't cause you trouble? I do want to know who we're looking at."

"Just give it to us, Beckett. We can call it a person of interest if we have to."

"Ryan, email the picture to Jordan and come right back."

Ryan got the contact information, sent the picture, logged off and returned. One of the techs was already starting the search by the time he was back. It identified the suspect as Craig Tandy. He had a juvenile record and a string of arrests since then for fights, shoplifting, vandalism, small scale drug possession, etc. but was never jailed for anything major. His father was killed in an automobile accident when he was seven, and he was raised by his uncle, Travis Tandy.

"His record isn't good, but it's a far cry from murder," Sully pointed out.

"That's if this is all he's done. If he's somebody they're protecting, he could be involved in a lot more than we see," Castle pointed out.

"Yeah. We'll check into that later. At least we know who we're looking for," Ryan answered.

"Jordan, if you don't need me for half an hour or forty-five minutes, I need to make a quick trip out," Beckett told her. "And I'll need a copy of Craig Tandy's picture. I may get a reprimand for it, but I need to talk to somebody; and I can't bring him in to talk to me here. I'll bring everybody lunch."

"Get back as soon as you can," Jordan answered. Then she grinned and said, "Bring something good."

"Castle, will you come with me? We can say we're going out for lunch; and when we bring something back for everybody, it won't look suspicious." She jotted down an address and handed it to Shaw. "This is where we're going."

Once they were in the car, Castle asked, "Where are we going? I'm intrigued."

"Probably going to get me into trouble, but I need to do this. Egan probably won't."

The storage facility wasn't that far away, and she was pulling up next to the office a few minutes later. When they went inside, Gil Valdez was alone at the front desk.

"Is anybody else here right now?"

"No. Just me. Why?"

"I need to see if you recognize this man." She showed him the picture they had just identified.

"Sure. That's Craig Tandy. Lydia, Celia's neighbor? She's his uncle's wife. They raised him with their own kids after his father died. He was a little hellion then and still gets in trouble now and then. I'm surprised he hasn't been in jail more often than he has. He and his uncle rent space here. As a matter of fact, Craig just rented a second unit a little over a week ago."

"Have you noticed any unusual activity, anybody or anything suspicious around here lately?"

"Not personally, but Dom said something the week he was killed. He thought something might be going on," Gil answered. "He was going to keep an eye on it and let me know if there was anything to worry about, but he never said anything else. I should have thought to tell you that before, but I wasn't thinking straight. I was so worried about Celia and the kids." He paused. "I'm covering his night shift tonight. The security cameras are always on. I'll be watching…just in case. You think it had something to do with…"

"We don't know what to think right now. And I also need to tell you that I shouldn't be here. Dom's case has been reassigned to Detective Egan."

Gil's response to the mention of Egan was about the same as Celia's, including the lack of confidence that Egan would find a reason for Dom's death. "I'm guessing you'd rather Egan didn't find out you were here," he ventured. When Beckett looked down, he said, "You don't have to say it. There won't be a word from me. Do you think Craig…"

"Right now we have a lot more questions than answers. We have nothing resembling conclusions yet. I wish I could tell you more."

Gil nodded. "Sounds like you're putting yourself in a bad spot for us. Thanks for not losing interest. If you need anything else, let me know." Looking over her shoulder at Castle, he asked, "New partner? This guy wasn't with you before."

Beckett smiled. "More like an old partner. Now he's my husband. He's consulting on a case this week, and we slipped in here on our lunch break."

"Richard Castle," Castle said, offering his hand.

"Nice to m… Wait a minute. You're not Richard Castle the writer, are you?" Gil asked, shaking his hand.

"That's me."

"My wife is a real fan. She won't believe I met you. Hey, if you haven't had lunch yet, there's a place on the other side of the block. Most of it is a family restaurant. It's nicer than most of the places around here. Good food, good service. There's one entrance, but separate doors inside. The other end of the building is just a bar. Travis Tandy owns it…that's Craig's uncle."

"We already called in a pickup order elsewhere, but we might try it one day this week," Castle answered.

"Thanks for the help," Beckett said as they walked toward the door.

"Oh. What's the name of the place you mentioned?" Castle asked before he walked out behind Beckett.

"The Top Hat," Gil answered.

"Did he say The Top Hat?" Beckett asked on her way to the car.

"Yeah, why?"

"That's where Egan said he was the night of Dom Martinez's murder. That's Craig's alibi. According to Egan, Craig was in the bar until closing."

"But you can't get a warrant for security footage because it's Egan's case."

"Right. Grrrrrrrrrrrr!" The frustrated growl blended into the sound of the car starting, and she pulled out into traffic on their way to pick up lunch for the roomful of people working for and with the FBI.

Things came to a standstill when they returned to the conference room, everyone gathering to look through the bags of takeout to see what they wanted. Castle had ordered a little of everything from a Chinese place Beckett's team had found a couple of blocks away. There was conversation as they ate, and activity gradually picked up again.

As expected, later in the afternoon they had most of the reports they were waiting for. It seemed that Willy Klein's customer service had fallen short of the mark recently. He had apparently decided to expand his business and got ahead of himself, making the mistake of taking orders from new buyers before he had fully established the reliability of his new suppliers. Drug dealers who don't get their promised merchandise are not generally pleasant and understanding. After his arrest, his wife told the agents that he had come home with injuries a few times. One had required a hospital visit.

He had already lost customers and credibility and gained a lot of threats and ill will. Then, the day before his arrest, Willy's children disappeared, and he received an anonymous ransom note threatening them. The ransom note demanded a large quantity of drugs and said there would be a phone call to tell him where they should be delivered and exchanged for the children. But he was arrested before the call came.

"That means the kidnapper has the kids and can't get the drugs. He's frustrated and angry by now and has no incentive to let them live," Castle said sadly. "Do we have a list of his customers to work from to narrow down suspects?"

"That came in a couple of minutes ago, but there are no names. It's coded, names like Racecar, or Rapper or…Horse Face?" Avery paused and raised an eyebrow at that.

Ryan laughed. "I'd like to get a look at that guy."

"Me, too," Avery answered, snickering before getting back to business. "Willy is doing all the wrong things to get his kids back. He won't tell us where to find the ledgers with the full accounting and delivery information because he was told if he involved the police, they'd kill his children. Doesn't he realize he's already involved with the police?" Rolling his eyes, he added, "The idiot even flushed the ransom note. He's making it as hard as possible to find them. Agents are still trying to convince him of that. They're taking his wife to talk to him later today. The guy obviously isn't thinking straight. That's what got him into this mess in the first place."

"I guess having your children kidnapped and threatened, being arrested on major drug charges, and having angry drug dealers mad at you might mess with a man's mind," Esposito answered.

The afternoon was filled with a mass of paper and a lot of tedious searching. Their equipment could only run searches on what they asked it for, and things like "a dark van" didn't significantly narrow their search. It did, however significantly increase the possible hits on traffic cameras. They had narrowed the search to include a dark colored van, two men, and two children in every combination they could find, and they expanded the search area; but they weren't particularly surprised when nothing useful materialized. The witness said the dark van went "that way" and indicated a direction that could have taken it to the Bronx, but there was also a decent sized chunk of Manhattan to consider. Frustration was running high, and they knew their window of opportunity to find the young brother and sister was quickly closing.

"Any luck with the ledgers yet?" Castle asked as he finished working through another fruitless search.

"Not yet," Shaw answered.

"Where is that coded list?" Castle asked. "Did it have locations?"

"Vague ones, we think. One letter notations that could indicate a location. I kept thinking we'd have the ledgers any minute. We should have run the coded list by now."

"Let me take a quick look. I've lived in New York all my life. Maybe something will stand out."

Avery handed him the list. "The undercover operative didn't rise high enough in the organization to have access to the top, but he could identify some of the buyers. We already have people looking at them, but the rest are still just the code names. The operative said Willy had been second in command for four years and handled the job well. He took over the organization when his mentor was killed last year. Looks like he didn't do as well making the plans and giving the orders as he did carrying out the ones he was given and enforcing them. The organization started getting shaky a few months after he took over, and his changes were causing the rumblings of mutiny not far into the expansion plans."

There were three pages of buyers, and when Castle reached the last one, he looked at Kate, who sat on the other side of the table from him. "Kate. Look at this," he said hopefully.

"What did you find?"

"One of the names." He pointed it out.

"Top Hat? Does it have a location?" she asked, looking for something recognizable.

"Only a B."

"Could be for the Bronx," she speculated.

"Did you find something?" Shaw asked.

"I don't know. It's a wobbly maybe." Shaw and Avery both came to look, Castle pointed out the name, and Beckett explained, "This name has come up a couple of times in connection with the man you ran for me this morning, and his uncle."

"What's his uncle's name? Avery asked.

"Travis Tandy," Beckett answered. "He lives here in the Bronx." Avery nodded to one of the techs, and information appeared on the screen in no time.

"He owns a restaurant and bar," Avery said. "The Top Hat Bar and Grill. They must be doing pretty well. Looks like he just closed on a new house. Wow. Hefty price on it, too."

"That's one of the nicer parts of the Bronx," Castle said. "Any criminal activity?"

"Not much and not too recently. Service record, honorable discharge. A few minor scrapes with the police. Nothing that says kidnapping or murder."

"That bar is where Craig and Egan were supposed to have been the night of the murder." Beckett said. "We were told that Travis Tandy raised Craig along with his own children. What are his sons doing now? Any trouble with them?"

"Hmmm… It looks like his two sons and Craig own a small moving company," Avery mumbled as it came up on the screen. "These two may have no connection at all, but it's better than anything else we have right now. It can't hurt to see where it goes."

Shaw picked up her phone, pressed a contact number, and waited.

"Gil said the bar and restaurant are on the other side of the block from the storage place, right?" Castle asked Beckett.

"Right. And he said Craig just rented a second storage unit a little over a week ago."

"Could it possibly be this easy?" Castle sighed.

"God, I hope so," Shaw answered.

"I don't know, Jordan. The universe isn't usually this cooperative."

Sully and the boys used the little respite to go for coffee, so the couple was at the table alone for a few minutes. When Jordan's call picked up, and they were waiting for her, Beckett teased Castle. "Well, when you think about it, maybe it is this cooperative now and then. You and I have managed to live through some pretty tight situations. And the universe kind of whomped us up side the head to get us together."

Castle reached across to take his wife's hand, gave her his lop-sided smirk, and leaned in close to whisper, "I thought that was Lanie."

"She was a minion of the universe," Beckett whispered back playfully, placing her free hand over Castle's.

"You don't even believe in the universe," he said, enjoying the lightness of the moment.

"Maybe you're convincing me. You're a pretty persistent guy."

Jordan turned, took a breath as if to speak to them, and looked pointedly at their joined hands and loving look. "I can't leave you two alone for a minute, can I?" she joked. Serious again, she told them, "I've arranged for surveillance of both Craig and his uncle, their homes and businesses...and the storage building. And we have someone going to the bar and the restaurant tonight to get the lay of the land. It's worth a look."

Deputy Chief Alvarez came in for one of his visits long enough before the end of their shift to see how things were going and hold a few more short interviews. Aware of the FBI presence, he stopped at the door of the conference room and asked the two agents in charge, "Any progress?"

"Possibly," Shaw answered. "Although, we're grasping at straws at the moment. Agents Jordan Shaw and Shawn Avery. I think we met when we were rounding up some of Senator Bracken's cronies."

"I remember," he said, shaking their hands. "Mr. Castle. Good to see you again. You're working with the FBI now?"

"These days I only come in when somebody wants me for something specific. Most of the time now I'm at home with our son."

"I believe I've heard the word adorable applied to him a couple of times," he answered with a smile. "I'm here for more interviews today. I caught up with a few people from Narcotics a little earlier, and I thought I'd find a few more from Homicide. Turning to Beckett, he said, "I'll see you next time," as he turned and walked into the bullpen."

"Interviews?" Avery asked.

"Part of the exchange program, which I'm sure you know is why we're all at the fifty-first instead of the twelfth. Chief Dawson and Deputy Chief Alvarez have been making unannounced visits and conducting random interviews of the staff here. All of it is supposed to be anonymous, and I'm sure the information they get from the staff is; but Bronson has spies in every department. You can bet he knows exactly who was interviewed each time."

"I'm beginning to think you don't like him," Jordan answered with a grin.

"And I thought I was hiding it so well," Becket answered dryly

Just under half an hour later, Alvarez was at the door again looking for Beckett, and looking unhappy. "Come with me, Lieutenant," he ordered. Turning to the other occupants of the room, he promised, "She'll be back shortly."

Beckett followed him to a conference room on the floor below theirs, and he closed the door behind them. "I've heard from all three homicide detectives I interviewed today that a case was taken from you. You should have told me that. All three of them seem to think there's more going on than just freeing you up for field evaluations and training. Tell me your opinion."

"There may be, and I should have spoken to you about it, but I didn't want anyone outside the room to hear. And I expected that someone among the people you interviewed would mention it. Right now, there's a vague chance that there could be a connection between a possible suspect in that case and the case the FBI is working on. We need time to see how that plays out before you confront anyone else here about it. Would you give us that? There are two children's lives involved, Sir. I don't want to take any chances."

"It sounds to me like you may think there's more going on, too."

"It's possible, but that's based on hunches rather than evidence."

"I have the feeling your hunches are usually good, so you have a couple of days; but you need to keep me in the loop, understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

Dismissed.

Beckett gave him a sharp nod and left the room.

As she passed Egan's desk, she heard, "You in trouble, Beckett?" followed by a snicker. She never saw his slimy grin because she paid no attention to him whatsoever, just entered the conference room and closed the door.

"What did Alvarez want?" Castle asked.

"He knows about the case being reassigned. All three homicide interviewees today mentioned it and said it looked like something was behind it other than training. I told him there might be a connection to this case, and he's going to give us another couple of days before he confronts Bronson. I'm supposed to keep him updated." She sighed. "He wasn't happy…said I should have told him."

"Thanks for buying us time." Shaw said. "I'll pull rank if I have to later, but I'd rather hold on to the good will as long as I can." Turning to her partner, she said, "Castle, Beckett, section one, and I are going to get some dinner. We'll be back in an hour or less. When I get back, Avery, you'll get dinner and some sleep. Section two, you'll do the same."

"Where do we eat?" Jordan asked Beckett as they left.

"Want to go back to Frenchy's?" Beckett asked her husband.

"Sure. Food's good, service is good, staff is friendly. It should be relaxing."

"Lead the way, Jordan answered. We could all use a little of that."

Frenchy greeted them at the door. "Aaaaaw. You didn't bring the little guy?"

"We're all working this time," Castle explained. "We'll come back for family time another day. You got a table big enough for all of us?"

The hostess was told to get someone to put some tables together in the corner where they hadn't seated anyone yet, and the group was soon settled in.

"No talking about the case," Jordan ordered quietly. "First, because we don't know who's listening, and second because we need a break from it; and we know we'll get a call if there's anything new. She refused to allow Castle to pick up the tab for this meal. "You already fed us once today, and we can include it in our per diem expenses."

Conversation went anywhere except the case, and they returned to the precinct a little less stressed.

"We're here for the early part of the night," Jordan ordered. "The rest of you get some food and rest and be back at one to relieve us. We'll be back in at eight and give you a break before we tackle the rest of the day."

None of the others protested, just picked up their things and left as part of a well-practiced routine.

For the next few hours, they monitored the reports from their surveillance people.. They finally got the ledgers, and his wife had even convinced Willy Klein to tell them who had been shorted or didn't get delivery of their drugs. They started there and were only slightly surprised at that point to find that Craig Tandy was on that list.

"Maybe the universe really is on our side today, Castle." Jordan said.

"Well, if the universe is going to take sides, saving two little kids isn't a bad place to start."

Jordan got in touch with Decker, her surveillance contact at the storage building and told him to report in as soon as he saw anybody who looked like Craig or Travis Tandy. They continued to work their way down the list from the ledgers until a little after ten when Jordan got a call. Craig Tandy had just been spotted at the storage building, getting out of a dark van.

When they had almost reached the storage facility, Beckett got a call from a panicked Gil Valdez. "Lieutenant Beckett, it's Gil. I've been monitoring all the storage units like I said I would. Craig just came in; and when he opened the unit door, two little kids ran out. He stopped them pretty fast, and all of them are closed in the unit now. Craig's got a gun, and he threatened the little boy with it…looked like the little guy was trying to protect the girl. Craig was holding his gun close to the boy and yelling right in his face. Those kids must be so scared. What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing, Gil. Stay where you're safe. We're almost there anyway, so let us handle it. Stay on the phone, though, to let us know what you see. It's gonna help when we get there."

Within a couple of minutes, the FBI's SUV pulled up in front of the building, and all six of them left the vehicle." Castle was checking the fastening on one side of his vest when Beckett took his arm firmly. With no previous discussion of the subject, Beckett and Shaw announced, almost in unison, "You're not going in."

"The hell I'm not," he protested. "You're…"

"No. You go in the office, keep Gil company, and help with the surveillance. We have a tiny little son who won't even remember us if something happens to both of us. I have no intention of dying tonight, but I won't take chances. He can't lose both parents. Go inside and lock yourself in Gil's office so you can give us a play by play."

He looked at Jordan and heard her say, "What she said. We don't have time to argue."

Castle didn't have a real argument for either of their points, so he grouched, kissed his wife's head, jogged over to the office, and did what was demanded of him. After locking the outer office door, he relocked the inner one when Gil let him in. He had just been grounded by two moms for the sake of his child…women who were putting their lives on the line to save two children they didn't even know. Neither of them needed the distraction of worrying about his unarmed, untrained daddy self; but he was decidedly grumpy about it, even while knowing full well that it made perfect sense.

"Mr. Castle, I'm glad to have the company," Gil said. "I've never had to deal with something like this before."

"Anything happening, Gil? Beckett asked.

"Not yet, They're all still in there, but the door is down, and we can't see what's happening."

Shaw looked at Ryan, Esposito, and Decker, who already had their weapons in hand, and asked, "Ready?" All of them indicated they were, and she was about to lead them into the building when they heard Castle's voice from Beckett's phone, giving them the play by play she had asked for.

Castle's voice paused briefly between some of the phrases as he described Craig's actions. "Wait. He's leaving. He's just locked the unit's door and he on his way down the hall, and he looks furious. Oh. Gun's still in his hand. He's out of sight, probably on the stairs or in the elevator. Okay, there he is on the first floor. Cameras show him coming down the hall toward the outer office. He's not stopping. Be ready. He's headed your way. Leave your phone on, Kate. I love you."


	109. Chapter 109

Chapter 109

By the time they caught sight of a very angry Craig Tandy making a stormy exit from the building, all the members of law enforcement had found cover behind vehicles and the corner of the building. They waited for their best opportunity to take him down safely as they watched him open the back door of his van, still holding his weapon.

As he reached for something inside, Jordan Shaw shouted "FBI. Hands where I can see them. Put your gun on the ground slowly, then hands on your head."

Craig turned quickly in her direction and fired.

Then Beckett called out, "NYPD. Put your weapon down now.

Moving to the opposite side of his van, as he fired toward Beckett, Craig started shooting in the direction of any voices or gunshots, the others returning fire. Esposito was in the best position for a clean shot, and he moved just far enough to take it; but Craig fired back as soon as the detective was visible, and Esposito fell against the vehicle he had been using as cover, saying, "Damn!" By then, Craig was on the ground suffering from a shot to his thigh, his now empty weapon still in his hand. Beckett, Shaw and Decker restrained him quickly and confiscated his weapon as Ryan and Sully assessed Esposito.

"Looks like one of yours was hit," Jordan told Beckett. "Check on them and then go take care of the children. I've got things here."

Beckett left Craig Tandy with Shaw and Decker and jogged over to quickly check on her boys. "How bad is it?" she asked when she saw Esposito.

"Tandy hit his arm. It could be a lot worse," Ryan answered as he was putting pressure on the wound. "He'll live."

"Thanks for the sympathy, Partner," Esposito answered, a sarcastic picture of stoicism, even though he was bound to be in pain. "What about Tandy?"

"You got his thigh. Dropped him off his feet so it was easy to restrain him. A bus should be here soon for both of you." Giving Esposito a brief supportive touch on his good arm and turning away, she took her phone from where it was sticking slightly out of her back pocket and asked, "Castle, are you still there?"

"Yeah. We heard everything. Whether you need it or not, I recorded what was coming through on Gil's phone. You okay?"

"I'm fine, and Esposito will be before long," she told him. "Tell Gil to get his bolt cutters. I'll meet you at the office, and we'll go get the kids out of that storage unit."

"On my way," he promised.

"Ryan, stay with Javi. Sully, check out the van, but don't touch anything until CSU clears it. Shaw will probably want her own CSU team for that, but I want to know what he wanted so badly when he came out here," Beckett said on her way inside to meet Castle and Gil. The three of them went to the unit Craig Tandy had just left. Gil snapped the lock with the bolt cutters and removed it, and Castle pulled the door up.

Entering first with her badge out where the children could see it, Beckett moved slowly; and she calmly told them, "Nobody is going to hurt you. You're safe now." Kneeling to cut the zip ties that bound them to their chairs, she assured them softly, "We're going to get you back home. Have you been tied like this the whole time you were here?" she asked.

Both children shook their heads to indicate they hadn't.

"But the last time the man left, he was really mad," the little boy answered, and the girl nodded, still looking panic stricken.

"You must be Elizabeth," Beckett said, smiling and taking the girl's hand gently; and the child nodded again, tears falling down her cheeks.

Hating to do it, but knowing it should be done, Castle used his phone to take video of the children while they were distracted as Beckett approached them and released them from the zip ties. Then, as Beckett talked to the girl, he put it back in his pocket and moved to help. "And you're Daniel, aren't you?" he asked, dropping down on one knee to talk to him.

"Danny," the boy answered nervously. "We call my sister Lizzy."

"Gil, the man right behind me? He saw you on the security cameras and called us. He saw you trying to protect your sister," Castle told him. "That was pretty brave, Danny."

"Can we go home now?"

"Not quite yet, but you can in a little while."

"Did the men who took you hurt you while you were here?" Beckett asked.

"Not much until today," Danny answered. "He grabbed our arms kinda hard sometimes, but he was really mad today. He shoved us back in when we tried to run and threw us against the wall, then he took those plastic things and tied us to the chairs."

"But he was scary all the time," Lizzy sniffled. "And he had a gun."

"He doesn't anymore. We took it away from him." Beckett answered.

"There are going to be some other police people here in a few minutes," Castle explained. "Some of them will want to talk to you and ask you some questions, and some of them will be here to collect evidence that can put the man who did this to you in jail."

"We're going to have someone call your mother so she knows you're okay and can come and meet us," Beckett told them. "Then we're going to have a doctor check on you to be sure you weren't hurt. Right now, we're going to go and sit out in the hallway until our friends get here to help."

"Are you going to stay with us so he won't come back?" Lizzy asked.

"Of course we are," Beckett promised. "But we left him with our partners in the parking lot downstairs. He was in handcuffs, and someone has probably already taken him away. He won't be back."

"But you'll stay anyhow?" Danny asked.

"We'll stay," Castle answered. "I'm Rick, by the way, and this is Lieutenant Beckett."

"You can call me Kate. It's easier. Can you stand up? Does anything hurt when you move?"

They urged both children to stand slowly, and each said they were okay. Then all of them went to the opposite side of the hallway and sat down, leaning against the wall to wait for the FBI. Castle and Beckett put the children between the two of them, and Gil paced back and forth in the hall.

Beckett put her arm around Lizzy's shoulders, and Castle did the same for Danny; and both children willingly leaned against them.

Danny looked up at Gil when he paced back their way. "Thanks for calling the police," he said.

"No problem. It looked like you could use some help. You were pretty brave, though."

"I didn't feel very brave," Danny answered. "I just wanted to be back with my mom and dad." The tears he had been holding in finally escaped, and Castle held him a little tighter.

"Don't worry about that, Kid. I was kinda scared myself," Gil admitted. "You don't see me leaving these people yet, either, do you?" Danny gave him a small, watery giggle from his place against Castle's side.

When Shaw and Avery arrived, they took stock of the storage unit…the pallet and blankets on the floor, the portable camping toilet, the five gallon water jug and paper cups, the large trash can that seemed to be full of fast food bags and wrappers, the two chairs, the box that seemed to have passed for a table, the cut zip ties on the floor. Tandy had obviously put some thought into the kidnapping ahead of time.

Shaw and Avery sat down on the floor cross-legged in front of the others, and she said, "My name is Jordan, and this is Shawn. I guess you're Daniel and Elizabeth." After receiving the same name corrections that Castle and Beckett did, she asked some questions about what had happened. During the conversation, both children had referred to the couple with them as Rick and Kate.

When CSU arrived, they cleared everything they needed from the children; and Jordan told the brother and sister, "When we leave here, we're going to take you to a doctor for that check-up Kate mentioned. After that, we'll take you to the police precinct, and you'll be safe there while you wait for your mom."

Casting a still fearful look up at Castle, Danny asked, "Will you stay with us until then?"

Lizzy leaned closer to Beckett and got a tighter squeeze to reassure her, and Jordan asked, "Do you feel safe with Rick and Kate?" Both children nodded.

"Then they can take you to the doctor, and we'll make sure we've done everything we can to put the kidnapper in jail. Shawn and I will see you later."

"If you'll drop us off at the closest ER, I'll either find a cab or call the car service to get us to the precinct," Castle offered. "And maybe somebody could call ahead to the ER to explain the situation, expedite things for them," he added, nodding toward the children.

"We'll take care of that before we leave," Jordan promised.

"You guys ready?" Beckett asked the brother and sister, and they both nodded. Then they all stood to leave.

Jordan went ahead of them with Gil and Avery, already on her phone making arrangements. Beckett and Castle took their time, Danny and Lizzy still clinging to their sides.

By the time they had reached the FBI's SUV, the hospital had been alerted to the situation and had promised that a pediatrician would be expecting them. Decker and Sully had already taken Tandy to a different hospital for treatment for his gunshot wound and would stay with him until he could be brought to the precinct for processing and interrogation.

As Castle put the children in the SUV, Jordan stopped Beckett before she could follow.

"What was the exact date of the murder here, Beckett?" When she got her answer, she said. "I have the feeling these two incidents could be related."

"So do I. On the video, Dom Martinez was pointing in the direction of that unit while they were arguing.

"We already have Yalin watching the bar. We could send Ryan for backup, leave them there until we get a warrant if we have to, and get the videos for that night. We'll see if Tandy's alibi holds. Yalin has already said there are several cameras in both the bar and the restaurant."

"That would be a big help. I'll call Ryan. Esposito's fiancé is probably on her way to be with him anyway."

"You know if it's related, it's part of my case, right?" Jordan asked.

"Better than Egan keeping it if he isn't going to do anything."

"Beckett? You coming?" Castle called.

"Be right there," she answered.

"I'll keep you posted," Jordan promised.

"Same here," Beckett agreed as she stepped into the van with Jordan close behind her.

"Is our mom on her way?" Danny asked hopefully.

"She is," Jordan answered. "It's going to take her a little while to get here, but she's coming. Right now she's in New Jersey and you're in New York City, in the Bronx."

"Is that a long ways?" Lizzy asked.

"Kind of," Beckett answered, but I know she's getting here as fast as she can."

It was a short drive to the hospital, and Castle and Beckett went straight to the desk when they entered the Emergency Room. Beckett flashed her badge and introduced herself, the woman at the desk made a quick phone call, and a nurse met them at the door.

"Fastest ER entrance ever," Beckett commented.

"Not really," Castle answered, the painful memory showing in his eyes as he looked at her. "You just don't remember the other one."

"Sorry. I didn't mean for you to have to remember that." She answered, gently touching his arm.

The doctor met them in the hall and then took them back to where he would examine the children.

xxxxx

Jordan Shaw's team had obtained the warrant required for The Top Hat's security footage from the night of Dom Martinez's murder; and Ryan and Yalin were bringing it to her by the time the children were back from the hospital with a clean bill of health. Gil had freely given them his surveillance footage including everything from two weeks before the murder to the present.

"They're keeping Tandy at the hospital overnight. Sully and Decker will be with him until we get Yalin there to relieve Sully. Tandy is on pain killers, so he'll probably sleep most of the night and not give them any trouble," Shaw told Beckett. "Personally, I have no patience with anybody who would kidnap a couple of young children. I really don't care if he isn't comfortable when we bring him in for interrogation tomorrow morning. Those kids certainly weren't for the last several days."

"Not much of a humanitarian bent here, either," Beckett admitted. "It broke my heart to see those kids zip tied to chairs and scared out of their minds."

"The doctor said he'll need to use crutches to keep the weight off, but there wasn't any more damage to Tandy's leg than there was to Esposito's arm. They're both going to be a little bit miserable for a while. But fortunately, Esposito can stay at home where he can be comfortable and have somebody sympathetic to take care of him."

"So we interrogate Tandy in the morning?" Beckett asked.

"Right." Shaw paused to stretch and then sighed. "The psychologist is speaking to the children now; so when their mother comes for them, we can talk to her, take care of the formalities, and let them go."

"Are we sure she wasn't part of the drug operation?"

"It doesn't look like it. The home has been searched, and there was no sign of the operation there at all. Willy Klein said he didn't tell her anything. She thought he was the security manager for a big import company and got occasional generous bonuses. She said sometimes she wondered about odd phone calls he'd get now and then, but he'd always talk her out of worrying about them." She sighed again. "Those poor kids have to go home now and find out that their father is in jail. Mrs. Klein said she and the children will be staying with her parents in upstate New York for a while."

"I'm going to go keep Castle company. He's great with kids, but he's exhausted, too, and the children have to be worn out. Maybe we can get them to sleep while they wait."

"Our replacements should be here any time now. I wouldn't mind a little nap myself," Shaw admitted. "But right now, we have the videos from the night of the murder, and I might as well see what they find."

"I noticed that tonight Craig was wearing a hoodie like the one on the video that recorded the murder. On the back of the jacket just below the hood, there's a white tag that says 'BadAss'. Is that some new brand name?"

"Wouldn't surprise me."

"Maybe when you can compare all the videos you'll find something that will make it all fall into place."

Jordan's phone sounded, and she smiled. "Mrs. Klein is at the front desk. The sergeant has someone bringing her up."

"I'll go get the kids." When Beckett returned to the break room where she left Castle sitting with the children, she stopped in the doorway and smiled. The brother and sister were stretched out on the couch beside her husband, Lizzy curled up against her brother's back, and Danny's head resting on Castle's thigh. Castle had one hand on Lizzy's shoulder and appeared to have nodded off himself. She slipped into the room quietly to kiss Castle on the head, and when his head jerked up in surprise, she said, "Their mom is on the way. We need to wake them up."

Castle shook Lizzy's shoulder gently several times until her eyes blinked blearily, and Beckett did the same for Danny. "Your Mom should be here any minute," she told them, and both children sat up,

"She's here? Now?" Danny asked.

"She's in the building…on the way up here," Beckett answered. "Want to wait for her at the elevator?" she asked, holding her hand out for Lizzy.

By the time they reached the bullpen, Mrs. Klein was already there, and the children ran to her, throwing their arms around her when she knelt down to meet them and gathered them both in her arms. All of them were crying.

"Would you like to sit with them over here?" Kate asked, indicating her team's desks. Castle brought chairs for them, but they only needed one. Lizzy crawled into her mother's lap, and was pulled into her mother's one armed embrace while the other arm wrapped around Danny where he stood next to the chair. "Agent Shaw will want to talk to you before you take them home, but right now we'll give you some time with your children."

She received a teary "Thank you" as the mother pulled her children closer, then she and Castle went to the conference room where Jordan Shaw was leaning against the door watching the family reunite.

"That has to be the best feeling in the world," Jordan said before returning to the business at hand. "I have people going through the videos. If anything worthwhile is there, they'll find it, and if it's a breakthrough, they'll call me. You and Castle should go home and get some sleep. Or, considering what's been going on, at least rest while you lie there and stare at the ceiling."

"I guess one way or another, it all hits the fan tomorrow morning when Bronson and Egan come in. Whether they're innocent or not, it won't be pretty. Not looking forward to that." Beckett released a long sigh. "I should probably call Alvarez before he hears it from somewhere else. He wants to know if there's even a vague connection to the murder and if there's anything unsavory about Bronson giving the murder case to Egan. And he was insistent…even gave me his cell number and a call anytime order." She gave Jordan a small, resigned smile and went to find a private place to make the phone call. Finding his name in her contacts, she took a deep breath, releasing it as she pressed the number. "It's Lieutenant Beckett, Sir. I'm sorry to wake you, but you said to keep you informed. I thought you might want to be aware that we found the children and have custody of one of the two kidnappers. She filled him in on what had happened so far, and when to expect the interrogation; and he said he would be there the following morning.

"The representative at the hospital said they'd have Tandy out of there by seven tomorrow morning…more accurately, that would be this morning," Shaw told Beckett when she returned from her conversation with Alvarez. "They probably don't want a dangerous criminal there any longer than necessary. Alvarez said he'd be here at nine?"

"Right."

"We should have something to tell him then, and we should have Tandy in interrogation before Bronson and Egan get to work. Right now I need to talk to Mrs. Klein, assure her that her children weren't physically harmed and ask a few more questions before I clear up all the formalities and let her take the children home. If you and Castle can stay with the kids that long, I'd appreciate it. They seem to be comfortable with the two of you, and they need that right now. Then I want both of you to get a few hours of rest before tomorrow morning. My people have already changed shifts. By the time she leaves with the children, Avery can take over, and I can catch a little sleep, too."

Kate nodded and they went back to Mrs. Klein and her children, promising that it would be the last time they were separated before they could go home. Castle rousted up a deck of cards from someone on nightshift, and he had joked and made enough odd faces that he and Kate and the children were finishing a lively game of Go Fish when Mrs. Klein came back with Jordan.

Lizzy triumphantly finished her hand after getting the last card she needed from Castle and giggled as he fell back in his chair dramatically moaning and clasping his hand over his heart.

Mrs. Klein smiled along with everyone else and said, "Thank you for all this. From what they told me you've taken good care of my children since you found them."

Castle and Beckett stood and shook her hand and Castle said, "Obviously, we didn't mind."

"I wish the circumstances could have been different." Beckett added.

Mrs. Klein and her children hugged all of them before they left for home. By then, Avery and section two had been briefed on the night's events. The rest of the exhausted team left quickly, and Castle suggested a hotel to Beckett to avoid eating up all their rest time in driving back to Manhattan. He did a search on his phone and found a place not too far away…not up to his usual standards, but with good recommendations.

When they entered the room and looked around, it looked spotless; and he commented, "It looks clean, and we're only going to be looking at the inside of our eyelids, anyway."

Beckett smiled, threw the covers back, threw most of her clothes over the back of a chair, and asked, "Shower in the morning?"

Castle…having already set his phone alarm, stripped down to his boxers, and flopped into the bed immediately after she asked…appeared to agree.

xxxxx

Both Castle and Beckett had checked in with their babysitters periodically to keep track during the day, and they both missed their little boy; but they knew he was in good hands. As soon as Martha heard about the two missing children, she took over the Jamie situation, calling the family and scheduling babysitting sessions until Castle and Beckett were back at home.

A little fuzzy headed on waking, and not certain who would be on duty with Jamie that morning, Castle called the house phone at the loft. He saw no reason to wake someone up by calling the wrong cell phone so early.

"H'llo."

It appeared that Alexis and JD had the early shift that day. Castle would recognize that sleepy morning voice anywhere.

"Hey, Pumpkin."

"Hi, Dad," she answered sleepily.

"I wanted to check in and let you know we'll probably be home by tonight, maybe late this afternoon."

He could hear her yawning before she asked, "Does that mean you've made progress on finding the two kids?"

"Their mother was able to take them home with her about two this morning, and one of the kidnappers is in custody. He was almost certainly the one in charge. We stayed at a hotel last night to give ourselves a little more sleep."

"Well, you didn't get much then. It's only six, Dad. Why are you already awake?"

"Long story, Honey. I'll tell you about it later. There are some other things to deal with this morning, and we need to be there early. The kidnapper and Esposito were wounded last night. Nothing life threatening for either of them. Esposito is home, and the kidnapper is due at the precinct about seven-thirty…hence the early hour. Thanks for taking care of your brother. Just wanted to let you know what's going on."

"We're fine here. Neither JD nor I have classes until mid-morning, and Meagan said she'd be here at nine-thirty so we can get to campus in time. Jamie's covered, so don't worry. He keeps looking for you, though. He looks hopeful every time the door opens, but he's fine."

"Okay. I've showered, so I'm gonna go put on yesterday's clothes again."

"Hey you were part of getting two little kids home to their mom. It's worth a day feeling icky in yesterday's clothes."

"You're right. Love you."

"Love you both. Bye, Dad."

"Bye." Turning to Kate, who had just given her hair a cursory drying with the hotel's hair dryer. He said, "Jamie is fine, Alexis sends her love, and Meagan will be there in time for Alexis and JD to get to class this morning."

"I miss our baby."

"Me, too, but it feels good that we helped get someone else's babies back safely."

"Yeah, it does."

"If we go now, we can stop for breakfast and pick up some pastries for everybody on the way in."

"You should probably dress first," she answered with a little smirk. I don't think the boxers are going to do it."

"You're just afraid all the women will be ogling me."

That netted him an eye roll accompanied by an indulgent smile. She kissed his cheek and said, "I'm happy with fast food breakfast if we get good coffee to go with the pastries."

Castle dressed quickly, and they started their day. When they reached the conference room at the precinct at seven sharp, the others set upon the pastries with the enthusiasm of hungry wolves.

After the brief initial sugar raid was over, Jordan reported what was found during the night, as well as what to expect that morning. The videos showed that:

-The children had been confined to the storage unit in the very early hours of the morning the day of the murder. Those hours weren't included in the footage that was originally given to Beckett's team, however. They were in the footage from the day before.

-Craig Tandy had made multiple trips prior to the kidnapping to deliver clearly visible supplies to his newly rented storage unit. There was no activity at all for two days after the murder, the time when the crime scene tape was up and an officer was standing guard. That meant that nothing had been taken to the children and no one had been to check on their well-being for two days.

-Gil's surveillance records showed that on the night of the murder, right after Black Hoodie Guy showed up on the video with what looked like fast food meals, someone (Dom being the one on duty) had accessed the videos from the day before the murder. By the time Black Hoodie Guy was leaving the unit, Dom Martinez was standing just inside the corridor confronting him. They argued, Black Hoodie Guy pulled his gun, shot Dom three times in the chest, and stalked away. They speculated that Dom must have missed a short period of time the morning before, went back to check on it, figured out that Dom was holding the children hostage, and went to get them.

-The BadAss tag in the pictures from any of the footage, both footage showing Craig's face as well as the more anonymous night of the murder, was incriminating. Enlargements showed that it matched the one he was wearing while he shot at law enforcement the night before. It had a distinctive jagged tear on the lower left corner that didn't conform to normal rips or snags.

-Footage from both The Top Hat bar and restaurant on the night of the murder showed no sign at all of either Tandy or Egan being there.

At the end of her report on the videos, Jordan Shaw looked tired but pleased. "In addition to the videos, with hostages in one of Craig's storage units, there was probable cause to open the other one next to it, and it contained a substantial stash of drugs, obviously for distribution and sale. We have warrants for his home, his vehicles, and his moving company; but on only the strength of what we have now, he's not leaving custody any time soon. We'll process him and take him into federal custody as soon as he arrives."

"Has he heard from his uncle yet?" Castle asked.

"His uncle may not know yet. Yalin said Craig hasn't asked to make a phone call and hasn't asked for a lawyer. Apparently he seems certain that all of it will blow over quickly."

"Doesn't he understand that he shot a cop and tried to shoot federal agents, and that his local buddies can't help him with that?"

"What can I say?" Jordan answered with a grin. "I intend to fully enjoy that the man seems to be arrogant and ignorant of the trouble he's in. It makes our jobs a lot easier. Yalin and Decker should have him here any time now. We sent Ryan home not long after you left. He should be in at eight, and I think Sully just came in."

A little later than they had hoped, Craig Tandy, handcuffed to his wheel chair, was rolled out of the elevator. Decker was pushing with Yalin flanking them. Shaw and Avery met him at the elevator and escorted him to be processed into their system before having him taken to Interrogation One.

As they waited for Craig Tandy to be processed, Shaw told Beckett, "I know you'd like to sit in; but especially in view of your unenviable position in the touchy command situation here, I think it's best that Avery and I handle this. If Alvarez comes in early, he's going to want you to be available to bring him up to speed."

"You're right. It's your case, and I do need to be available. I'll tell Sully where to find me, and Castle and I will be in observation. Give Tandy some attitude for me."

"I'll do my best," Shaw promised with a smile. Turning to her partner, who was just leaving the conference room, she said, "Let's see what we can get out of him."

When they entered the interrogation room, Craig Tandy looked very confident and cocky.

"I'm Agent Shaw, FBI," she said, dropping the file on the table in front of her before she sat down. "This is Agent Avery. Mr. Tandy, do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?"

"Not as much as you think I am," he answered.

"And why is that?"

"I've got connections."

"What kind of connections?"

"Connections you don't need to know about, but they work for me."

"What do you think we're charging you with?"

"Aren't you supposed to tell me that?"

"Pretty sure of yourself, aren't you?" Avery commented.

"Never had a problem before."

"I see you've got a record."

"Yeah. I got in a few scrapes."

"Well, this time you're in more than a scrape, Craig. You're up to your eyeballs in trouble. We know you kidnapped two young children because their father didn't get your drugs to you. We found a big drug stash in the other storage unit, and we know it's yours. We have Willy Klein's records of the sales that he did deliver, and the fingerprints in your storage units match the ones on the gun you used to shoot a cop last night. Did you and your cousins haul it here in one of your moving trucks? We've got you dead to rights on the kidnapping and drug charges. You and your cousins are doing some serious time for this."

Looking concerned for the first time, Tandy answered, "Hey, wait. You can't go in my storage like that."

"Legal warrant right here says we can," Shaw said, taking the warrant from her folder to show him. "All three of you…"

"No…no. Leave my cousins out of it. They didn't know. They had nothing to do with it."

"There's also the kidnapping. We've got enough on the security videos alone to make that stick. The children said somebody else was with you when you took them. Were your cousins part of that?"

Alvarez did indeed show up early and was directed to Beckett in the observation room.

He entered quietly, said, "Good morning," and took up his own observation.

"No. I told you they don't know anything about it," Craig insisted. Back to looking confident, he said "I'll get off easy anyway. I can do a little bit of time if I have to."

"These connections of yours? Are they NYPD?" Avery asked.

"My uncle might know a few people with an in."

"How many things have you managed to get away with because your connections covered for you?"

Craig just shrugged smugly.

"We're also charging you with murder, you know."

"You can't do that. I got a cop who swears I was where he could see me at The Top Hat Bar the entire time of that murder."

"And that would be Detective Egan?"

"Yeah. It would."

"And he's also investigating the case?"

"Nothing to investigate. I got an alibi."

"Sounds like a conflict of interest. Doesn't matter, though. It isn't his case anymore. It's ours now."

"No it isn't. Bronson assigned it to Egan."

"Did you miss the part where we said we're FBI agents?" Avery asked with some of the attitude Beckett requested. "This case doesn't belong to NYPD anymore, so your connections can't help you. You transported drugs across state lines with intent to sell; and worse than that, you took two young children hostage and transported them across state lines. Looks a lot like you were planning their murders, too. We found cloth bags big enough to hide them, chloroform, zip ties, and several paving stones in the back of your van. You were going to drug them and dump them, weren't you? Dom Martinez suspected you were up to something illegal anyway, and it looks like he saw you come in with food for more than just you and take it into the unit. He checked the video from the day before…found the time when you brought them in and locked them up, and you shot him when he confronted you."

Shaw interrupted. "You're going to do a lot more than 'a little bit of time' because these are all federal crimes. The murder was directly related to avoiding being caught for a federal crime, so we get that one, too. And funny thing about that alibi. We've been over the security videos from every camera at The Top Hat Bar _and_ The Top Hat Grill. It's all time stamped and dated the night of the murder, but we haven't found a sign of either you or Detective Egan there on a single one of them."

"Then there's the attempted murder of four NYPD detectives and two federal agents. That becomes a federal case, too," Avery added.

"None of you identified yourselves. It could have been anybody. I was just protecting myself," he blustered

"We have audio. You won't win that one, either," Shaw said. "You're looking at a lot of time in a federal prison and the possibility of the death penalty hanging over you. I'd start talking if I were you."

"I think I want a lawyer now."

"Your choice," Avery answered. "Give me his name and number.

"His name is Lucien Chambers…Lou. You'll have to call my uncle, Travis Tandy, for the number. I don't have that." He gave Avery his uncle's phone number.

Shaw picked up her folder, and she and Avery left Craig Tandy alone, looking much less confident and cocky than before.

"Put him in holding where he can stretch out a little so the lawyer doesn't get to say we were completely without sympathy," Shaw told Yalin, and he and his partner went to move Tandy.

By the time Beckett, Castle, and Alvarez met Shaw and Avery outside the room, the morning shift had started; and Alvarez walked away, appearing to be on a mission.

As the others returned to the conference room, Alvarez was standing at Egan's desk demanding the file on the Dom Martinez murder.


	110. Chapter 110

Chapter 110

Egan was grumpy, but he had no choice about handing the file over to an officer a couple of steps above his rank.

Alvarez sat down at Esposito's desk and read through the folder, then he walked back to Egan and asked why there wasn't more information.

"The trail went cold. I know it wasn't the guy Beckett suspected. We were at the same bar that night, and neither of us left. And besides, the ballistics didn't match."

"I'm going to hold on to this for the time being," Alvarez stated, giving him a long, hard look. "Right now I'm going to ask for an update on what happened to those two children. I hear they were found and sent home with their mother last night." He then went into the conference room and closed the door, handing the file to Beckett and saying, "Tell me if all the information you gave Egan is in this file."

Beckett turned to Shaw and said, "I need that file copy Castle brought from home yesterday." Taking the file Shaw handed her and returning her attention to Alvarez, she told him, "This is what we gave Egan the day Martinez was found. I can tell you now that the security footage isn't here, but I'll compare the rest."

"I still know how to do that," the deputy chief stated, taking the file from her. "May I?" he asked, indicating one of the FBI's work tables. Shaw nodded, and he sat down for a closer look at the two files.

"Some of this has been altered," he announced after a few minutes. "Egan told me ballistics didn't match. Agent Shaw, I imagine you have everything entered in this computer system of yours. If I call and ask the lab to send the original copy of the ballistics report, can you verify that for us? I assume you already have ballistics from last night."

"Not a problem, and yes, we do," she answered.

Alvarez got the contact information and called the lab; and in short order, a definite ballistics match was confirmed for both the murder and the shootout the night before.

"Turning over a case doesn't usually involve making copies before passing it on, Beckett. Why did you do that?"

"The circumstances seemed…unusual," Beckett answered. "Egan went to Captain Bronson immediately after Craig Tandy's picture went up on the murder board, and they both returned about fifteen minutes later. Egan was quick to give Tandy an alibi. The case was handed to Egan immediately, which seemed odd, since he was the man's alibi; and my team and I were reassigned to field training and evaluations. That order wasn't what I would have expected from Captain Bronson under…" She stopped and cleared her throat before going on. "I had no proof of wrongdoing and no authority to continue to follow leads on the case. But I wanted the little bit of evidence we had so far to be intact somewhere, in case…"

"Understood, Lieutenant."

"To be transparent about the situation, Sir, I should tell you that I mailed another copy of the file to Captain Gates and had it sealed, signed, and dated by a postal employee. I sent a cover letter with mention of a possible problem and a request to keep it confidential and to hold the sealed envelope in case it was needed later. I trust her to do exactly that.

"After Agent Shaw brought me into the FBI's case, I got a call from Dom Martinez's wife, Celia. I told her the case had been reassigned, but she didn't want to talk to Egan. Dom gave her no names, but he had confided to her that he suspected some of his customers of using their storage units for illegal purposes. Bronson and Egan have ties to the neighborhood that go back to childhood. After what happened to her husband, she didn't want to talk to Egan because she was afraid someone in the area might find out and target her, too. She didn't know who to trust, but she knew she didn't trust Egan.

"And did you?"

Beckett hesitated briefly before answering, "No, I didn't. The whole situation looked wrong, and it left me in the position of deciding between protection of the very pregnant wife of a victim, withholding evidence, or insubordination. Celia and her children were already victims; and victims come first, even if it means I'm suspended or have a reprimand in my file. So I went to her brother-in-law, Gil Valdez, who said Dom thought he was seeing suspicious activity since he'd been on night shift. He intended to let Gil know if he saw anything of concern. Gil also said both Tandy and his uncle have storage lockers there. He's been working Dom's night shift this week and promised to call me if he saw anything. The pieces connecting the murder to the kidnapping case started falling into place during the day yesterday. Gil called us last night, and I think you know the rest. I still don't know what to tell you about Egan."

"Well, I can tell you that, at minimum, Detective Egan has falsified police records, and I'm about to see if there's anything else."

Just after Egan told him that Alvarez had the Dom Martinez file, Bronson found himself fielding a call from Travis Tandy, who wanted to know why his nephew needed a lawyer...and why the call came from an FBI agent. Tandy wasn't happy when Bronson had to tell him that he didn't know but he would find out.

To heighten the joy in Bronson's day, Alvarez left the FBI's space at the precinct, found a private place to make a phone call and arranged for IA to come to the fifty-first for two interviews later in the day. Then he went to see Bronson with his suspicions and recommended that he and Egan both call their reps before IA arrived. By the end of the day, it was clear to the rest of the homicide floor that something was happening with Bronson and Egan.

It was also clear to Shaw's team that Craig Tandy's lawyer had advised him to cooperate; and once he started, even his lawyer's best efforts couldn't stop him. Alvarez observed as Tandy did his best to warrant a deal that would take the death penalty off the table. Tandy seemed to have no loyalties at all and gave up everybody who had helped him, including Egan, Bronson, Bronson's contacts in the other divisions at the precinct, and the uncle who had raised him and arranged for his attorney. He even told them that his Aunt Lydia knew about her husband's illegal activities as well as the arrangement that allowed the two Tandy men to avoid lengthy and serious criminal records. But he still maintained that he used the storage units and his uncle's warehouse so his cousins wouldn't be caught up in his illegal business dealings. Craig and his uncle had fully embraced their criminal activities and profited well from them; but somehow, Travis's two sons had always stayed out of trouble. To Craig, his cousins were more like his brothers, and they seemed to occupy the only points of conscience in his entire being.

Alvarez also watched from the observation room that afternoon as IA, armed with Craig Tandy's statement, separately interviewed Bronson and Egan. Seeming to recognize the oncoming demise of their careers, and probably their freedom, each of them said they had never considered covering up a murder before; but Craig Tandy was out of control. His uncle called and said he didn't condone what Craig had done; but he was family, and protecting his family and his businesses was the reason he was paying Bronson and the others so well. They were making enough from the two Tandys to have things they could never have had on police salaries, and it had been going on for so long that it now felt like business as usual. Tandy said if his nephew went down, Bronson and his friends would go down with them. Travis Tandy also told them pointedly that he no longer had any control of his nephew, and that his nephew knew where their children and grandchildren lived. Their sins were catching up with them, and Bronson and Egan had given in to the threats.

Word of the IA presence spread through the precinct rapidly, and reports of other cases that had recently been reassigned filtered back to Alvarez. Tom Demming's team had been working on a case…a theft and fencing operation that had apparently been working in the area for years with no arrests ever made. As soon as it appeared to point toward Travis Tandy, the case had been reassigned to another of Bronson's old friends. A team in narcotics found themselves in the same position. IA would be busy with the precinct's illicit network for a while, and Craig Tandy and his uncle were all out of favors.

Chief Dawson had been called earlier in the day and stepped out of observation with Deputy Chief Alvarez when Bronson left the interrogation room. "Bronson, there are so many things I could say about what you've done; but if I start, we'll be here all night, and I'm not going to waste that much time on you. This will be by the book. You are relieved of your command indefinitely, and you and Egan are suspended without pay until further notice. We're still working through the rest of your little network here, and formal charges will be made when IA has finished the investigations. He and Alvarez walked away in disgust.

By the time the interviews were complete, the FBI's team was packing equipment and clearing the conference room. Beckett and Castle had filed their reports, said their goodbyes to their FBI colleagues, and were on their way home to see their son.

"Lieutenant, judging from the time of the phone call last night and the time you came in this morning, I doubt you've had more than a few hours of sleep in the last couple of days," Alvarez observed. "Go home and enjoy your weekend."

"I'm on call this weekend, but I'll enjoy..."

"Not anymore. You're not to be back here for any reason until Monday morning. That's an order. I'll need to take charge of this mess for the weekend. Just come back on Monday ready to help."

"Yes, Sir. Thank you."

As Bronson and Egan were being escorted from the precinct, their paths crossed the Castles' at the elevator. When the doors closed on the awkward atmosphere, Bronson looked at Beckett with a sneer and asked, "Are you happy now?"

"Of course I'm not happy," Beckett snapped back. "A cop was shot because of your greed, Bronson…a cop…a good friend of mine; Celia Martinez had her baby this morning without her husband there to hold their son; two little kids are probably going to need therapy for a long time before they can get back to normal, and the whole department gets another black eye because of a few dirty cops. What should I be happy about? So don't expect me to feel sorry for you because of bad decisions you and Egan made when I was still in junior high. You did this to yourselves. The FBI case just brought it to light."

"Bitch," Egan said bitingly from behind her.

"That's Lieutenant Bitch to you, Egan," she said, never looking back as Castle guided her out of the elevator with his hand at her back. He looked at her with a proud little smirk, and she smiled back at him as they walked away, saying, "Let's go home and see our little boy."

They walked outside to Beckett's car, anxious to get home, and he said, "Wonder who's on Jamie duty this afternoon. We owe all of them big time by now."

"I don't care, as long as whoever it is hands over my baby as soon as we get there."

"You're gonna have to share, you know. I haven't seen him in almost two days, either."

"He's probably having Daddy withdrawal by now," Beckett answered

"I'll make it up to him next week. We'll do things he loves to do." As Beckett pulled out into traffic, he said, "Why don't I order Italian on the way back. It should be there by the time we are, and we'll get enough for whoever happens to be there, too."

"It feels weird not knowing who's with our son, even though we know we trust everybody your mother scheduled."

"Yeah, it does." He paused for a moment then said with mock seriousness, "Drive faster."

Kate grinned at his silliness. "I love you Writer-Man"

xxxxx

When they opened the door of the loft, they were treated to the sight of their son riding on John's back as "G'ampa John" crawled around on the floor making horse noises.

Kate came in first, calling out excitedly, "Where's my boy?"

"Mommy!" Jamie squealed, scrambling madly to get down from John's back. John just fell to the floor on his stomach and laughed when Jamie rolled off his back and got to his feet. The excited little boy didn't have to run more than a few steps before Kate was kneeling in front of him sweeping him into her arms and giving him kisses. Jamie giggled, threw his little arms around her neck and held on. The two of them could easily pass as an illustration of the word "happy". Kate stood, and Castle walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing his son's face where it was watching him over Kate's shoulder. "Daddy," the little boy said contentedly from his mother's arms. Castle moved one arm up to wrap around Jamie and held them both.

"Were you playing with Grandpa John, Buddy?" Castle asked.

"Play horsey." Jamie said happily. Then he pulled back and pointed to where John was still lying on the floor. "G'ampa John horsey."

"Horsey's worn out," John said from the floor. "This was a lot easier when JD was little."

As John slowly began to pick himself up from the floor, Castle said. "It was easier for this horsey when Alexis was little, too. Thanks for being here, John. I can't tell you how much we appreciate it. We've ordered Italian. It should be here any minute, and there should be plenty for all of us, probably with leftovers. You'll stay, won't you?"

"Hard to refuse Italian. I'd love to. I've enjoyed your boy, but he keeps a man busy sometimes."

"That he does," Castle agrees. Some days he entertains himself most of the time, others he wants my full attention."

Jamie was clinging to his mother's neck again, and Kate was talking to him softly, saying nothing of much consequence other than varying forms of "I love you."

The food arrived; but as he took it to the kitchen, Castle heard Jamie say, "Books, Mommy? Up?" He pointed upstairs then turned toward his father. "Daddy, books?"

"Books in his room. I got it," John said. "Go on. He's been looking for you every time there was a sound at the door. Food can wait. You don't mind if the aged horsey collapses on your couch while you read do you?"

Kate laughed. "Feel free. Are we going to need to wake you for dinner?" she teased.

"I make no guarantees. Just don't let me miss it," he answered good naturedly as he sat down. "Food and I have a close and loving relationship."

"Thanks for understanding," Castle told him appreciatively. "This is sort of a routine when Kate gets home after work."

In Jamie's room, they let him choose several books, then Castle sat down in the chair, Kate sat in his lap, and she helped as Jamie clambered up into hers. Castle held the two of them and started reading, and the normalcy and closeness of the moment eased all of them back into a sense of comfort and well-being. After their reading time and allowing themselves a few more minutes for a good snuggle, they went back downstairs for dinner and found that John appeared to be dozing on the sofa. Kate went to warm the food, and Castle whispered to Jamie to wake Grandpa John for dinner. He demonstrated by shaking Jamie's arm gently, then he put Jamie on the floor.

John wasn't really asleep but pretended he was until the third time Jamie shook his arm. Then as he sat up slowly he said in a villainous voice, "When the horsey sleeps, sometimes he turns into the tickle monster," and chased after a giggling Jamie before grabbing him and putting him in his high chair.

"I can see why JD grew up loving you," Kate said when they all sat down to eat.

"Jamie reminds me a lot of JD when he was this age. JD has always been a good kid. I can't believe I raised his father and he grew into a man who could treat his child the way… Well, that's water under the bridge. JD has all of us. I don't think that's too bad."

"Me, either," Kate answered. "In spite of Castle's page six reputation in the past, I think you're both fine examples of how a man should treat his family.

"And in spite of her wild child days, Kate's been a fine example for Alexis," Castle retaliated.

"Wild child?" John asked with a mischievous grin. "Why haven't I heard about this before? I'm gonna need stories."

Simultaneously he heard from Beckett and Castle, "Not happening, John." and "Later."

Kate glared at Castle, the men chuckled, and Jamie smiled with them at the sound of their teasing.

"You're going to tell me about the case later, aren't you? How you managed to find the two children?"

"Yeah. Later," Castle agreed.

Kate took Jamie for a bath and played with him while the two men talked. When he was in his pajamas, she read him another book before they snuggled and rocked. Castle went up when it was quiet enough that he knew Kate was rocking Jamie and stopped at the door to watch the sight before him. He'd never tire of it. His wife was holding their son as if he were the most precious treasure in the history of the world and Jamie was tucked, contented and sleepy, with his forehead in the curve of her neck. He walked in quietly and picked up the warm, droopy weight of his baby boy to cuddle him a moment or two before they tucked him in. After kissing Jamie's head and waiting for Kate do the same, Castle then put him gently in his bed, lifting the side of the crib and clicking it in place. Kate rubbed their baby's back and pulled a soft blanket over him, and they stood and watched him for a moment as he settled himself into sleep.

While they walked down the steps, Castle said, "I hope you don't mind. I told John about the case. He still has a couple of questions, but I could tell you were at the rocking stage. I didn't want to be left out of the tucking in."

"I don't mind at all. We've already spent enough time living it this week. A break from it was nice. What else did you want to know, John? And you know none of the information leaves this house unless it's made public later, right?"

"Right."

"I'm pretty sure most of it will be made public, probably in stages; but there was a lot going on, and some of it needs to stay quiet until the investigations are complete."

"I know those two Tandy men were running illegal businesses out of storage units, but how could they pay the cops that well on an operation that small?"

"It wasn't that small. They kept what was earmarked for the local area there. The biggest part of it operated out of Travis Tandy's warehouses a little farther away. He had what appeared to be a legitimate furniture store, which would require a warehouse, but he had two. One housed only the illegal operations, receiving and selling stolen goods and distributing Craig's drugs. The other one was mostly for the furniture store. Tandy's sons did legitimate deliveries for the furniture store, but his wife convinced him to let them run a legal business and leave them out of the rest. She liked being in the neighborhood where she had friends, so they didn't buy a big house like Bronson did. They took expensive vacations, bought nice furniture, went to the city for shows and fancy dinners. Egan did the same, but the rumor mill says Bronson's wife is a bit of a social climber and wanted to live in a nicer place. She stays involved in volunteer work and gets to rub elbows with higher society. Nobody knows if she knew where the money was coming from. Tandy had just bought a nicer house, too; so it looks like he had finally convinced his wife to move."

"I guess the rumor mill was on high alert today," John speculated.

"Sure was."

"So Rick, the FBI calls you in to consult, too? Not just NYPD? That impressive."

"Only Jordan Shaw when her team is here," Castle answered. "We worked with her before we were married, and she asks for both of us when she needs to coordinate with the police."

"So, Kate what are you going to do with your uninterrupted weekend?" John asked, seeming to have satisfied his curiosity about the case.

"You mean after a good night's sleep?" She looked to her husband as if contemplating something. "Does this weekend sound like a good time for an adventure? It's supposed to be warm enough to be comfortable."

"You want to take Jamie and go on your first adventure?" he asked excitedly.

"Yeah. I think it's time. Maybe just for the day this time. You can break us in slowly."

"What kind of adventure?" John asked, smiling at Castle's excitement. After Castle had explained, John said, "JD and I used to do that, too, but we just called it a road trip. Those were some good times."

Castle took his phone out and called Alexis. "Hi, Honey. Kate's ready to take Jamie on an adventure this weekend. Do you and JD want to come with us and help introduce them to a properly run adventure?"

"Let me talk to JD and call you back."

"We'll know in a minute or two," he reported, but the phone was ringing in no time.

"JD said he and his grandfather used to do the same thing. He's in. Can Grandpa John come, too?"

"That's why I called now. He's sitting right here, and I suspect he might be willing."

"Next week is eerily clear of heavy things to study for. It must be a sign. Text me a time when you decide."

"Okay. See you tomorrow."

"So, John, you up for an adventure? We promise you won't have to do horsey duty."

John grinned. "Yeah, sure...as long as the horsey clause is included in the contract." Standing, he said, "Well, I guess we'd all better get some sleep. Those trips were fun, but I seem to remember coming home exhausted, and that was when I was a decade younger." He stood to leave, and the couple walked him to the door. "Thanks for the dinner and good company. Don't forget. Text me when you text Alexis."

"Will do. See you in the morning." Castle promised. He and Kate talked for a couple of minutes, weighing the pros and cons of departure times; and when they settled on one, Castle sent the texts.

"Love how you asked me before inviting a crowd, by the way," Kate teased.

Wondering if he had made a mistake, Castle said, "I'm sorry. Did you want to go with just the three of us? I…"

"Relax Rick. I was just kidding. It should be fun."

"Don't do that to me, woman. You know how this week has been. I'm a little off my game."

"Well, let's go get out of these clothes we've worn for two days, wash off the remnants of the week, and rest up for a family adventure."

"You gonna wash my back?"

"I'll wash anything you want me to," she answered, appropriating his signature eyebrow wiggle and pushing him toward the shower.

The next morning, they packed the SUV with all the Jamie gear they would need, and the family piled into the vehicle and decided north was a good direction for that day. Castle reminded everybody to buckle up, and they were off to see what looked interesting.


	111. Chapter 111

Chapter 111

As they drove, Castle, as usual, frequently looked over at Kate and checked on Jamie, as well as the traffic, in the rear view mirror. Kate looked curious for a short while, and then Castle, noticed the same expression she wore at work when something began to make sense.

When he saw her smile as he left the bypass in favor of driving through the second small town they had come upon. He said, "The interstates and the by-passes are for the sole purpose of not having to go where there are interesting things to see, so we always drive through the towns. We just haven't found any of the good stuff yet."

"I thought that's how this was working. I had just figured out that's what you were doing. You know, I'm beginning to think your mother wasn't kidding about having mind readers in your family."

"I just know you well enough to read your expressions."

Looking out the window, she said, "Even if we don't find the really good stuff today, it was worth the trip to see the fall foliage. I'd forgotten how spectacular it is. We used to go to the cabin a couple of times in the fall before the weather got too cold, and I loved all the colors."

"Dad and I haven't done this for a long time. I'd forgotten, too. Spectacular is a good word." Alexis agreed.

"So do we look for any particular kind of 'good stuff', or are we looking for something that could turn into 'good stuff'?"

"We're looking for the 'probably good stuff,'" JD answered. "It's one of those things where you'll know it when you see it."

"We've been driving for a while now," Kate said. "If we don't see it in this town, maybe the next one will have an interesting pit stop with snacks and something to drink…and a restroom."

"Now you're getting the hang of it," John answered. "This is a low pressure operation."

"If I remember correctly, there are several little towns clustered pretty close together around here," Castle said. "We'll stop in the next one."

When they crossed the county line and arrived in another little town, they found that the main street was blocked to traffic. Traffic around the signs wasn't bad, so Castle put the window down to speak to the officer who was watching the intersection.

"We're just passing through. What's going on?"

"Founder's Day Parade," he answered. "It starts in about an hour. If you'd like watch, parking is at the elementary school. Turn left at the next street and you'll see it. If you'd rather keep driving, the detour signs will take you out on the other side of town."

"Thanks," Castle answered.

"How does everybody feel about a parade?" Kate asked.

"We haven't been to one of those in a long time, either," Alexis said.

"Then let's find that elementary school and park the car," John suggested. "Adventure time, Jamie. You ready?"

"'Venture?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah, Buddy," Castle answered enthusiastically. "We're on an adventure." He turned the corner, and the elementary school was immediately visible.

"Look!" JD pointed at the playground. Next to the old brick building that housed the school was a playground with two jungle gyms, one in the shape of a boat and the other in the shape of a train. "Told you we'd know it when we saw it," he said to Kate. "We have half an hour or so to kill before we need to find the parade, and Jamie's gonna love this."

"Because he has three man-children to share it with him?" Kate asked with a grin.

"That and the two women we're dragging in with us," JD answered.

"Somebody has to take videos," Kate said to Alexis. "I know these guys aren't going to let an adventure opportunity go to waste. I've seen them in action when they weren't even claiming an adventure."

"We'll take turns," Alexis promised her. "The guys can do video duty at the parade. You know they want an excuse to get to those jungle gyms with Jamie."

The three men let Jamie climb the bottom bars of the train before getting into the space with him as much as they could and playing train for a few minutes, complete with chugging sounds and train whistle noises. Then they moved to the boat and became pirates in a matter of seconds. Jamie had a book about a child friendly pirate, so when Castle whispered it to him, he had no problem yelling, "Ahoy, Matey," to the others from where his father had him standing on a cross bar, holding his boy in place. Then Alexis joined them to play ship. Castle put his son down and decided he would be the villain and steal their treasure, but when he pretended to sneak aboard and hide, they always found him. Finally, Jamie and Alexis fought him off. Castle dramatically held an outside bar, dropping down as he yelled, "Oh, no! I'm falling into the water. Splash!" All of his children, son-in-law included, were laughing along with everyone else.

"Did you get all that, Kate?" Alexis asked.

"I did, but I was laughing so hard you may not be able to see or hear anything. Is this how your adventures always went?"

"Yeah. Sometimes other kids at the playground would join the games. Once we even had some other parents in it. It was great."

"If we don't find anything else today, I'm already glad we did this," Kate answered.

Castle got the stroller from the SUV, and all of them went in search of a parade. They made a quick stop for a bathroom break and something to drink before finding a place to watch the fun. Most of them being tall, they looked for a place where they wouldn't be blocking anyone's view, they left Jamie in his stroller with his drink until they heard the sound of a band from the other end of the street. Then Castle sat Jamie on his shoulders with his legs dangling around Castle's neck and told his son, "I hear the band playing music. Do you hear it?" That's the band making the music. Do you remember pictures of the band in your book? Tell me when you see them." When Kate caught the first glimpse of them, she pointed it out, and Jamie bounced with excitement.

There were floats built by local organizations, nothing spectacular, but colorful and exciting to Jamie. There were miniature cars from a regional fraternal group, prompting Castle to tell Kate it was her turn to host their literally bouncing baby boy. The bouncing started on Kate's shoulders when a group of people on horses came into view; and Jamie, pointing it out to Grandpa John, said excitedly, "Real horsies!"

Kate looked at her husband and told him, "If we find any more 'good stuff' today, it may take us two days to get this kid to sleep again."

"Are you having fun?" he asked her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and adding his hand to hers to help hold on to their son when he bounced a little too high.

"Yeah. I'm so glad I married you. Life would be so boring if you weren't in it. Best family I could ask for. Best husband I could ask for."

He couldn't help himself. He leaned and planted a soft kiss on her lips, and they both smiled contently.

The next float that came around the corner was built by the local farmers association. They obviously included the dairy farmers because half of the large float was a cow, with other farm animals and crops distributed around it in more reasonable sizes.

"Cow, Daddy!" Jamie exclaimed in awe. "Big cow!" He threw his arms out to both sides the way he did to indicate something really big, holding his fingers with an adorable, very slight twist that was unique to Jamie.

"That's one humongous cow," JD agreed.

"Real cow?" Jamie asked, looking at his dad.

"No, Son," Castle answered. "That's a pretend cow."

"A _humongous_ pretend cow," JD clarified.

"'Mongous?"

"Really, really, really big," JD explained to his little brother-in-law, throwing his arms to both sides like Jamie.

"'Mongous cow, Mommy!" Jamie echoed, still sitting on her shoulders but holding on and trying to lean around Kate's head to see her face.

The whole family was laughing by then, as well as a few people around them. Another band passed by and the big Founder's Day float followed. It was a short parade, but it definitely provided entertainment and undoubtedly a few new memories.

"I recorded the humongous cow and its accompanying entertainment," Alexis reported. And varying forms of "Send it to my phone." immediately came from all the adults.

A couple near them who were there with their son, introduced themselves as Larry and Sandra, and their son, Ross.

"Your little boy was as entertaining as the parade," Larry laughed, giving Jamie a little wave and getting a shy smile in return.

"Are you new to town?" Sandra asked. "I don't think we've seen you before."

"Just passing through," Castle explained. "We heard about the parade and decided to stop." Pointing at Jamie, he said, "First parade. Could you tell? I'm Rick. Pointing everyone out as he spoke, he said, "My wife, Kate, our son, Jamie, our daughter, Alexis…well, actually my daughter, but we share well…my son-in-law, JD, and his grandfather, John. Nice to meet you. You, too, Ross."

"Jamie's cute," Ross said, "and funny."

"Is there anything else fun that follows the parade?" We're kind of taking the day as it comes. No rigid plans."

Sandra answered, "Well there are a couple of things that always go on in the town square." Then she leaned in and said conspiratorially, "But they're usually a little stodgy, so we're going to the apple festival this afternoon. They have all kinds of things to do…hayrides, pony rides, petting zoo, craft show, apple and pumpkin activities, jack-o-lantern display, food vendors, and a lot of space to run off some energy." She smiled up at Jamie as she ended her list. "It's always run well. They've been doing it for years."

"And where is this apple festival?"

"A big farm just before you get to the next town. You can't miss it," Larry told him. "When you leave the school parking lot, turn left and follow the detour signs. That points you in the right direction. There are plenty of signs well before the entrance."

"Thanks," Kate said. "It sounds like exactly what we were hoping to find. Right, JD?" He just grinned at her in agreement.

They went back to the car and headed a little farther north, finding the farm as easily as the other couple had said. They started with the food vendors and found places to sit on hay bales spread out for seating. About the time they finished their lunch, they heard clopping sounds and whinnying. Having heard a similar noise during the parade, Jamie went on high alert, asking. "Horsies?" It turned out to be the hayride wagon coming back from a trip around the entire farm, so that was where they started.

"Might as well see a little bit of everything they've got to offer," John said. "Then we can pick and choose when we get back. We should keep an eye on our phones, too, and see if we all have service here."

"Good idea. Then we know we can find everybody if we separate," Kate pointed out. "We don't expect you to spend all your time helping us with Jamie,"

"I really would like to see the craft show," Alexis answered, "but if he does anything else as much fun as the cow, there better be video."

"How long have you known me?" Castle asked in mock insult. "You think there's a chance I'd miss recording a memory?"

"Alexis looked at JD and John. He's got a point there. We're not going to miss a thing."

"Go line up for the next hayride," Castle said, shooing everybody in that direction. The hayride gave them a good look at the size of the farm, the size of the festival layout, the apple orchards, and a huge field of pumpkins. Small person excitement was in high gear at the sight of the pumpkins. There was an antique cider press operated with mule power, and there were demonstrations every hour, so they made sure to be there to watch after they got back.

All of them marveled at the amazing display of artistic and inventive jack-o-lanterns. The display took them close enough to the orchard for them to buy some apples that Jamie picked from a tree himself. Grandpa John stood by to take them from him while Castle held him up high. Then they went to another large area of already picked pumpkins and chose one to take home. That brought them close to the pumpkin grower's contest. There were about ten of the biggest pumpkins any of them had ever seen, prompting their small child's voice to point out the 'mongous pun'kins several times to anybody within earshot.

Kate and Castle managed to see a lot of the craft show, buying Jamie a couple of toys to keep him busy in his stroller while they wandered around. He bought Kate and Alexis jewelry from one of the booths, finding something for Martha before they moved on, and he found a couple of gadgets for himself and bought an intricate ceramic vase he and Kate both liked. Alexis went with JD and John to see more of the craft show while Kate and Castle took Jamie to the petting zoo, where all the enthusiastic responses to the animals were recorded, of course. He and Kate took turns being behind the camera and in front of it.

There was a pumpkin toss game for all ages, a distance toss. Different sections and different lengths were marked off for children Jamie's age up to adults and all those in between. They watched for a couple of minutes, joking about the ones that "splatted". Then Kate and Castle took turns trying.

"Want to try, Jamie?" Kate asked. "They have Jamie sized pumpkins down at the end."

Castle stood Jamie at the throwing line and the attendant gave him a small pumpkin that would easily fit in the palm of Castle's hand, and he and Kate cheered each time Jamie threw it. On one of the five tries, he actually threw it across the line. The others were basically gutter balls…or more accurately gutter pumpkins. As they put Jamie back in his stroller, they waved at the family they met at the parade, who passed by on the hayride. After stopping for the pony ride with Jamie again chattering about real horsies, they took their time as they walked, looking for anything else of interest.

"I think we should start rounding everybody up to head back," Kate suggested. "Otherwise this might become a two day adventure, and none of us have a change of clothes."

"You're getting tired, aren't you? Your week was a couple of days of frustration longer than mine."

"A little bit, maybe, but I've had such a good time."

"I love doing this with my children. I hoped you would, too," he answered, sounding pleased.

"I think I'm going to like adventures. Alexis hasn't outgrown it, either. I miss Martha, though. Too bad she's working on that production for next weekend."

"She'd have found another excuse if she didn't have that one. She's never been too interested in this, although we did similar things around the city now and then when I was a boy. She's definitely a city girl…no appreciation at all for the great outdoors."

As she pushed the stroller, Kate said, "I have the feeling you were just like Jamie when you were his age…smart and eager, full of excitement and curiosity, and charming everybody around you." She giggled and looked up at him. "I think I just described you now. What was I thinking? You just got bigger…and wiser." Leaning and bumping his shoulder with hers, she whispered, "And sexier."

"Why thank you, Mrs. Castle," he whispered back. "You're pretty sexy yourself." They grinned at each other before calling the others to decide where to meet. As they headed to the meeting spot, Castle wrapped an arm around Kate's waist and said, "Not long after we started working together, I'd see somebody with a little girl in a stroller and think of us pushing a stroller…and then think I was going crazy. I couldn't believe I was even allowing a flash of ridiculous thinking about starting over again with a baby. And I was pretty sure you'd never consider being there to help me. But my brain kept firing these little flashes of insanity…and hope. And it simultaneously excited me and scared me witless. You're so much more than I ever hoped for."

"You know you're the same for me, don't you?"

"Yeah."

Nothing else needed to be said. When they looked down at the stroller, Jamie was fading, his eyes slipping closed now and then.

"I think our timing is perfect," Kate said softly.

They met with the others and conferred about leaving. Everybody else had seen what they wanted to see, so they went back to the SUV and headed home, all of them tired and happy.

"So, are all your adventures this much fun?" Kate asked the more experienced adventurers.

"No. We hit the jackpot today," John told her.

"It was like the adventure gods came together for you and Jamie so you'd have a good initiation," Castle added. Reaching over to take her hand, he smiled one of the smiles that lights his face and crinkles the corners of his eyes. "I'm glad you had a good time. I love seeing you relaxed and laughing."

"Jamie certainly enjoyed it," Alexis said. "And I haven't laughed this much in one day in ages.

Martha was gone most of the weekend, working at her school; so it was a lazy day at home for the Castles. They wore their pajamas until the middle of the afternoon, and dressed then only because they decided to take a walk to the park and let Jamie play on the swings and the slide. After stopping on the way back for ice cream, they took their time walking home. Since they were all still a bit tired from the day before, they made sure Jamie's activities after the park were quiet ones. They were both hoping for an early bedtime for themselves.

xxxxx

When Kate's alarm went off on Monday morning, Rick moaned and pulled her closer. She giggled and snuggled close enough to give him a good morning kiss before trying to escape, but he held on tighter and said, sleepily, "Mine. They can't have you yet."

"I was yours all weekend…especially last night," she added suggestively.

"Mmmmmm… Yeah. Last night," he answered dreamily. "Who knew we could do that when we were both so exhausted."

"So I deserve a reward. I should be allowed to get to work without trouble while you get to lie here and imagine last night where it happened. I certainly can't be late today. Who knows what's been going on over the weekend? And I definitely can't go in without a shower."

Without releasing his grip, he said, "Well, at least give me a good enough kiss to last all day."

She kissed him very thoroughly, and he joined in the spirit of the kiss; but he still didn't let go. "Richard Castle, I have to get ready for work; and for another couple of months that's still in the Bronx…farther away than the twelfth. Don't make me hurt you. Parts of your naked body are pretty vulnerable right now."

"Oooookay," he whined as he relaxed his arms. "Not because of your threats to my sensitive body parts, because I know how you like taking advantage of said body parts…like last night." He grinned at her then before trying, and failing, to look innocent. "It's because I'm being a good husband and supporting you in your chosen profession."

"Tell yourself whatever you have to." She laughed as she got out of bed. After going into the bathroom, though, she peeked her head back around the door and said with a teasing smile, "You do have a select group of body parts I enjoy a lot, so I'd probably go easy on them."

"Ha! I knew it!" he called out as the door was closing. Then he smushed his face against her pillow, deciding he could breathe her scent if he couldn't have the rest of her, and continued to enjoy his bed.

She dressed and looked at him fondly and longingly before she left.

xxxxx

Alvarez was occupying Bronson's office for the time being. The desk sergeant had told her where to find him when she came in. The deputy chief was just entering the bullpen when Beckett stopped at her desk and fired up her computer. She turned to go to the captain's office and almost ran into him within her first few steps in that direction.

"Were you coming to see me, Lieutenant?" he asked. "I assume Cortez relayed my message."

"He did, and I was. But I didn't mean to almost run you over in the process. Where do things stand?"

"Come on back with me." As they walked to the office, he told her, "IA was able to make the arrangements to look into the bank and phone records for all the people involved in the cover-ups. They'll work through those today; and they're planning on interviews in all divisions to determine how many cases, and which ones, were reassigned and relegated to cold cases to take care of Bronson's deal with the Tandys."

"And what about Mason? I know he's been one of Bronson's friends since they were pretty young, but he doesn't…"

"You know, all of them seemed to look at Mason the same way Craig defended his cousins. Every one of them said Mason probably suspected Bronson had something extra going on, but none of them mentioned it in Mason's presence. They all knew he was a straight shooter and didn't want him to have to choose between his friends and his conscience. I believe they thought they might lose to his conscience."

"I'm glad to know that. That's the impression I have of him."

"Sit down, Beckett. We need to talk about how to handle the mess Bronson left behind. Tell me your full impression of how he ran his precinct. Don't be hesitant. I'm sure your impression can't be any worse than mine. I just need to know we're on the same page."

She took a deep breath and sighed it out before starting. "Under the pro column, he generally backed his people in the field. He saw to it that safety gear and necessities were readily available and called in outside resources when it was necessary; and he hadn't interfered with any of our investigations until Tandy entered the picture. I wouldn't know if his reports were on time and accurate, but the precinct ran pretty normally as far as the everyday operation. On the con side, he definitely wasn't considerate of his staff. Morale was low. There was no evident appreciation for their hard work, and for the most part, this precinct is populated with hard working, conscientious cops. There was very little encouragement for them to improve, no mentoring that I could see. The general instruction appeared to be understood as, 'Just do your job, and don't bother me unless you have to.' Other than drinking with friends from his old neighborhood, he seemed to have no connection to the community at all…no outreach, no effort to work on community problems. His first response to individual problems from the community was to blame the cop and complain about how much trouble it caused him.

"He seemed to hold grudges for a while if someone displeased him, warranted or not. I found that most of the homicide division wasn't happy with him, and it came to my attention that the majority of at least one other division felt the same way. But most of them hadn't worked for other captains and didn't realize the atmosphere was different in most other precincts. Or they had known him long enough to just overlook the bad attitude. I wondered at first why he seemed to despise anything to do with me, but I realize now that it wasn't just me. He would have hated the thought of anybody who had a reputation for finding answers coming in and being so close to all his secrets. And it didn't help that I was a woman. I don't think he's fond of females in authority positions."

When Beckett finished her comments, Alvarez lifted the file on the desk and said, "Most of that was a very concise description of what I have here. The file also includes the bribes and obstruction activities and other accusations to be investigated. IA is hoping to make short work of all this. It's going to require a diplomatic touch in dealing with the public, which we will have to do. You have demonstrated that skill in the past, and we'd like to be able to call on it again if necessary."

"That isn't my favorite part of the job, but wherever you need me…"

"We have a couple of well qualified candidates who can permanently replace Captain Bronson after the investigations and hearings are over. Considering the recorded confessions and the phone and financial records already available, it's more a formality to present the charges and have the in-house hearings before dismissal decisions are finalized; but after that, the captain can be officially replaced.

"How long do you expect that to take?"

"I would say it should be over by the first of the year. Until then, we'll need an interim captain. The chief and I have spoken to Captain Gates, and your name has come up in positive contexts from our random interviews at the twelfth. You've passed the captain's exam with an exceptionally high score, and you just outlined to me almost exactly the things I wanted someone to be aware of in temporarily handling this command. With that in mind, we would like to offer you that job…give you a chance to wade in the waters a bit before your first full command."

"Sir, I'm honored that you're considering me, but don't you think there would be some resentment here? The FBI operation I was working with is what exposed the captain and threw the precinct into this mess. We bear no responsibility for his decisions, but everyone here may not see it that way."

Alvarez shook his head, chuckled, and pushed a small, stapled packet of papers across the desk and close to her chair. Tapping it, he told her, "Lieutenant Beckett, we had already decided, but we received that this morning. Mason led the request. He and the others you had worked with in homicide talked to their friends in the other divisions and gave us a long list of signatures requesting that we give you the temporary assignment; and listed their quite valid reasons for doing so. In the time you've been here, you've obviously earned their respect, and that's something that will be sorely needed during this transition. You're assigned to be here that long anyway. It might as well enhance your credentials as well as the precinct's closure rate. What do you say?"

Taking the papers from the desk and looking them over, Beckett breathed out, "I can't believe this. I guess I'd better hope I can live up to their trust."

"I have no doubt you will. Shall we go and make the announcement?"

"Might as well," Beckett answered with a little smile.

When they entered the bullpen, hopeful faces looked back at them.

"Should I call a couple of people to represent the other divisions for this?" Mason asked expectantly.

"Up to you, Lieutenant," Alvarez told her.

"First of all, thank you for all of this," she said to the group in general, holding up the petition with all the names. I can't tell you how much your confidence means to me. No need to call the others, though. They went to the trouble to add their signatures to the request. I need to personally thank them, too."

"Breath of fresh air, this one," Mason said with a smile.

Alvarez announced, "As of today, Lieutenant Beckett is your interim captain. You'll need to give her a few days to orient herself to the new job."

"But if you need me, you know where to find me," she reminded them, looking over at the three men she usually worked with.

Beckett's team looked at her with huge smiles. "Mom's moving to the big office," Esposito said to Ryan while the room of homicide detectives gave her a burst of applause. "You up for a little razzing later?"

"We take her to lunch and give her a hard time?" Ryan suggested. "Sounds good."

"Me, too?" Sully asked.

"Of course you, too, Dork." Ryan swatted the back of Sully's head. "Now that Beckett's doing captain duty, we're gonna have to keep an eye on you. Make sure you don't hurt yourself."

"I'll go arrange it," Esposito volunteered. He appeared at the office door and both Beckett and the deputy chief looked up. "Sorry to interrupt. Ryan and Sully and I thought maybe we could take you for a congratulations lunch at Frenchy's. You interested?"

"I have a lunch meeting today anyway. We'll be finished by then," Alvarez said. "You should go with them. The pressure will still be here waiting for you when get back."

"Then, sure," she answered. "Lunch is on you today," she told Esposito with a grin.

She and Alvarez made a stop on each floor to for him to make the announcement and for Beckett to thank the others for their efforts. Then they spent some time going over a number of things he wanted to be sure she was aware of, and as soon as he left, she closed her new office door and called home.

When he answered, she said, "Castle, you're not going to believe this."

"It must be good," he answered. "I can actually hear that 'mongous grin in your voice."


	112. Chapter 112

Chapter 112

"Yeah, It's good, Rick," she answered.

"So what happened?" He was sure she could hear a smile in his voice, too.

"Your wife is now the acting captain of the fifty-first, but that isn't even the best part."

"How does it get better?"

"Mason put together a petition, and the homicide detectives talked to people in the other divisions and then presented the signatures to Alvarez this morning. Rick, it looks like most of the precinct signed it, uniforms included. They asked for me. They wanted me to take the temporary command. It feels good to know that."

"They want somebody they can trust. That's you."

I 1PP was considering me anyway. Alvarez said he had already talked to Gates, and that he and Chief Dawson had heard good things during the interviews at the twelfth. But it's still nice to know the people at the fifty-first want to support my taking over for Bronson.

"And they should."

"The boys are taking me to lunch to congratulate me. I just had to tell you before we go."

"So it's your turn to be the girl in the relationship today?" he teased.

"Okay, I admit it. Something good happened, and I had to tell my man."

"And your man loves it when you do that. Have fun with the hard time the boys will probably give you along with the congratulatory lunch."

"Yeah, I'm expecting some of that. It's a cop thing."

"I'm thinking those guys would probably do the same thing if they were chefs."

Beckett chuckled. "You're probably right. And they're at the door now. Gotta go. I love you."

"Love you, too. And I'm so proud of you. We'll do something to celebrate tonight."

Lunch was the expected combination of longtime partners being happy for another partner…along with the teasing about high places and forgetting the little people and so on. They enjoyed their time, and the underlying feeling in all of it was the men's pride in their sister and her accomplishments.

After lunch, Beckett went back to the station and observed her new desk. Alvarez had left Beckett's copies of the paperwork required for her temporary command status, along with packets of enough forms and instructions for a wide and thoroughly stress inducing variety of required reports. The desk drawers had been emptied over the weekend, and Bronson's personal effects had been placed in boxes in a corner. The one standing bookshelf and the wall shelves had been emptied of most of their contents, and the papers pertaining to the precinct were stacked neatly on one of the shelves. Alvarez had given her an overview of what would be expected of her, but how some of it was to be accomplished would require her own decisions. The deputy chief said she could feel free to make the office her own; but, considering the short duration of the command assignment, he recommended restraint. IA had been through the office thoroughly and had removed anything of interest from the shelves and file cabinets. The return of the boxes of Bronson's personal items would be taken care of before the end of the day; and by morning, it would hold few visible traces of the man who had occupied it for so long.

The first order of business would be establishing in her mind her necessary contribution to the running of the precinct and the chain of communication she would be required to provide 1PP. Providing necessary equipment and back-up was second nature when working with other teams, and that would transfer well to the precinct. Working with the rest of the staff would be very much like working with other teams, too…planning, taking responsibility, offering credit where it's due, appreciation of good work, encouragement or mentoring where it's needed, etc. Everything would just be moving to a much larger scale…including schedules. "An entire precinct of schedules," she muttered to herself…and groaned. After an hour of working on a list of priorities and some notes on how to make them happen, she was interrupted by a phone call and went back to the bullpen with her partners.

"How's the arm…and desk duty, Esposito?"

"They both suck," he answered unappreciatively."

"I know. You could have stayed home another day, you know. The doctor told you to if I remember correctly."

"We just got a new one," Sully said. "Ryan and I need to go."

"I came out to see if dispatch had already given it to you. Take the camera. It's in my bottom desk drawer."

"Guess you gotta clean out this desk now, huh? You got another one to fill," Esposito teased.

"Enough with that," she answered, but she was still smiling.

"Nah. We've known you long enough we get another day or two out of this. Then we'll start calling you Captain."

"What he said," Ryan answered with a grin, and Sully nodded as they holstered their weapons before leaving.

"You'll keep calling me Beckett. You can call me Captain when I have a command of my own." Turning to the rest of the bullpen, she asked, "Did everybody hear that? I'm still Lieutenant Beckett working a temporary assignment. Beckett is still fine."

"Got it, Captain," Farmer said from a couple of desks away.

She pointed a warning finger at him and said, "That's an order," smiling as she said it but obviously serious.

The others laughed, but he had made his point. They would comply with her demand; but she would still get the respect due a captain, maybe a little extra since she was making it obvious that she didn't feel the need to claim the title.

"You know where to find me," she told the group. Pointing toward the captain's office, she added, "I'll be in there figuring out my paperwork." Quiet chuckles followed that statement, too.

A few minutes after she left, there was a short conference among the remaining members of Egan's team. Then all three of them stood and made their way to what was now Beckett's office. She was still looking through some papers and hadn't even sat down at her desk yet when they all appeared at her door, and she acknowledged each of them. "Stafford, Compton, Bartoluzzi. Come on in. What can I do for you?"

Stafford closed the door and spoke for the group. "Egan made us look pretty bad, Lieutenant Beckett. He wasn't easy to work with from our end, either, but he was the man in charge…and he had an in with the man who was even more in charge. So sometimes we'd feel like we had to follow his lead when we really didn't want to, like this thing with Tandy. He just cut us out of it, no arguments accepted. We figure we probably look suspicious to everybody else because we worked with Egan, so we needed to address that with you. None of us are like Egan, and we don't want to be painted with the same brush. The other thing is that we don't have a clear team leader at the moment. Not that we can't get the job done without it; but when you have a chance to work it out, we'd like an idea what to expect."

"I'm glad you came in because we do need to talk about that." Running her hand through her hair and holding on to it for a moment as she spoke, she said resignedly, "In the copious amount of planning time I've had to jump into this new job, I've only been able to give those two problems fleeting consideration. When we worked with the other teams, I didn't try to work with yours because Egan made it clear that he wasn't interested. I'd like to assign Esposito or Ryan to temporarily replace Egan. Since Esposito is on desk duty right now, he can start working with you. He has a little more time on desk duty, then he can go in the field with you. I trust anybody on my team with my life, and with any case I've encountered. When schedules allow, your team can work with mine…theirs. I'd like to see what you're capable of when you aren't being held back, so you'll have an immediate opportunity to start showing everybody you're nothing like Egan."

Bartoluzzi looked surprised. "For a fleeting consideration of the problem, that was pretty impressive."

"I've had plenty of experience with team decisions. That's the easy part." Waving a hand at the paper spread out on her desk, she smiled ruefully and said, "It's the other stuff I need to organize… However, since the Egan problem only occurred to me after lunch, I haven't even fleetingly talked about it with the rest of my team; so give me a day before you mention it to anybody else," she requested.

"No problem," Compton agreed. "It sounds like a good solution, and we'd appreciate being included in what you've been doing for the others. We didn't get a lot of help from Egan. His motto was, 'The less work I have to do, the better.'"

"Well. With Esposito running the team, you might as well throw that theory out."

"Thanks, Beckett," Stafford said, and all of them were smiling when they left, looking relieved.

Esposito looked up questioningly as the other three returned. "She's gonna be good for this place," Stafford said.

"Not a doubt in my mind," Esposito answered.

Since Egan's team had expressed concerns about their association with one of Bronson's minions, Beckett called in the teams who had been associated with the rest. Expecting a little over a dozen people, she met them in the conference room later that afternoon. She pointed out the fact that all of them had worked with team leaders who had been found to be dirty cops. "I'd like to hear your comments and concerns," she told them. "I'll do my best to attend to them and help in any way I can."

Their concerns were similar to the remainder of Egan's team. There was a small pocket of anger that all the legitimately good work they had done could potentiality be overshadowed and look suspect because of their team leader."

"I'm sure IA knows how to separate those things, and I certainly do," she assured them. "I can promise you a fair accounting of your work.

There were two teams who had liked the men who had been removed and resented that Bronson had brought them down with him. Her answer to that was, "As cold as it sounds, they made the decisions that caused this. Bronson could only ask. To be involved, they had to agree and cooperate. There isn't much I can do about that; but in the next couple of days, I'll work on addressing the rest of the things you've mentioned. If any other concerns arise, let me know. Thanks for your help."

"Thanks for yours," one of the men answered as the group filed out of the room. "Demming's team said you'd be good at this."

She closed the door, returned to her desk, and called Captain Gates.

"Lieutenant Beckett, I presume."

"You presume correctly, Sir."

"Please tell me I'm speaking to the interim captain of the fifty-first precinct."

"Yes, you are."

"I'm glad you accepted. This and your excellent score on the exam will be good for your advancement to your own command. Deputy Chief Alvarez asked me if I thought you were ready for the challenge you're facing, and I assured him you were. Bronson left all of you with quite a mess to clean up."

"I've already dealt with a few problems today."

"Personnel problems?"

"One group came in to speak to me, I called the others in to be proactive." She gave Gates a brief description of the meetings that afternoon.

"I'd say that was a good beginning."

"And I'm trying to work out the newer aspects of the job. I've never been more grateful for good mentoring, and I wanted to thank you for that. Without it, this would be even more overwhelming."

"I'm happy to have helped."

"If I have questions I may make an SOS call. Thought I should warn you."

"Just try to do that during daylight hours, and I'll have no complaints." Gates paused for a short moment before saying, "Don't doubt yourself, Kate. You're going to be an outstanding captain."

"Thanks for the confidence in me. I just wanted to let you know that your efforts have helped. It's going to be a challenge, but I'm looking forward to it."

"Well, keep in touch. And don't hesitate to call if I you need anything...even if it's just to vent."

"Thank you. I'll let you get back to work."

"Congratulations, Lieutenant." Captain said before disconnecting the call.

After another hour of familiarizing herself with the most demanding tasks and deadlines, Beckett allowed herself the luxury of going home to her family.

xxxxx

Kate opened the door of the loft to the appetizing smell of one of her favorite Castle food treats. "Did you make those rolls we haven't had in ages?" she asked as she picked up her eager little boy and kissed his happy face.

"Yes, I did. And I just put the steaks on the grill. I had Eduardo spying for me so I'd know when you were home. Only the best tonight. Baked potatoes are done, your favorite wine is chilled, and the salad is in the fridge, and Jamie and I went out this afternoon and bought your favorite ice cream for dessert. We're celebrating your first steps into the world of police command."

Kate walked over to the kitchen and planted a kiss on his lips.

"You and Jamie enjoy a few minutes together. I'll have this on the table in no time. Mother called from the taxi. She should be here any minute."

Sure enough, as Kate was walking toward the sofa about to enjoy time with her son, Martha made her entrance as if they had just provided her cue. Jamie squirmed in Kate's arms and reached for his grandmother. He hadn't seen much of her in the last few days.

"Martha, shame on you. I think that's called upstaging," Kate said as she handed over her wiggly armful of little boy.

"It's been known to happen on rare occasions," Martha answered with a mischievous wink. "And how is my favorite little boy?" she asked Jamie, giving him a big hug. "Did you have fun with Daddy today?"

"Play blocks. Letters."

"You played letters with your alphabet blocks?"

When he nodded, she said, "Go get some of them and show Grams." She put her grandson on the floor and watched him take off for the study.

"Do you have to go back to rehearsals after dinner?" Kate asked.

"Theaters are traditionally dark on Mondays, and we decided to go with the idea of that tradition. Rehearsals are going unusually well, and all of us needed a break, so I'm in for the evening…a good meal, a little celebrating, and probably a long bath and an early bedtime."

At that point Castle appeared at her side with a glass of wine and a kiss on the cheek. "Bless you, my child," Martha said appreciatively as he went back to the kitchen, and she took her first sip.

Jamie came back then with a slightly overambitious armload of blocks, a few falling as he walked.

"Which letters did you find?" she asked, and he held one up.

"I's "B," he told her.

"Yes, it is, Darling. Show me another one." He piled all the blocks on the sofa, Martha put her glass of wine on a table, out of danger, and Jamie climbed into her lap. He proudly picked up blocks, pointing at letters, and telling her what they were, with plenty of enthusiastic encouragement from his grandmother. She had to remind him of a few of them, so she put those aside to ask again later.

Kate watched for a moment, then smiled and wandered back to the kitchen to snag another kiss from her husband before asking how she could help. They had dinner on the table about the time Jamie had exhausted his supply of blocks, and Martha brought him in and sat him in his high chair.

"Tell me about your promotion, Katherine," Martha insisted as she cut into her steak. "How did it come about?"

"It isn't actually a promotion, Martha. It's only a temporary thing…probably only a couple of months or so."

"It sounds like a promotion to me. They're letting you run an entire precinct on your own. So what brought that on?"

Kate briefly explained about recent events with the FBI case correlating with the case at the precinct, then she recounted her conversation with Alvarez and the subsequent interactions within the precinct that day. Martha and Castle commented and asked questions at appropriate times. Then they laughed at some of the lunchtime teasing from her partners and commiserated over the prospect of the additional paperwork, etc.

"It's definitely going to be a challenge, but I'm looking forward to it."

"You're already proving they made the right decision in choosing you," Castle responded.

Rick, you're not exactly unbiased," she answered with a smile.

"But we're both bright enough to recognize good, responsible decisions when we hear them," Martha told her. "And it sounds like you made some of those today…with the support of the people you'll be commanding, however temporary. That's a very good start."

"I did feel good about it when I left. Time will tell."

Castle could see that his wife was tired and probably needed to leave the precinct behind her for the day, so he changed the topic of conversation.

"You missed a good adventure this weekend, Mother," he said.

"We brought you an adventure souvenir," Kate told her, and the subject was successfully changed. "I'll get it for you as soon as I clean up this messy little boy's face and hands." She took Jamie out of his high chair, careful to keep those body parts away from her as long as possible, and sat him on the counter next to the sink. "Your dinner is all over your face," she said, unable to contain a smile at the big one Jamie gave her. Using a damp paper towel, she cleaned his hands first then used another one on his face.

"He takes after his father there, too," Martha said, looking at them affectionately. "Now where is my souvenir? I'll take my boy."

"Be right back." Kate went to the study and came back quickly with a small wrapped box. "We found a craft fair, and some of the artists had beautiful things."

Martha sat Jamie on the counter of the breakfast bar with her arms around him and opened the package behind his back as he turned to see what she was doing. She lifted the bracelet from the box and exclaimed, "Excellent taste, children. I love it." After draping it over her wrist and admiring it, she said, "I'll wear it tomorrow and show it off."

"This is what he bought for me," Kate said and showed her own bracelet to Martha.

"Oh, I love that, too."

"Then you can borrow it any time you'd like"

"Now tell me about this adventure," Martha insisted. "What did you see besides the craft show? Did you find things for Jamie?"

"Of course we did," Castle answered, coming from the kitchen where he had just put the dishes in the dishwasher. "Do you remember the playground, Jamie?"

"Boat!" Jamie said animatedly, looking at his grandmother.

That started a running commentary from Kate and Castle taking turns in the background. They both encouraged Jamie to say what he remembered by reminding him of things and then tried to interpret quietly for Martha as she listened to their boy. _("Jungle gym shaped like a boat_ ,") Castle explained quietly. _("We all played pirates.")_

"Pirate. Ahoy Matey," Jamie added.

"Remember the parade?" Kate asked. "What did you see?"

"Real horsies, Grams." _(People riding horses.)_ Jamie followed that with his best imitation of a whinny.

He could say the sounds of all the letters, but when he was tired or too excited, he still slurred some of them, and the "R" in Grams was one of them, so Castle corrected him, emphasizing the "R".

"Grams has an "R" and you can say "R". It's G _r_ ams. G _rrrrr_ ams.

"Leave him alone, Richard. Let him tell me," Martha answered. "What else was in the parade, Darling?"

"Cow. P'tend cow." _(Parade float)_ "'Mongous cow," he continued, throwing his arms out to show her how big _. (Humongous. JD taught him that.)_

" _What about the apples?"_

"Tree. Apples up high." _(Picked his own apples.)_

"Did Daddy hold you up high to pick them?" Martha asked, and Jamie nodded happily. "What else did you see?"

" _Pumpkins?"_

The little boy looked at a loss for words, then pointed to the kitchen counter.

"Jack-o-lanterns?" Martha guessed, and got vigorous nods and a big smile again in response. _(Amazing jack-o-lanterns)_

"Big pun'kins." He was bouncing then. "'Mongous pun'kins." He threw his arms wide again, barely missing Martha's face. _(New favorite word. Can you tell? Pumpkin growers' contest.)_

" _Ponies?"_

"G _rrrrr_ ams, Jamie on li'l horsies." _(Pony rides)(Ohmygod, Castle. He said Grrrrrams,_ _exactly the way you did" That was said with an barely hidden squeak of laughter.)_

"You rode a pony? Was it fun?" More nodding and excited squirming.

Without prompting, the little boy remembered something else and grabbed Martha's face with his hands, pulling it back toward him when she looked at Kate and Castle. "Patted aminals." _(Petting zoo.)_

"What kinds of aminals?" Martha asked, obviously fighting herself to keep a straight face in the conversation…and keeping to his pronunciation.

"Real cow…baby cow. Piggy. Bunnies. Gentle." He stroked her arm softly to demonstrate. _(He heard that word a lot. He was really anxious to get to the animals.)_

Martha wrapped her arms around Jamie where he still sat on the counter in front of her and hugged him, looking at his highly amused parents over his recently kissed little head. "Please tell me there are pictures."

"Videos even," Castle promised. "You're gonna love it."

Seeing that his mother might explode into either laughter or tears any second, and not quite sure which one to expect, Castle went and picked Jamie up, saying, "Bath time, Buddy. Want to ride Daddy's shoulders?" He swung Jamie up to his shoulders and headed upstairs, stopping to put him down at the top so they wouldn't accidentally bump his head on the doorway.

Martha herself didn't seem to be able to decide whether to laugh or cry. She started with an explosive laugh, doubling over with it. "That was so adorable. I couldn't laugh. He was so serious and excited." Then she suddenly seemed on the verge of tears and reached to pull Kate into a big hug, saying, "I can never thank you enough for that, Katherine."

"For what?" Kate asked, returning the hug.

"For letting me have my twenty month old son back in my arms for a moment. Jamie is so much like him. He's the spitting image of his father at this age, and his personality and expressions are the same, even that little twist of his hands when he told me about the 'mongous cow. And they're both so bright. When Richard was that age, there was so much going on inside that little brain, and he wanted so badly to tell me about it; but he didn't have enough words yet. He would be thrilled when I could voice what he was trying to tell me. He'd bounce and nod and smile and look triumphant. For a little while tonight it felt like I was holding my little boy again. Thank you for giving me that moment."

"Seems to me that has more to do with Castle's genes than with me."

"Darling, we both know all the boy genes in existence would go nowhere without us to bring them into the world."

Both women laughed and then talked about the weekend adventure and the roles Alexis, JD, and John had played. After they straightened up in the kitchen, Kate went to get her phone and started with the playground video. By the time Castle came to call down to Kate that Jamie was ready for his bedtime book, Martha was entranced with the videos, laughing or "aaawing" or commenting every minute or two.

"Hey, wait until we're back downstairs so we can watch the rest along with you," he told his mother.

Once Jamie was tucked in, the adults enjoyed the adventure recorded on the phones, sent Martha the files she wanted, and all of them went to their rooms relaxed and in a good mood.

"How did it feel to take over the captain's office today?" Castle asked after they had closed the door and were undressing.

"Oddly sad in spite of the amazing feeling of being trusted with the job."

"What was sad?"

"While we were off having an adventure, IA went through files and records in Bronson's office and emptied his desk and shelves. By the end of today, someone had taken away the boxes of his personal things; and after all those years, it was almost like he had never been there."

"And it made you think of Roy?"

"Yeah," she answered, leaning into him for a hug. "I wasn't there to see that transition, but seeing someone else's things in his office when I came back… It was hard. I don't want to…"

"This is different. The situation is different. Bronson was different, You said Mason started the petition, and Mason was Bronson's friend. He knows there were problems. It's going to be fine. You'll see."

"Thank you. I needed to hear that." They were down to their underwear by then, and Kate gave him an appreciative kiss…and lingered with it."

"Mmmmmm…." Castle responded. "Shower?" he asked hopefully. "Wash the day away?

"Yeah," she answered, popping the waistband on his boxers. "Maybe more?"

The following morning, Kate went back to work to dig deeper into the demands of her new assignment.


	113. Chapter 113

Chapter 113

Beckett went to work as soon as she entered the precinct. She spoke to everyone she passed but went straight to her office. One person had stopped her on the way to ask where schedule changes stood, explaining that his son was scheduled for surgery in a couple of days as the result of an injury, and he wanted to be there.

"Don't worry about it, Gilmer. We'll work it out," she assured him. "Just turn in the request."

Once in her office, she located the schedule book with a deep sigh. Looking at it, she grumbled, "And it begins." After taking some time to familiarize herself with the current entries, zeroing in particularly on his team and division, she put it aside until Gilmer's request came in.

As soon as Beckett had let her know she would be taking the captain's exam, Captain Gates had taken advantage of random opportunities to introduce Beckett to the requirements of the job. She discussed the considerations in scheduling…Beckett's least favorite part of the impending job opportunity...and showed her the various forms and reports expected of a captain. On days when it was slow at the precinct, Gates would sometimes have Beckett work with the same forms she was filling out for 1PP and give her lieutenant feedback on the generally small areas she could improve. She would also question Beckett occasionally about how she would handle a situation that had recently developed. Beckett would be expected to defend her decision; and if Gates didn't agree, they would discuss the reasons to handle it differently. In one case, the captain even bowed to Beckett's choice and let her know why. Those things were not everyday occurrences; there wasn't enough free time before the change of precincts happened. But for Beckett, the result of the time spent was that the wealth of paperwork and new duties at the fifty-first was a little less daunting than it could have been.

She spent most of the morning making notes and lists to further organize her priorities. As she worked, a call came in from the desk sergeant, and she absentmindedly answered her phone.

"Beckett."

"Hey Captain…"

"Still just Beckett, Cortez."

"Yes, Ma'am. Somebody just brought in some flyers for a community Halloween party for kids. She'd heard that Bronson was gone and hoped you'd actually have somebody hang them up this year."

"Is she still there?"

"Just leaving."

"See if somebody can catch her and ask if she'd like to come up and talk to me."

"Will do."

"Thanks." Beckett walked out to the bullpen and said, "Griffith, you got a minute?"

"Sure."

"Is something wrong?" Griffith asked as she followed Beckett to the office.

"Just looking for advice," she answered.

"From me?" the detective asked, looking surprised.

"You've done some good outreach in the neighborhood around here. Can you tell me anything about a neighborhood children's Halloween party and the group sponsoring it?"

"The woman who runs the neighborhood center is amazing. She has a shoestring budget, but she still accomplishes wonders. She has a few donors, but she's built enough goodwill that the merchants in the area help her with supplies for the center. It's built around getting kids off the streets and giving them something to do to keep them out of trouble. She runs a tight ship, but the kids love her…the parents, too. She must know about every scholarship and mentoring opportunity in the Bronx, if not the entire city; and Big Brothers/Big Sisters beat a path to her door, but she has background checks done before anybody gets too close to her children. I don't know where she finds her energy, but she takes what she has and makes it work."

"So hanging some flyers and encouraging people here to take their kids to the party wouldn't be a bad idea?"

"Not as far as I'm concerned. You and your husband might have fancier plans for your son; but if not, you might even enjoy it. I went to help out last year, and I had a great time. The parents dress up, too. They have games, and a costume walk, and a trick or treat line for the kids before it ends; so the kids get to fill their plastic pumpkins, and the parents don't need to worry about what the crazies might be handing out in the neighborhood."

"I don't know who delivered the flyers; but if somebody caught her before she left, she may be up here any minute. I was just looking for a little recon before I talked to her."

When Griffith opened the door to leave, a voice outside the door said, "Tammy, it's so good to see you. Will you be at the party this year?" and Griffith was pulled into a big, strong, affectionate hug.

"Miss Ada, this is Lieutenant Beckett. She's acting as captain here until there's a replacement for Captain Bronson." Lieutenant, this is Ada Rossi. She's the biggest ball of energy in the neighborhood…knows everybody."

"It's good to meet you," Beckett said with a smile and a handshake. "May I call you Miss Ada?"

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't. It's become my identity over the years, and I'm getting too old for an identity crisis."

Beckett laughed and answered, "Can't have that. Come in and have a seat. I'll be right back." Griffith had waved and was on her way back to her desk, and Beckett peeked around the end of the hall to say, "Thanks, Griffith. That was a big help."

Griffith just smiled as she sat down.

"What was that about?" Washington asked.

"Just asking me about some things in the community. That's all."

"She actually cares about that?"

"Why does that surprise you?"

"Hmmm. I guess it shouldn't. Must have been around Bronson too long."

"Sorry, Miss Ada," Beckett said as she sat down. "I forgot to thank her."

"And you didn't want anybody to think she was in trouble, did you?"

Beckett smiled a small smile and looked down for a moment as a she said, "I have the feeling that not much gets past you. Now, tell me about your party and your center. I want to know what's going on in the community." She managed to make it sound like the honest interest that it was rather than an interrogation, and she and Miss Ada warmed up to each other quickly.

Ada Rossi was a short, Hispanic woman in her early fifties with a skin tone slightly lighter than Esposito's and was a little bit rounder than she had been in her youth. She wasn't beautiful but was attractive, partly because she was possessed of a contagious smile, a sharp mind, a good sense of humor, and a lot of charm. Dressed nicely in flattering clothes that were up to date but not expensive, she looked both business like and comfortable enough for days spent at the center.

She said the building was donated by a local merchant who had retired from a business he had owned. Neither of his children wanted to continue the business, the building was paid for in full, and he had taken notice of Ada's efforts. At that time, she was working out of a room at a church, but the work was beginning to outgrow the space; so he offered the building to her.

"He told me he had his lawyer draw up the papers and I just needed to sign them so he could hand over the deed," Ada told Beckett and chuckled, continuing her story. "I asked him if he didn't want to keep it for his children's inheritance. He told me his children never even wanted to learn about the business, let alone run it when he retired; and therefore they would never need that building. He said they'd have to be happy with his house and whatever he hadn't spent before he died. We call it 'Kids' Place.'" Then she went on to tell Beckett about the work they do. "You should come and visit sometime when you have the chance. We're not far away."

"I might do that."

"Well, I've taken enough of your time," Ada said as she stood. "And I didn't mean to be away from the center as long as I have, either." She shook Beckett's hand and said, "Lieutenant Beckett, it's been a real pleasure."

"A pleasure for me as well. I'll see that those flyers are on every floor. Good luck with your party."

"Word has it that you have a little boy. You're welcome to join us," Ada said on her way out.

"How did you know I have a little boy?" Beckett asked a bit warily.

"I might not really know everybody...but I know a lot of them," she answered with a playful grin.

Beckett smiled to herself after Ada left, and then she went back to her organizing. After lunch with her team, she dropped in on the Narcotics detectives and talked to each team about the cases they were working on, saying that she was there because if someone had questions, she wanted to have answers. She took a few brief notes on the cases in progress, asked a few pertinent questions, and took time to have short conversations with each team. The plan was to move to another division each day until she had covered them all.

xxxxx

As they prepared dinner at home that evening, Kate told her husband about meeting Miss Ada and about the Halloween party her community center was planning.

"Rick, she was like a barely contained bundle of energy and good will. Griffith has done volunteer work for her, and she's obviously impressed." She paused for a smile and added, "Griffith is almost a head taller than Miss Ada, but the woman had her in a major hug practically on sight."

Castle could tell from Kate's smile and expression that she had thoroughly enjoyed meeting Ada Rossi. "We don't have big plans for Halloween. Do you want to go to her party?" he asked. "I know Bronson wasn't inclined to worry about community interaction, and I know you think it's important."

"You wouldn't mind that?"

"We already have the costumes arranged. We're picking them up tomorrow."

"You and Jamie do. I haven't decided on anything yet."

"Of course you do. I have one for you, too."

"And what is it?" she asked suspiciously, leaning toward him as she finished chopping veggies. "Will I be willing to wear it in public?"

"It's a surprise," he answered with a mischievous smirk. And he leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"That evasive answer tells me I probably won't."

"Quickly changing the subject back to the party, he asked, "So, do you want to go to the party? Do some community outreach?"

"Yeah. If you're okay with that. It might be fun."

"Sure. We didn't have any big plans anyway. I was thinking we'd just take Jamie around our building and introduce him to trick-or-treating…remind everybody how cute he is." He grinned mischievously again. "Couldn't pass up that chance, could we? This building is a safe place for that. We know what to expect from everybody. Then I thought we could take him for a walk. This area is full of a lot of creative folks, which usually means there are people wandering around in good costumes on the way to Halloween parties. I thought we all might enjoy it. And we could turn it into an ice cream trip."

"Ice cream on top of trick or treat candy?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "How late are you willing to stay up that night until he finally crashes?" she teased.

"Okay. the idea of sugar and costumes might have affected my thinking," he admitted with a grin.

"Jamie might enjoy the party more. There would be a lot of other children there. And like the rest of his father's side of the family, our boy isn't usually shy about making new friends."

"Then we're going to a party."

"Best husband in the world."

"And the most ruggedly handsome?"

"Part of what makes you the best, Stud," she whispered.

"It's good you whispered that," he whispered back mischievously. "We wouldn't want Jamie to have that as his newest favorite word to show off at the party."

"I'd never be able to show my face in the precinct again," she answered with a giggle, looking over to where her son was playing with his cars on the other side of the room.

The oven timer sounded then, and Rick said, "Speaking of the boy, I'll get things on the table. You get the hand washing and the high chair wrangling."

xxxxx

On Wednesday, Beckett again worked on her self-directed, extended orientation to the new job. She went to lunch with several of the homicide detectives, including the three on her team, and mentioned that she and Castle were taking Jamie to Miss Ada's Halloween party. When she mentioned it and Griffith described the party from last year, Esposito looked interested.

"We've talked about whether to let Gabe go trick-or-treating this year. There was an incident in Maria's neighborhood last year, and she doesn't feel safe about it. This is a good solution. I'll talk to her tonight."

"We know Castle's gonna have some kind of fancy costume. What's he doing this year?" Ryan asked.

"He decided he and Jamie will be Batman and Robin."

"What about you?"

"I haven't decided yet. He said he bought me something, but it's a surprise. Knowing him, I'm not sure I'll wear it."

The group laughed, and Griffith said, "I assume Jamie will be Robin."

"Yeah, but when I mention that you asked, Castle will probably be sorry he didn't think of taking it the other way."

"That would have been hilarious," Ryan agreed.

"Well, I'll be there to help again this year," Griffith said to Beckett. "So I'll also be there to see that tall, good looking man of yours in spandex and a cape."

"Castle in tights?" Washington answered with a grin. "Yeah, I might drop in for a few minutes just to give him some trouble over that."

The other men agreed; and Beckett laughed, saying that she'd relay the message.

xxxxx

Kate got home just in time to catch her men in full regalia, testing their costumes. She looked thoroughly distracted by Castle in that form fitting outfit until a tiny little Robin wrapped himself around her leg shouting, "Mommy! Costume!"

She picked him up, cape and all, and pointed at Castle. "Who's that?" she asked.

Castle, of course, responded, "Batman." And he stood tall with his hands on his hips, the full cape hanging from his broad shoulders.

Jamie looked at his mother and said with a giggle, "It's Daddy."

"Where is Robin's mask?" she asked Castle.

"Mother is getting face paint to draw one. That way we won't have to worry that he might fall because he can't see around the mask."

"Good thinking." Then she wiggled her brows suggestively. "Looking good there, Batman," she added. "So where is my surprise costume?"

"In that box on the kitchen counter."

Batman took Robin from her and Kate went to look in the box. When what was inside was revealed, she said, "Not a chance. Did you really think I'd wear this, even for just the neighbors, let alone to the ice cream store? "

"A man can always dream."

"I think I can put together something to be Vicky Vale, reporter."

"First, it's so cool that you know these things, but…"

"I can include that pencil skirt you bought me to play…"

"Okay. I can work with that."

"And maybe I can warm up to the Catwoman thing for you another time…when we're alone"

"I can work with that, too," he answered with a hint of a leer while Jamie wasn't looking.

"I thought so." She responded with a grin. "Why don't you get dressed and we can go out and get Italian for dinner? I'll change into jeans and get Jamie dressed.

As she took out her change of clothes and stripped down to her underwear, Jamie was running around and playing with his cape, obviously enjoying his new costume. "So, how long did it take you to get into that outfit, Mr. Superhero?"

"A lot less time than it will to get out of it with you doing that. Have I ever mentioned that you can be extremely distracting?"

"Maybe a time or two. You can distract me while I get Jamie dressed. I want to see how you escape from that thing. It all looks like one piece."

"Hidden zipper under the utility belt and a little Velcro." He answered, looking for the zipper pull.

By then, Kate had pulled on socks and jeans and stood to help him find the zipper.

"This may or may not be helpful," he said, removing the headgear with the cape and giving her a lingering kiss as her hand moved under the newly freed fabric and across his bare back. "Mmmm. The only thing between this and entirely forgoing dinner is Robin over there."

"The joys of parenthood," she sighed.

"Oh, your dad and Meagan wanted to come over tonight. "Want me to call and tell him to meet us at the restaurant?"

"Good idea," she answered. "I know he's going to want to have some time with Jamie; and by the time we get back, it's going to be close to his bedtime."

Castle peeled himself out of his bat shirt and threw it on the bed while Kate pulled a sweater on and went to get their son. When she said he needed to change clothes, there was a resounding "No!" and he backed away from her.

"You can play in your costume again tomorrow, but we're going to a restaurant for dinner. I need to help you change into your clothes."

"No. Want costume, he wailed." When his mother picked him up anyway, he started to cry; and the harder she worked to get him out of his costume, the louder and less cooperative he became."

When he had his jeans on, Castle called Jim and gave him the name of the restaurant, and that was when the rebellion sounded in the background. "Your grandson apparently doesn't want to change out of his Halloween costume to go to dinner."

"Well, it looks like we're seeing what he got from his mother's genes. I remember a few similar skirmishes. Would he talk to me?"

"It's worth a try." Holding up the phone, Castle told Jamie, "Granddaddy wants to talk to you, Bud."

He gave his father a skeptical look but calmed a little bit, still sniffling and pouting, and Castle held the phone to Jamie's ear.

"Hey, Jamie. It's Granddaddy," Jim said calmly. "What's wrong?"

"Wanna play Robin."

"Do you want to come and see Granddaddy?"

"Uh-huh."

"Then let Mommy change your clothes, and she and Daddy will bring you to meet us for dinner. Meagan wants a Jamie hug, too." There was another sniffle but no response. "Granddaddy loves you. I'll see you in a little while."

"Thanks Jim. See you in half an hour," Castle said, putting down his phone.

"Go see Granddaddy?" Jamie asked with a pouty sound.

"Right after you change clothes," Kate assured her son. Jamie drooped in her arms, looking defeated. "Granddaddy is excited about seeing you…Meagan, too. Let's go up to your room. We might even have time for a book before we go. You can have a story in your costume and then change your clothes to see Grandaddy." He snuggled his forehead into her neck as she took him upstairs.

When they returned fifteen minutes later, Castle was waiting near the door with the stroller and their jackets, ready to lock up and leave.

Jim and Meagan were waiting just inside the door of the little family restaurant, and Jim and Jamie were both reaching for one another immediately. "How did it go?" Jim asked playfully.

"Apparently Granddaddy has some clout," Kate answered, smiling as her dad looked pleased. Then she turned to hug Meagan. "It's been too long. How is the wedding planning?"

"Great. We love Bradford. I'd forgotten how many things have to happen for even a little wedding, and he's thought of all of them. We're checking them off at a pretty good pace."

"Good thing. The wedding is only a couple of weeks away."

They were seated; and during the meal, they talked about the new job, wedding plans, and progress on the new book. While Jim read Jamie the book he'd brought for him and the two of them enjoyed some good grandaddy/grandson time, Castle and Kate talked to Meagan; and much to his parents' pleasure, Jamie left a lot happier than he'd arrived.

xxxxx

Things at the precinct were beginning to feel a bit more comfortable. During the rest of the week, Beckett checked her lists and reminders to be certain she would get everything done on time, and she made visits to Vice and Robbery, familiarizing herself with those cases. More to the point, she was also familiarizing herself with the detectives and the way they approached their work and their colleagues. Each visit provided more insight into the overall workings of the precinct.

"Hey, boss, you want to head out with us for lunch?" Esposito asked from her doorway. He was still on desk duty until he saw the doctor on Monday, but he was using lunch as an excuse to get out of the precinct.

"I can't right now. Would you bring me something?" She reached to get money from her purse as she asked where they were going. After handing him money for her order, she got back to work when he left.

"How's it going with Egan's team?" she asked him when he returned with her lunch and her change.

"Good," he answered, plopping down in the chair near her desk. "Kind of soon to tell, but they seem like good people. It must have been miserable working with somebody like Egan."

"They sounded like they wanted to get rid of the Egan stigma. They sounded like they wanted to learn to work more efficiently."

"Yeah. We'll get there. Hey, what was your surprise costume?"

"A lot of black spandex and a headpiece with feline accessories."

"Catwoman? For real?" Laughter ensued. "Any chance you'll wear it?"

"Snowball in hell."

There was more laughter as she took a bite of her salad.

"Maria liked the idea of the Halloween party, so we'll be there, too." Esposito stood to get back to work.

"Catwoman will not be mentioned again, understand?"

"Got it," he answered and snickered his way out of the office.

Alvarez came back in on Friday to see how things were going. The precinct exchange programs were in effect for another month and a half, so his visits and Chief Dawson's were still necessary. That morning, he had already conducted random interviews from each division of the precinct and had only positive feedback from them. Then he went to speak to Beckett for her perspective.

"It seems that you have the support of your staff, Lieutenant. That's impressive so soon."

"It's too early to know if it will last or not, but it's good to know."

"I hear you've personally spoken to nearly everyone in the building this week."

"I needed to see what they're working on and how they go about it, and I needed an impression of personalities and dynamics within the teams. It seemed a reasonable thing to do."

"It was. I was just surprised that you've already done so much of it."

"I won't be here that long. There's a lot to learn and limited time to learn it. Not much time for procrastination."

"How do you see it going so far, Lieutenant?"

"It's a little overwhelming, but I've spent a few days organizing, and I think I'll be fine. Although, I've told Captain Gates she might get the occasional SOS call. Egan's team came to me the first day, concerned about their association with Egan." She told him about the meetings with all of the affected teams. "They needed to know where they stood, and I needed see to their concerns right away. It wasn't something that should be left to chance."

"I just interviewed someone who was there. That was an excellent beginning." Changing the subject, he asked, "Are you on track with the weekly reports that are due today?"

"I think so." Beckett reached for her notebook, found the list, and read it to the deputy chief. "Have I missed anything?" she asked.

Alvarez huffed a little laugh and shook his head. "Not that I've noticed. I think your assessment was right. You'll be fine." He stood and shook her hand before making his exit. "I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll accomplish before you leave here." He stopped at the door and turned back as he was leaving. "Good work, Beckett."


	114. Chapter 114

AN: This chapter is a big ol' bucket of Halloween fluff, which I apologize didn't reach you for Halloween. I'll get the story moving again from here.

Chapter 114

The Halloween party started at six; so, late on Saturday afternoon, all three Castles were in their costumes and ready to go. Jamie said "'Duardo" and pulled his mother toward the lobby when they started toward the parking garage, so his parents followed and spent a couple of minutes therebefore heading for the SUV.

"Oh, my!" Eduardo exclaimed excitedly, obviously playing it up for Jamie's benefit. "It's Batman and Robin, right here in my building!"

Jamie giggled and hugged the doorman's leg…which was all he could reach, and said, "It's Daddy and me."

"Master Jamie?!" he asked as if really surprised. "I didn't even know you in your costume. And what is Mommy's costume?"

"Vicky."

"Vicky Vale?"

Castle confirmed that and said, "I didn't know you were a Batman fan, Eduardo."

"From childhood, Sir."

Turning to Kate," Castle said, "Kindred spirits. I knew there was a reason we got along so well." Giving his attention back to Eduardo, he explained, "We're going to a Halloween party, but Jamie apparently wanted you to see his costume. He's reeeeeeeally excited about his costume. I hope we didn't interrupt anything you needed to be doing."

"Nothing at the moment. And I understand," he said, stroking Jamie's hair where Robin was still leaning against his leg. "I remember my own children feeling the same way."

Kate mouthed "Thank you" to the older man and then said, "Come on, Jamie. Time to go. The other children at the party will have on their costumes, too." Holding her hand out for him to take it, she encouraged, "Let's go and see what they're wearing."

Jamie bounced away with her, stopping briefly to turn and wave at a smiling Eduardo.

"Thanks for helping him be excited," Castle told the doorman before catching up with his family.

"My pleasure, Mr. Castle. Just as his sister has always been, he's like a dose of sunshine."

Castle parked their SUV near the children's center in the Bronx; and when all of them got out, Castle put on the Batman helmet and cape he had draped over a back seat as he drove.

"I think I'm a little nervous," Kate said as they walked the half block distance to the door.

"I have the feeling Miss Ada enjoyed meeting you as much as you enjoyed meeting her. And if she has as much influence as it sounds like she does, that gives you an instant in around here."

Sure enough, Miss Ada spotted Kate when she came in the front door and called out with a big smile. "Lieutenant Beckett! You came…and brought Batman and Robin, I see."

"My husband, Rick and my son, Jamie," Beckett answered.

"Hello, Jamie," Miss Ada said, leaning over to shake his hand. "It's nice to meet you. There are some other boys and girls in the next room, and they have on their costumes, too. They'd love to have somebody new to play with. I'll take you to them in a minute." Standing, she rose to her full five feet two inches and shook Castle's hand. And you must be Mr. Castle. I googled our new precinct captain, and your name came up. It isn't every day we have a famous author among us. Both of you are rather impressive."

"Thank you. But if you don't mind, I'll just be Rick tonight."

"In that outfit, I'm pretty sure your name will be Batman tonight," she said with a chortle. Holding out her hand to their son, she said, "Come on, Jamie. Let's find you somebody to play with."

Jamie looked at his parents before taking her hand.

"It's okay, Buddy," Castle told him. "We're right behind you." Jamie took Miss Ada's hand and they went into to the party room. Parents were in costumes, and the children were playing in groups, mostly in groups of the same general age.

When all six feet two inches, plus bat ears, of wide shouldered, muscular armed, broad chested Castle and his costume followed them into the room, eyes were riveted in his direction.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Miss Ada announced. "I'd like you to meet Lieutenant Kate Beckett, acting captain at the fifty-first precinct. Apparently she married Batman here," pointing a thumb toward Rick, "and brought Robin along…aka Rick and Jamie…to meet us, so let's make them feel welcome. I think we've already met several others from the fifty-first tonight. Security should be good."

There were sounds of welcome for a moment before the party noise started again, and individuals randomly stopped to talk to them.

Gabe came over to see Jamie and looked up at Castle. "Uncle Rick?"

"Yeah?" He dropped to a crouch to meet the boy at his eye level.

"You look just like Batman," he said. "That's awesome."

Giving the boy a hug, he said, "Thank you, Gabe. I'm glad you like it. Where's Javi?" he asked with one arm still around the boy.

"Over there." He pointed to a grinning pirate standing with a small woman in a renaissance dress. "He was going to be a soldier, but my mom found out that was the only costume he ever wore…and it wasn't even a costume. It was his old uniform. So she made him be a pirate," he confided with a giggle."

Castle laughed and stood as he saw Esposito, and a few others walking toward him. The pirate reached him first, followed closely by the others.

"Bro', I can't believe you wore that."

"Well, you've known me long enough to know I have no shame." Castle grinned back.

"That's pretty obvious." Ryan snickered in their standard heckling of one another.

"Yeah," Washington chimed in. "They told me you'd do it, but I didn't believe it until now." He shook his head in disbelief. "Tights, man?"

"Batman, Superman, The Flash, Captain America," Castle pointed out. "Tights. Superheroes." Flexing his biceps, he said, "I will not be mocked."

"Where have you been hiding those arms, Castle?" Maria asked. "How do you have time to work out when you're being Mr. Mom and writing?"

"I have weights at the loft." From there conversation turned to gyms and preferred workout methods and then wandered off to other things.

Beckett talked to others in the room, meeting a couple of people she had spoken to during earlier investigations as well as a number of others. Some of them were anxious to bring up community concerns, others wanted more details on why Bronson was gone, but most just carried on brief non-specific conversations. The overall atmosphere was friendly, and the general response to her presence was positive, even though she avoided Bronson questions as much as possible.

She made good use of Vicky Vale's reporter's notebook, jotting down various points of interest or concern that were mentioned to her and adding her own thoughts and impressions and names of possible contacts.

Castle wandered around, too, just being himself, interested in a little of everything and enjoying the new personalities. He saw a couple of them as possible minor characters in his books. All the time Castle and Beckett were connecting with the crowd, they were keeping an eye on their son, one or the other of them stopping to brush a hand over his hair or his shoulder now and then in passing. The age appropriate games and stories for the children and having others his age to play with were keeping Jamie well entertained.

Miss Ada was constantly on the move, seeing to it that her staff and volunteers kept things running smoothly and occasionally announcing new activities for various groups.

Periodically Castle and Beckett would find themselves together again and have time to enjoy each other's company for a few minutes. Jamie seemed to be content with their brief contacts, but he would look around for them once in a while, seem to reassure himself that they were there, and smile back when they waved at him.

"He looks like he's having fun," Kate observed.

"Yeah. So am I," he answered, draping one arm around her shoulder.

"Thanks for doing this. I really want to kiss you right now," she said softly, facing his chest where hopefully no one would hear or notice.

"But no PDA here, right?"

"Right."

"So I should move my arm?"

With a sigh, she answered, "Probably. But I 'd rather it stayed where it is."

He gave her shoulder a little squeeze and removed his arm, whispering, "Bat kisses later tonight, Vicky Vale."

"I'll hold you to that."

"Please do."

They exchanged smiles and turned to check on Jamie again, a much more public appropriate activity than what they both wanted. To distract themselves, they moved to where Griffith was manning the refreshments table and helped themselves.

"Looking good, Batman," Griffith offered with a grin.

Castle smiled back and thanked her before a few of the children came to get a closer look at his costume. As always, he played up to the kids, who loved it.

They had been at the party for a little more than half an hour when it was announced that it was time for the costume walk.

Miss Ada had told Beckett that there was a lot of showmanship involved in the costume walk. There were no prizes given, but most of those who dressed in costume did a lot of strutting or showing off their costumes in various ways. When she mentioned that to Castle, it was obvious that he was already considering the possibilities.

Before they left home for the party, he told his wife that he and Jamie had been practicing, but he wouldn't tell her what they had planned…well, what he had planned, he admitted to himself. But Jamie was up for just about anything that involved his costume, and Castle was taking advantage of that for lots of practice, aka playing. He thought that Jamie's costume fixation must be the Martha Rodgers genes showing themselves…and remembering the costume collection in the back corner of his closet, he realized he had inherited the same genes. The end result of getting a twenty month old to follow through on a plan in front of an audience was something of a toss-up, but he nevertheless assured his wife. "Don't worry. We won't embarrass you."

She didn't look entirely convinced, and Castle thought she looked a little twitchy when the costume walk was announced. He smiled at her confidently anyway and went to pick up their boy when all the children were asked to go back to their parents or the adults assigned to them. Castle took Jamie to the area assigned for those who would take part in the walk; but before he left Beckett, he asked her to get pictures. "If this works, my mother would be devastated if she didn't get to see it."

One of the first few costumes was one of the parents, who hadn't worn it for long after he arrived. It was a well-crafted toilet that hung from his shoulders with his face peeking out from a giant roll of toilet paper sitting on top of the tank. As he confidently strutted past them on the designated diagonal path across the room, Jamie said, "Daddy. It's a potty." That brought a few more giggles from those who could hear him and a grin from the face in the roll of toilet paper. Then the man stopped and asked someone to push the handle, then he played a long flushing sound from some device that was hidden under the costume and obviously amplified. The responses ranged from laughter to grossed out. Everyone who walked was applauded. Esposito was right before Castle and Jamie, and he strutted his stuff to more applause.

"You ready, to do what they did?" Castle asked when it was their turn, and reminded his son of how they had played at home. "We can do that." Jamie nodded and grinned, and Kate got into place where she would have a good view of the two of them.

Batman ran in slow motion so Robin could run as fast as he could beside him and keep up. When they reached the end, Castle said, "Now turn around." They both turned around and put their hands on their hips in a superhero stance, and the applause that was already there increased with added laughter. It wasn't perfectly timed, but it wasn't too bad, and Jamie seemed to like the applause. Martha genes at work again. Castle scooped him up and tickled his tummy before he hugged him and said, "Good job, Buddy." Jamie belly laughed at the tickling as Castle got them out of the way for the next walk.

"Ohmygod, your mother is going to love this." Beckett was still laughing as they turned to watch the next performance, a clown who turned somersaults and cartwheels down the path and finished with a backflip. They added to the applause for the child, who looked about ten years old and waited for the next one.

After all the good will of people supporting each other's antics, Miss Ada called all the children to come and get their plastic pumpkins for the trick or treat line. She had asked some of the adults to stand in the line and hand out different kinds of candy and other treats. Batman was an obvious choice, and members of the police force were pressed into service, too. The children excitedly held out their pumpkins and gathered Halloween goodies. That had become the traditional end of the party, and families were getting together to go home. Before they left, some of the adults stopped to thank Beckett for coming and bringing her family. As the party wound down, Miss Ada came over to the Castle family.

My receptionist/jack-of-all-trades tells me we had a call this morning asking if there was anything we needed for the party tonight. She said it was a man and she told him we were pretty well stocked. In conversation, it came up that we wished more of our donations included some healthy treats and that we might not have the plastic pumpkins but that we had paper bags for the kids. Then, this afternoon we had a couple of deliveries. A boatload of orange frosted cupcakes with spider rings stuck in the top, enough plastic trick or treat pumpkins that we can store some for next year, some healthy treats to go with the candy, and some silly but safe little toys. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you, Batman?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Castle responded.

"Maybe not, but in case you're lying, thank you, Bruce Wayne. The cupcakes were a big hit. Before you go, can I meet the man behind the mask?"

Castle took off the bat headgear and threw it over one arm. He smoothed his fingers through his hair to tame it, and gave the woman a winning smile. "Miss Ada, I've enjoyed your party."

"Well, don't think you're getting out of here without a hug. Thank you for coming with your wife. I have the feeling there were several families here because of her." She gave all three family members a hug and told them they were welcome to visit any time.

As they walked back to their car, Castle said, "That was fun. Let's find Jamie a couple of those little packages of dried fruit. He likes those. We can parcel the candy out tomorrow."

"He'll probably be asleep by the time we get home," Kate said quietly, rubbing Jamie's back as Castle turned to put him in his car seat.

When they were at home, she and Castle settled for washing Jamie's face and hands and the two of them talked him out of his Robin costume by offering him his Superman pajamas with a promise of the cape they could Velcro on the next morning. It was late; and after only one book, he was falling asleep. Kate kissed his head and left Castle to rock him a few more minutes, saying there was something she needed to do.

Castle, still wearing his costume, minus gloves and headgear, stayed a few minutes longer than necessary enjoying holding his little boy. Then he carefully tucked him in and went back downstairs. When he picked up the cape and gloves from the back of the sofa and looked up, he found Catwoman leaning in a sultry pose against the doorway to his study, and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Wow!"

"Is that the best you've got for me, man of words?" she asked.

"It's all I've got left. You struck me speechless."

She rolled her eyes side to side and looked as if she were thinking. "Cheesy, but appreciative. I'll take it," she answered with a smile.

"You know, you look a little out of breath there, Catwoman," he said with a predatory move in her direction.

From the same sultry position against the door frame, she grinned mischievously and answered, "You have no idea how hard I had to work to get myself into this clingy costume on such a short deadline."

He laughed as he pulled her into his arms.

She pushed him back slightly with her palm to his chest. "I don't know about this, Batman. Two women in one night? I heard you promise Vicky Vale bat kisses tonight."

"Ah, but that was because I knew it was you dressed as Vicky Vale for Halloween."

"Oh. Well, since you're on to me, you want to put the mask back on and give me my bat kisses?"

The mask and gloves were back in place in a flash, and he quickly had her in his arms in a deep kiss.

"Wow!"

"Is that the best you've got for me, Catwoman?" he asked playfully.

His answer was in the form of the throaty growl of the Eartha Kitt version of Catwoman, the one from the old TV show, and Catwoman's fingers clawing gently down his chest; and a responding baritone growl followed before his enthusiastic and emphatically placed words. "Did not. Know. You could do. _That_." The next kiss involved two sets of wandering hands.

Enjoying the new feel of touches with clothing and gloves between them, they explored and played…part role play that included a lot of their standard silliness and laughing and bantering, with some teasing, adult fun built around loving and trusting one another. When the need for exposed skin took over, the gloves and masks came off and they helped each other out of the formfitting costumes and into their room and their bed.

xxxxx

After a quiet Sunday at home, a content Beckett entered the precinct on Monday morning to smiles from a couple of the men from Narcotics who had taken their families to the Halloween party.

"I can't believe you let your husband out of the house in that Batman get-up," one of them said with a teasing grin.

"Hey, it was a great costume; and you have to admit, it takes guts to wear it in public."

"Whatever lets you sleep, Beckett," the other man joked.

She laughed and continued to her floor where her team was in the process of showing some of the other homicide detectives pictures they had taken at the party.

"Hey, it's Mrs. Batman," Sully said when he saw her.

Beckett looked at them and stated, "Yes, my husband wore a Batman costume Saturday night…and he looked damned good in it. Now all of you get over it and get some work done." The sound of her Beckett voice was softened by a smirky smile as she turned to go to her office.

She took out the notebook she had used at the party and started separating the notes into categories, preparing short lists of things in her personal notes as well as those that had been mentioned to her as community interests, wishes, and concerns.

Later in the week, Chief Dawson took his turn at visiting the precinct, and was as complimentary as Deputy Chief Alvarez had been.

"Morale looks good here, Lieutenant. There's quite a change in that respect from our first interviews. Is there anything you need from us at this point?"

"If it's possible, I'd like the Friday before Thanksgiving off. My father is getting married that evening, and I…it would be nice to be available if he needs me for anything."

"Not a problem. I assume you've planned to have someone to cover for you. And you know you'd still be on call in case of an emergency."

"Understood, Sir."

"Anything else?"

"The lieutenant who went to the twelfth in my place, Lieutenant Paul Stiles, I believe. May I have him back here at the fifty-first a week or so before Christmas? I'd like to see him wade into the changes that have happened since he left. He's going to be the homicide lieutenant again, but with more freedom to do the job the way I was allowed to do at the twelfth. I can send someone from my team to work with his at the twelfth. And, when the dust settles after this mess is finished, I expect we'll need a lieutenant in Vice to replace the one who left when Bronson did. Things there seem to be going well, though."

"I'll take those concerns under advisement and let you know. I think you can plan on being here until the end of December. IA is firming up its evidence, and we expect to see at least Bronson's case resolved by then. The assigned captaincy needs to be established here."

Beckett nodded her understanding.

As he shook her hand before leaving, he said, "You're off to an impressive start, Beckett. Keep up the good work."


	115. Chapter 115

Chapter 115

Opening the door, Kate said with a smile. "Meagan. This is a nice surprise. Come in. The wedding is only a few days away. Is there anything I can do to help? I have Friday off if you need anything."

"No. It's a small wedding, Bradford is efficient, and I have enough time on my hands these days that I'm keeping up with the demands. My siblings and their families will be here tomorrow night, and their hotel rooms are already booked. It's been so long that it almost feels like I've never done this before. And I admit to being a little nervous."

"Would a glass of wine help? There's a nice bottle already opened. I was waiting to pour some for Rick."

"Where's Jamie? He's usually bounding out from somewhere when the door opens."

"Alexis and JD had dinner with us and took him out for ice cream. Jamie dumped part of Rick's dinner on him trying to climb into his lap. He even managed to aim some of it toward his head, so Rick is in the shower shampooing the lasagna residue out of his hair." She poured wine for both of them, handed one to Meagan, and asked, "What's making you nervous?"

They sat at the breakfast bar, as they had done often, and Meagan hesitated a moment before she said, "You?"

"Me? Have I said something or done something? If I have, it wasn't intentional."

"No. Nothing like that. I know that, until me, you've never seen your father with anybody but your mother. Before it's too late, I just needed to ask if you're really okay with this…with us being married."

"I'll admit it isn't easy to think about Dad being married to anyone but Mom; but if it's going to happen, I'm glad it's you. I already know I like having you around, so it's easier than having to break in somebody I don't know." She bumped Meagan's shoulder with hers playfully. "I would never ask the two of you not to be married…and even if I did something that crazy, neither one of you should listen to me. Both of you have been alone too long, and I'm happy for you. You're good for each other.

"Okay. So after next week, I'm actually going to be your stepmother." Meagan took a sip almost big enough to qualify as a swig of her wine. "God that feels weird."

"Tell me about it." Kate laughed and took another sip herself. "Don't worry. I won't be calling you Mommy or asking you to braid my hair." She stopped and chuckled. "It's gonna feel strange to know I'm sparring with my stepmother."

Meagan laughed. "You and Castle have put together an odd family." Sounding serious again, she asked, "Is there anything you want to talk about, any lines you want to draw, anything you want to clear up before the wedding?"

Kate was quiet for a moment, seeming to be ill at ease.

"I know that look. What's on your mind? Talk to me."

"Jamie. He calls you Meagan. I'd like to stick with that. My mother…she should have been able to be here to see him. She would have loved him so much, and she can't be here to be his grandmother. She'll never be able to hold him, or feel his sweet hugs and kisses, or read to him, or take him to the park. He'll never have the chance to know her except through what I tell him." She sighed sadly. "It's different to hear him call Martha 'Grams'. She really is his grandmother, but…"

"But it would hurt too much to hear him call me Grandma Meagan?"

There was a resigned sigh. "I know it sounds silly, but yeah. It would. It seems wrong for Mom to not even own the title posthumously."

Meagan put her hand over Kate's and said, "It isn't silly. It's perfectly understandable. I promise I'll never call myself his grandmother. I'll just be his Meagan, but I'll treat him like a grandchild because I love him as if he were mine. When he's old enough to understand, we'll explain it to him.

"Thank you," Kate answered softly.

"That's how friends work."

They finished their wine in companionable silence, and Kate excused herself to let her husband know they had company.

Before Meagan left, Castle was back in sweats and a T-shirt, and Alexis and JD were back with Jamie. They all talked for a little while before the extra three went home. Then Kate and Rick put their son to bed and snuggled up together in their room.

She told him about her talk with Meagan, and he answered, "I'm glad she understood."

"Me, too. I feel like I'm being so high maintenance. I hated to bring up the grandmother thing, but…"

"I know, but it's good you cleared the air about it…and good that she wanted to," he sympathized, rubbing his hand over her upper arm and pulling her closer. "And as for high maintenance, you've already experienced my own father/daughter issues."

"It's going to take a long time to get over her birthday, isn't it?"

"It wasn't just a birthday. It was my newly married daughter's twenty-first birthday. I had always thought I'd take her out for a nice dinner and have a champagne toast with her for her twenty-first…have a special evening with just the family. I hadn't counted on her being married before then, but I wouldn't have tried to leave JD out. She's been married less than three months, and decided she should celebrate her twenty-first birthday with only her new husband. And it wasn't even his idea. It was hers. I'm already obsolete in her life."

"You know JD's twenty-second birthday was during their honeymoon. That was just the two of them, and she wanted her own first birthday after their wedding to be just the two of them. That just happened to be her twenty-first. It was something special between them. We've had some of those moments." She kissed his chest and traced little patterns on it with her fingertips. "And you're not obsolete in her life. She was here for dinner tonight, wasn't she…and they came for dinner the night before her birthday so she could share some of it with you. She's always going to love you."

"My mind knows that, but my heart misses knowing my little girl is still mine. It isn't the same. She doesn't even use my name anymore. She's a Farnsworth now. At least your dad gets to hear his name attached to your professional life. I had to introduce her to someone last week, and she introduced herself before I could drag her new name from my mouth. I nearly choked on it."

"I'm sorry, Babe. I know it's still hard for you."

"Thanks for not laughing at me or telling me how stupid I am."

"As patient as you are with my mommy issues? I wouldn't dare."

"We're both a little bit of a mess, aren't we?"

"Yeah, but we get each other through it."

"Yeah, we do." After a short moment, he said, "At the end of this month, we'll have a married twenty-one year old daughter and an almost potty trained twenty-one month old son. How did that happen?"

Kate grinned against his chest and answered, "Well when a mommy and daddy are in love…"

His hand detoured south and swatted her bottom. "I think we've worked that part out pretty well. I just meant…"

"Where does the time go?"

"Yeah." He smoothed his hand over the spot he had just gently spanked and moved it back to her upper arm. Then he chuckled suddenly. "You know, it really is pretty funny that you'll be training and sparring with your stepmother. There are so many stories I could get out of that."

Kate laughed, too; then she told him about a couple of things that happened at work, he told her about an idea for the next chapter of Nikki Heat, and they shared some kisses before falling asleep in each other's arms.

xxxxx

The rest of the week at work ran smoothly. Beckett was beginning to feel more comfortable with her new position, and was only minimally concerned about taking Friday off. She had asked Esposito to cover for her and told him not to hesitate to call if there was an emergency.

On Thursday afternoon, however, her need to cover all bases before the bases were even in place took over. She explained what she needed Esposito to be aware of, left him meticulous lists of instructions, what reports were due on Friday, and who to contact if they weren't in a couple of hours before the end of shift.

"Beckett, just go home and enjoy your father's wedding tomorrow night. You're making me crazy. The place won't fall apart while you get your dad married, and if something I don't have the authority to handle comes up, I'll call you. Ryan and I have got your back. Don't you have a dinner with Meagan's family to get to tonight?"

"Yes, I do. Thanks for this, Javi."

"Yeah, yeah. Now go home and drive Castle crazy."

"Fine," she huffed and playfully backhanded his chest.

After he laughed and went back to his desk, Beckett picked up her things and went home to clean up and make herself more presentable before the rehearsal dinner.

Megan's family was as friendly as she was. The children, five of them, ages three to thirteen, ranged from shy to rascally, but there was no ill will or unnecessary attitude among them. They referred to the soon to be married couple as Aunt Meagan and Uncle Jim and seemed happy to see both of them. They all interacted with Jamie at one time or another during the meal, and the child oriented Castle clan enjoyed the children as well. One of Megan's sisters was a fan of Castle's books and was fascinated to meet him and the inspiration for Nikki Heat. Her brother had seen a couple of Martha's plays and an old TV series and was a bit awestruck to realize there was more than one celebrity at the table.

The subject of Halloween came up, and phones were passed around to show off costumes, some of them pretty creative; and there were compliments and laughter. Batman and Robin's run at the party was a big hit. Castle offered his help if they needed anything, and phone numbers were exchanged to avoid putting any more stress on the married couple if problems arose.

In the limo on the way home, Kate told Castle, "Meagan said her family was pleased to see that we weren't snobby about your books or Martha's acting. They were glad we were down to earth."

"Oops. Did they see the limo? At least it wasn't the stretch limo," he joked. "I liked them."

"I did, too." After a pause, she said, "It took me by surprise to hear Dad called 'Uncle Jim". I've never heard that from anybody but Aunt Theresa's daughter, and I haven't seen much of her since we were kids."

"Wonder if we'll end up adopting Meagan's family, too," Castle wondered out loud.

"Time will tell," Martha answered as she played gently with her sleepy grandson in his car seat. After a moment of quiet, she observed, "I like our eclectic, adopted family. There's always room for people you love."

"I guess that's where your son gets that big old heart of his," Kate answered, kissing her husband's cheek.

xxxxx

The day of the wedding was a beautiful, mild, sunny November day; and the family members milled around outside the church waiting for the wedding party to finish their preparations. The children were allowed some playtime before the service began in hopes of keeping them settled long enough for the event, parents all trying to keep them corralled and clean long enough for the service.

The small church was well over a hundred years old, the feeling of history and strength and welcome seeming to seep from its gray stone exterior. The congregation was small and consisted almost entirely of family. Meagan's two sisters were her attendants, and Jim's AA sponsor was his best man. John was there with Martha; and Meagan's brother, brother-in-law, and thirteen year old niece were collaborating to maintain control of four young children, including a lovable but rascally five year old instigator. JD served as the only usher for the small congregation; and once everyone was seated, he joined his wife, who was holding her little brother.

The church was decorated beautifully…simply, as Jim and Meagan had requested, but Bradford had raised simple to an art form. In keeping with the presence of a number of small children, the bride and groom planned a service with no extras. They had no one give away the bride, having the minister announce that they decided they were old enough and responsible enough to give themselves to each other, causing a little ripple of laughter. The ceremony was sweet and serene, and the room was filled with the love and support of family.

As the wedding party processed down the aisle, Kate smiled at her father from where she leaned against Rick. While waiting for JD to escort them out, Rick told his wife softly, "Your dad said he wanted to ask me to be best man, but he thought you might need me. He said he knew it would be hard for you, and I'd be the best man for you to lean on." His wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed gently. "How are you holding out?"

"Okay. And you're definitely the man for that job. But I'm sorry I took that moment from you and Dad."

"I'm exactly where I should be, Kate. I feel honored that another dad trusts me this much with his daughter." As JD reached them, Rick whispered, "Exactly where I should be." Kate was escorted out with Castle following, and they both hugged and congratulated the newly married couple. Then the little church again became a center of activity as the photographer took formal and informal pictures of every conceivable combination of family members. Afterward, they all went to the reception, which was held in a conference room at a quaint little hotel only a couple of blocks from the church.

"Bradford, how long have you known about this place?" Castle asked. "I had no idea it existed."

"Meagan and Jim found it on their own. After seeing the minister one morning, they had lunch here, asked to see suitable space for this, and loved the place. But I know it's here now, so it's on my list for small events. I love the original art deco touches, and it's still owned by the members of the same family who built it. They're great to work with."

"Thank you for everything…again."

"As usual, it's been a pleasure. I need to go and check on the music and the food. Enjoy."

The decor of the room was as simple and lovely as the church, and the service staff was excellent. The reception was set up as more of a buffet meal with space on one side of the room for children to behave like children, and music suitable for dancing played if anyone wanted to take advantage. It was low key and enjoyable for everyone.

When Jim saw Kate alone during one of the brief times that had happened, he went to her and asked, "How are you holding up, Katie Bug? I know this is hard for you."

"I admit to moments, but I'm happy for you, Dad. Second chances to find someone you can love are wonderful things." She paused and smiled. "Rick was honored that you thought of him as a best man, but he might be more honored that you trust him to be the best man to take care of me."

"I have since I met him the first time. Is Rick convinced yet that JD is the best man to take care of Alexis?"

"I'm sure he is, but he still whines about it lot."

"Jim laughed. "It's a father's prerogative. It gets better with time." After a brief moment, he said, "Meagan and I are going to leave in a few minutes. We have to be at the airport soon, but I needed to see you before we left."

With misty eyes, she said "I love you, Daddy," and gave him a tight hug.

"I love you, too, Baby Girl," he answered, hugging her just as tightly.

"Go," she told him. "Meagan is waiting."

He kissed her forehead and went to meet his new wife near the door where she had just said good-bye to her own family, and they waved to everyone as they left.

Castle walked up behind his wife and asked, "Still okay?"

She turned and leaned into his willing embrace. "Mom didn't get to be his one and done," she said at barely more than a whisper. But I know she would have been if Bracken hadn't taken it from them."

"I know. It isn't fair. It never will be. But Meagan was as alone as your dad. Maybe we were supposed to be the catalyst to get them together so they could have someone to fill the empty space while they live out their lives, even if it isn't the same kind of love they had before. There's a lot to be said for comfort and understanding and companionship."

She nodded. "I just needed a minute to feel sad that the universe could be so unfair."

"I know, Sweetheart. I know."

The party didn't last long after the guests of honor had left. Considering Meagan's family's travel time with small children, and the activity of the last couple of days for all of them, everyone was ready to go home and unwind.

Barring an emergency that required a captain's presence, Kate had the weekend off, and she and Castle had the intention of enjoying every minute of it.

xxxxx

Knowing Beckett as he did, Esposito had checked in with her on Friday night to let her know that the precinct hadn't blown up or flooded, nobody had gone berserk, and all the reports were in on time. He went down her lists and covered everything. On Saturday and Sunday afternoons, she called in and checked with the desk Sergeant to be sure she wasn't missing anything important. Otherwise, things at home were normal.

Work up until Thanksgiving was uneventful. The holiday staff was smaller than normal, and Castle arranged to have a Thanksgiving spread sent to be set up in the conference room on the homicide floor for those on duty.

Beckett worked on the Friday following Thanksgiving, forgoing the trip to the tree farm with the family. That left Alexis protesting that she would be alone in making all those childish men behave when Jamie was the only one with a reasonable excuse for it. Beckett apologized but said that, under the present circumstances, she felt she had no choice. So, off and on all day, Alexis sent texts with pictures and videos…Jamie bundled up in his snow suit looking in awe at all the trees, several instances of three grown men being goofy, Castle and JD cutting down the large tree for the loft, Castle and John cutting another one for John's home, JD and Alexis cutting down a smaller tree for their apartment…all within the oversight of Orin, the same employee who had always helped the Castles with their trees. The last video was Jamie with Santa, and that was followed by a selfie where all of them were blowing Kate a kiss.

She smiled, wiped the moisture from her eyes and got back to work on new leave requests for the December holidays, concentrating first on those who had volunteered for duty on holidays and then those who wanted the time off. Sooner or later, with enough juggling, it would work out.


	116. Chapter 116

Chapter 116

When Castle and Jamie arrived at home after the tree farm visit, Kate met them at the door and took Jamie from Castle's arms, holding him close and telling him how much she loves him. "Did you and Daddy have fun today?"

Her exhausted little boy nodded from where he was clinging to her neck and melting into his mother.

"Are you ready for a book and bedtime, Baby Boy?" There was another nod and a little wiggle as he snuggled against her shoulder. Leaning to give her husband a quick kiss, she whispered, "I'll take him upstairs."

"Be there in a minute," he answered.

By the time Castle had hung up his coat, put Jamie's things away, and made it upstairs, Kate had their child out of his clothes, in his pajamas, and was rocking him. "You must have worn him out," she said softly. "He couldn't even keep his eyes open for a book. He just snuggled as close as he could get and let me rock him. I know he's sound asleep already, but he feels so sweet I don't want to put him down yet."

Castle sat down on an ottoman near the chair and watched them. "That's what gave you that extra few minutes to get into your Catwoman costume on Halloween. I was enjoying the feel of holding his warm, snuggly little self…knowing he has to trust us completely to relax like that."

Kate smiled and nodded in agreement. "Want to tuck him in?"

Both of them stood, and she transferred their sleeping little boy to his father, who eased him into bed and covered him with his blanket. Bear kept watch from the corner of the crib, ready to be hugged in the morning.

"I missed his first trip to the Santa village," she said sadly as they walked downstairs together.

"Don't stress too much about it. This trip , and probably next year's are really for the adults to watch him enjoy it. When he's older, he won't remember the trip, only that there are pictures of it. But when he's four, he's more likely to remember some of it long term. You'll want to plan ahead for that one so he remembers that Mommy was there."

"I feel guilty."

"You don't need to. He melted right into your arms when we got home. Did that feel like a little boy who doesn't feel loved? We all missed you, but we know this temporary captain position is giving you a proving ground. And on top of that, you were left to clean up the mess Bronson left behind." He swung an arm around her shoulders to be comforting. "None of us want you to feel guilty about doing your job well enough to make the brass happy. You'll have your own command before too much longer, and it should give you a little more leeway."

"Thank you," she said not far from the bottom of the stairs, and wrapped her arms around her husband's waist. After a long moment, she asked, "Did you get another big tree?"

"Yep. It should be delivered tomorrow morning before noon."

"I'll make some hot cocoa and you can tell me about your day."

Kate took out a pot and the ingredients, and Castle sat at the breakfast bar and went into story-telling mode, finishing with JD. "That boy turned my own words back on me. I'm torn between feel proud or annoyed."

Kate laughed as she started the chocolate mixture. "What did he do?"

"Remember when we took him along to help him escape from Aunt Eugenia…and Alexis was after me for kissing you in the path between the trees? Well, he was kissing Alexis right there in almost the same spot, and I did the same thing she did. He told me, 'My wife just told me how much she loves me, and I couldn't help myself. And it wasn't that bad. No tongue or anything. What would you have done, Dad?'"

Kate gave a quick little burst of laughter. "Almost your exact words to him. What did you say?"

"I gave him back the answer he gave me. 'I'd kiss her where we stood, Son.' What else could I say? He beat me at my own game."

"You're proud of him."

"Except for watching him slobbering all over my daughter, I have to admit it was kind of fun."

"You do realize my father may feel the same way about you, right?"

"I don't slobber," he said mischievously as he got up and closed the short distance between them. Wrapping his arms around her from behind as she stirred the hot chocolate, he added, "If I did, I'd have lost my last chance with you after the first kiss."

"From what I can tell, neither does JD. Your daughter married him. He wouldn't have made it past the first kiss, either. Stop picking on our son-in-law." As he kissed the curve of her neck, she asked, "Where are the new ornaments? I know you bought more."

"I'll get them. We can look while we have hot cocoa. Barring emergencies, you have the weekend at home, don't you?"

"I do. I'll call both days and check in, but hopefully they won't need me before Monday. By Jamie's birthday I should be back at the twelfth in detective mode and able to take time off with less concern about looming reports…and scheduling, and keeping up with what's going on all over the precinct."

"Are you looking forward to it?"

"Yes. What I'm doing is still a challenge. I'm still learning the ropes and still have to refer to lists to be sure I haven't forgotten something important. I do eventually want my own command, but a little break from the one I fell into head first with no warning will be nice…kind of like having a chance to finally take a deep breath. Working cases and being in the field is instinct. I know how to work a case even with my eyes at half-mast at three in the morning. And I do miss being in the field with the rest of the team.

"Our wedding anniversary is coming up in December. How does that look?"

"It looks like we'll probably have to celebrate at home this year. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. It may not be the exact date of our anniversary, but we can still have the weekend before Christmas. We were married the weekend before Christmas. It's close enough. I'll find a nice hotel where we can have a couple of days in the lap of luxury for just the two of us. Maybe the crazies won't cause enough trouble that you have to go in that weekend." He still had his arms around her from behind, and he leaned to kiss her neck again. "Is it ready?" he asked.

"All done."

"He took down two mugs and said, "You pour. I'll go get the new ornaments."

xxxxx

Beckett had started making random trips around the precinct during the week to talk to the detectives about their cases, offering occasional suggestions and encouragement where it was appropriate. She made an effort to appear more interested than intrusive, and it was beginning to pay off in casual encounters where information was volunteered about progress or a dead end, etc., and reports were reaching her desk without too many reminders. There was still a pocket or two of skepticism about her; but for the most part, the response was positive.

Lieutenant Paul Stiles returned from the twelfth in mid-December, and Sully went back to the twelfth to replace him there.

"Welcome home, Lieutenant Stiles," Beckett said, shaking his hand when he came to report in.

"Thanks, Captain…"

"Still Lieutenant Beckett. The job is temporary. Beckett is fine," she answered, motioning for him to sit down.

"At this point, I had to bite my tongue not to call you, 'Sir'," he said with a smile. "I have to admit, I wish I could have stayed at the twelfth. That's a productive precinct. We were given every chance to prove ourselves but practically no chance to do less than our best."

"I think you'll find that things here have changed since you left."

"That's what Sarge told me when I came in this morning."

"I wanted you to have a chance to work with that before your team returns. As I understand it from other units, as long as your reports were in on time, Bronson didn't worry much about your duties as a lieutenant."

"That's right. As long as we didn't cause him more work, he left us alone. As it turns out, that isn't as a good a thing as it might have seemed at the time."

"Have you assumed your full duties at the twelfth?"

"After Captain Gates sat me down and told me what was expected of me, I figured I'd better be smart enough to start asking questions. Lupinski's team worked with mine off and on, and Karpowski took pity on me and worked with my team, using the same methods she said you used when you were there. After spending time with the team, she'd take me aside to be sure I caught everything she was doing. She's made sergeant now…asked me to let you know."

Beckett smiled. "Good for her. She's earned it."

"She runs a good team."

"What about your team?"

"All of us have learned a lot. I think we'll do a better job here now."

"Well, let's get you to your temporary team and into the field. They caught a new case yesterday afternoon. I'll let them bring you up to speed."

After several cases with Egan's team, Esposito was back to working with Ryan. Egan had been replaced with a new detective the week before; and after Esposito's input, Beckett had assigned Bartoluzzi as lead detective for the team. With that much new activity, Beckett would have the opportunity to observe the way Stiles worked, and the boys would quietly give her their evaluations of his work in the field.

There was a burst of applause and words of welcome when Stiles entered the bullpen with Beckett.

"Looks like they're glad to see the prodigal return," she said with a smile and gave him a minute before introducing him to the boys. "Ryan, Esposito, this is Lieutenant Paul Stiles, returning to the fold. Get him up to date on the Carlton case. Did you get anything from the phone records yesterday?"

"Nothing. We just got the financials in, though," Ryan told her. "Maybe that will turn up something. I'll start on that, and Esposito can talk Stiles through what we have."

"I'll leave you to it then. Good to have you here, Stiles. You know where to find me if you need anything."

As she turned back toward her office, the boys were dragging Stiles into the case before he could answer Beckett, but he looked up at Bartoluzzi at the next group of desks and said, "It really is different here, isn't it?" Bartoluzzi just grinned at his surprise, and Stiles gave his full attention back to the case the boys were introducing.

Ryan helped at the start then went to work on the victim's financials as Esposito took over with the ME's report and the other sparse details they had so far.

"We did notifications last night and have a few names that may give us something to work with. You and I can get their contact information while Ryan finishes what he's doing.

"I'm good with that," Stiles answered. "Show me what you've got."

They dug into the work, left Ryan to make some phone calls, and went to interview several possible sources of information.

By lunchtime, they were back with a promising lead. Stiles looked around the bullpen when they were breaking for lunch. "I've had a yen for lunch at Frenchy's for a while now," he announced. "Anybody have time to join me?"

About ten people put their work aside and stood to join in a one-of-the-flock-is-back lunch. "Are you coming, too?" Stiles asked the boys with a welcoming look.

"Sure. Let me check and see if Beckett wants anything," Ryan answered. "She's a little bit of a workaholic. Forgets to eat sometimes."

Beckett gave Ryan her order, then all of them went to lunch and talked about how much better it was at the precinct without all the negativity.

"Don't get us wrong, one of the men told Stiles. "Beckett's tough when she needs to be. She just doesn't need to be very often. Morale has done a one-eighty since Bronson left, and our numbers for last month were already up. This month should look a lot better, even being a little short staffed in a few places."

"One reason is that we don't have Bronson pushing things into the cold case files to cover for his friends," another man told him. "The other is that Beckett took time when she was only serving as lieutenant to work with us on ways to improve. It was easy-going enough that we didn't even realize that's what she was doing at first, but it helped. And even after the way Bronson had treated her, she stood up to him for Griffith when somebody in the neighborhood made some false claims. I think that's when we knew we could trust her.

xxxxx

On Friday afternoon of the weekend before Christmas, Beckett had all her weekly reports squared away, and had checked in with the weekend desk sergeant telling him she would call each afternoon and check in.

"In other words, call if I have to, but you'd rather I didn't?" he asked jokingly.

"I think that pretty well covers it," she answered in a like manner.

Castle was waiting, bags they had packed the night before already in the car. Alexis and JD, the first arm of the weekend's Jamie coverage, were already there. Kate spent some time with Jamie; then they left him happily playing with his sister, and Castle drove them to the luxurious hotel suite he had found.

"We have reservations for dinner at eight, he reminded her. That should give us time to settle in first."

"I came straight from work. I wish I had time to take a shower before I change clothes and do something to my face and hair, but that would be pushing too close."

"Let me show you something," he said, guiding her to the bathroom where there was a Jacuzzi easily big enough for two. "We can have a nice, long soak after dinner, and between now and then, you'll still be the most stunning woman in the room."

"I think you're biased, Mr. Castle, and I'm so glad it's in my direction."

"Definitely in your direction," he answered, taking her in his arms and kissing her long and slow.

Leaning into him, she nuzzled his neck and said, "One more of those, and we'll be much too distracted to manage that dinner reservation on time. Dinner will be room service…probably somewhere around midnight."

"Promise?"

She gave him a less seductive but still loving kiss and told him, "We're going to be here for the weekend without interruptions, something I can hardly imagine anymore. That's going to call for sustenance, so dinner first. Besides, I've never been here before; so it would be nice to see a little more of the hotel than the ceiling over the bed. But right now, I need to go and get ready to make you proud of me." She pushed away but looked reluctant as she did.

As she took her overnight bag into the bathroom, he called out mischievously, "I got some mixed signals there." He heard her giggle from the other room. "And I'm always proud of you." He hung the garment bags in the closet, emptied the one rolling bag they had shared for their other clothing into a couple of dresser drawers, and sat down on the sofa in their weekend living room to wait for his wife. He only needed to put on his suit jacket.

The ambience in the restaurant was lovely, and the food and service was excellent. They lingered over their dinner and took their time with an extra glass of wine, talking softly about Christmas and whatever else crossed their minds. They left the restaurant hand in hand, feeling no pressure to hurry before some deadline had to be met or before Jamie woke up.

"This is nice," Kate said. "I feel so relaxed."

"And at least a little bit horny?" he whispered hopefully, leaning in close to her.

"That, too," she added with a playful smile.

"So, the Jacuzzi is looking interesting?" he asked as they entered the elevator.

"And the bed…and the sofa, and the armchair, and…"

"Expecting a lot of me, are you?"

"You haven't failed me yet."

"And with any luck, I won't this weekend, either."

By morning, they had enjoyed the large bubbly tub, the shower, and the bed and slept quite well.

After a few minutes of sleepy making out when they woke the next morning, Rick said, "We need to refuel. There's a room service menu here somewhere."

"I think it was on the desk in the other room."

"Be right back." He retrieved the menu and slid his naked body back under the covers with his wife. "It's chilly out there, he told her. Snuggle up and we'll look at this together."

They piled the big fluffy pillows behind them, pulled the covers up high around themselves, and made their menu decisions. Rick called down and placed their order, then they just lay together quietly, touching, stroking, and feeling loved. Nothing sexual, just sensual. Breakfast arrived in the middle of a kiss, and Rick got up again to retrieve it.

"Might want to grab that thick, fluffy hotel robe this time, Stud…and some slippers. I'll keep the bed warm."

He went to the door suitably covered and warmer than his last trip out of bed, tipped the young man who delivered their breakfast, and rolled the cart into their bedroom. He threw Kate her own warm, fluffy robe and they figured out how to have breakfast in bed without making a mess.

"Do you have after breakfast plans, or are we playing this weekend by ear?" Kate asked.

"A little nap sounds great right about now," he answered. "I like being cuddled up with you without any reason to move. We can go out this afternoon, shopping, museum, gallery, whatever appeals to you. And I have tickets to a play tonight. One of Mother's friends is playing the lead, and…"

"Is it the one she was raving about after she saw it last week?"

"That's the one."

"I was hoping we might have a chance to see it. Martha doesn't often rave about things the way she did."

"So we do whatever is appealing until dinner, eat something and then see the play?" he suggested.

"Yeah. But a good snuggle on a cold, gray morning is appealing right now," Kate answered. "Can we get backto where we were before breakfast? That was nice."

"One more trip out," Rick said, pulling his robe more snugly into place; and he took the breakfast cart out of the bedroom. When he returned, he told her, "I left the cart outside the door and hung the 'Do not disturb" sign. They should leave us alone as long as we want."

"Good," she answered, holding up the covers for him to rejoin her.

Later in the morning they stood in front of the window, still in their robes, looking down at the view of Central Park.

He stood behind her with his arms loosely wrapped around her waist, her hands resting on his. "Four years, Kate," he said, "We have four years of marriage and an amazing little boy, and I think we still have a lifetime ahead of us." Pulling her closer, he asked, "Do you ever have any doubts?"

She snuggled against him and leaned her head back on his shoulder. "Not a one. We're always going to argue at times and annoy each other, but that's just us being us. I don't want to even think about being without you. You're mine, Richard Castle. Might as well just accept it."

He kissed the top of her head. "Always. No argument from me there. And you're mine. I like the way we can claim each other and still leave room for each of us to be ourselves."

She turned and wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed his chest. "I feel so sorry for all those women who weren't lucky enough to find somebody like you."

His chuckle made her smile. He could feel it against the bare part of his chest where she had nuzzled past the fabric of the robe. "God, I love you, Woman. You're exactly who I need in my life."

She giggled and asked, "So are we going to stay here and be sappy until dinner, or do you want to go somewhere?"

"Well, you did say you might want to see something other than the hotel ceiling," he teased. "Why don't we check the newspaper they delivered with breakfast and see if anything looks interesting. If not, we'll go on a little walking adventure and see what we can find."

"They brought us a newspaper? Why haven't I seen it?"

"Because I wanted all your attention. Now you know. I was afraid I'd have to be jealous of a newspaper."

"You can be such a ridiculous man," she answered, lightly slapping his chest.

"See? You're already going for the newspaper."

"But I'm taking you with me. No need to be jealous."

They sat down on the sofa and looked through the entertainment section to see what was going on that weekend and took turns pointing out holiday displays, an art gallery close by, an ad for what looked like a quirky little boutique shop, and a few other possibilities. Kate got a notepad from the desk in the living room and listed them.

"So, shower and then a little exploring?" Kate asked.

"Exploring in the shower? We could do that," he answered with a grin.

"I think we could use a little break from that kind of exploring. It would be embarrassing to go home tomorrow and not be able to walk. And we have the rest of the weekend. We might need to pace ourselves," she said mischievously.

"Then I'll behave myself…mostly."

They showered playfully without playing too much. Kate checked in with the desk sergeant at the precinct, then they dressed and went out in the cold to see if they could find anything interesting. They came back with a few unusual stocking stuffer gifts for family and a couple of intriguing toys for themselves…the kind they would keep confined to their bedroom. Castle deemed those perfect anniversary souvenirs.

The play that night was as well done as Martha had said. Aside from being an excellent piece of writing and very well acted, Martha's comment about the creativity in the directing was spot on. There were subtle little differences from what you would expect to see that made the scenes more intense or funnier, and they left as impressed as Martha had been.

After talking about it on the way back to their hotel, they closed themselves in their suite and concentrated on each other, laughing and trying out their new toys.

Sunday morning was very much like the day before, staying in bed and being lazy together. They went for brunch at a little restaurant they had seen the day before, did some window shopping, and Kate checked in with the precinct again while Castle ordered their coffee at a place along their path. Then they wandered through a little curio shop, finding a few more small gifts for stockings. They were expected at home by seven; so they went back to the hotel later for a little more uninterrupted time alone. Finally, their bags were loaded back in the car, they had a leisurely and uninterrupted dinner, and they went home to family.

As they got out of the car in the parking garage, Kate said, "That was nice. We need to do that once in a while, but I'll be glad to hold our little boy again."

"I told you you'd be a good mom."

"Most of the time, I think I am,"

"Those doubt days are part of being a parent. Everybody has them."

When they opened the door of the loft and greeted Martha, a bundle of almost twenty-two month old energy scrambled down from the sofa where he had been sitting with his Grams and barreled in their direction. He was scooped up in Kate's arms, and Castle's arms went around both of them. They kissed his cheeks several times simultaneously and loudly, squishing his little face between them as Jamie belly laughed.

Their time alone was a wonderful break, but this was where they belonged.


	117. Chapter 117

Chapter 117

During the few days left before Christmas, Beckett worked hard to organize everything for the new captain who would take over at the end of the month. She was making lists again to help her line things up for somebody other than herself. Chief Dawson made one of his visits while she was in one of her list making frenzies.

"Good morning, Lieutenant," he said, and laughed when she looked startled.

She stood and answered, "Sorry, Sir. I guess I fell a little too deep in the pool of paper."

"Sit," he told her. "I will, too." He sat in a chair across from her desk and asked with a smile, "What had so much of your attention?"

"I'm trying to be sure that I have everything prepared for the new captain. I'd like to leave everything in order."

"I'm sure you will. You've done a fine job here, Beckett. We spoke to Captain Bronson's replacement yesterday, Douglas O'Conner, and he's anxious to start his command. I understand the two of you were at the academy together.

"The O'Conner I remember from the academy will be a perfect fit for this precinct," she said with a smile. "I'm happy to know he'll be here."

"You do realize we've had requests from people here to leave you in command? I wish I could, but O'Conner was… Of the two we felt we had to instate in a command before you, he seemed closest to the values and temperament that will follow the excellent job you've done here. You had quite a clean-up challenge when Captain Bronson and his cronies were removed; and you've accomplished as much as any established captain could have, more than some, in a very short time. I can't guarantee when a new positions will open, but you've certainly proven your ability to handle it.

"I'm not disappointed, Sir. I knew this was a temporary position, and I fully expected to be back at the twelfth at the end of this month. I'll enjoy being in the field with my team again. When a command opportunity does open for me, I'll regard the last two months as good preparation for it."

"Good," he said as he rose from the chair. "Dress uniform on the thirty-first. O'Conner will be here on the afternoon of the thirtieth to start taking advantage of all your preparations, and I'm sure he'll appreciate them. He'll be here all day on the thirty-first. I'm going to go and take care of my last day of interviews here. See you on New Year's Eve."

"Yes, Sir."

The next time she appeared in the bullpen, Tran was coming back from the copy room. "Are we still getting a new captain?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered. "But I know who it is now. We had a good natured competition going at the academy. He's a good man, and I doubt much will change here. This was never supposed to have been more than temporary for me. We all knew that."

He nodded, looking disappointed, and continued to his desk.

Later in the afternoon, Beckett went back to her list making and started taking items from the lists and writing synopses of various concerns connected to the files and situations the new captain should be aware of. After working about an hour later than usual, she went home to her men.

Jamie's standard enthusiastic greeting and a slightly more enthusiastic than usual kiss from her husband welcomed her home. She sat down at the breakfast bar with her son and snuggled with him for a few minutes before he was down and back to playing with his cars.

"I found out today who the new captain will be. He's somebody I knew from the academy, a friend…frenemy? We were constantly trying to outdo each other. He was my best competition…and a really good guy. I feel okay about leaving the precinct in his hands."

"You feel protective of the folks at the fifty-first, don't you?"

"They were handed to me as my responsibility, and I got to know them. They were 'my people' for a while." She did her air quotes, being a little silly about it, but Castle could see through her silliness. "I like them, and I want the best for them. There are a lot of good people there."

As Castle put dinner on the table, he answered, "You've done impressive work. In spite of Bronson, you're leaving them feeling good about themselves and having some pride in the progress their precinct has made. I know it's been taxing for you, but you've given them what they needed. I'm so proud of you."

xxxxx

Tuesday was very much like the day before; but the work she was trying to do, in addition to the final reports and evaluations she needed to turn by Friday, was at least beginning to look like they might reach an end by the time they were needed.

That night she and Lanie had a girls' night and talked about Kate's anniversary weekend with Rick and Lanie's June wedding to Frank.

"My mother is driving me insane," Lanie told her. "The wedding isn't until June, and it isn't even Christmas yet. Can't she leave me alone long enough to enjoy Christmas? Would that be too much to ask?" The frustration showed in her face and voice. "She's already made me pick out colors so she could start looking at flowers and linens and…whatever," she said with a hand flourish worthy of Martha Rogers. "You and Castle had that magic man. What was his name? He had your wedding put together in no time, but he probably costs a fortune."

"Would you like us to give you Bradford's services as a wedding gift like we did for Dad and Meagan? He'd become your mother's best friend, long distance of course. He'd keep her stocked with samples for her to decide on, after clearing them with you so she doesn't choose anything you can't live with. He has an air of calm about him that eases everybody's ruffled feathers and focuses on the wedding."

"I can't ask you to do that."

"I don't recall hearing you ask. I recall offering. Your little intervention a few years ago is the reason Castle and I are together. We came so close to losing what we both wanted…and needed. We owe you big, Lanie Parish.

"Damn," she said, flopping back in her chair and leveling a teasing gaze at her friend. "You really do, don't you?"

Kate grinned at her friend's response. "I think I can speak for Castle when I say whatever you want for this wedding is yours."

"I want Bradford." She leaned across the table in a pleading posture. "Pleeeeeeease, please, please, please, please, I want Bradford. My mother needs a best friend, and I need a buffer zone. She's mailed me enough pages she's torn out of magazines that I could paper all my walls with them."

Kate laughed at Lanie's shenanigans and said, "My mother would probably have done the same thing, but I'd give anything to have had her here to do it. Let your mom enjoy it. She's been waiting for this a long time, and she's excited for you. But we'll talk to Bradford tomorrow. Maybe you can get her to put things on hold until after Christmas. You could ask her to come and visit for a few days in January and help you look for dresses. She'd love that, and she could meet her new best friend face to face. He can lay on the charm, prove his excellent taste, and you can send her home feeling good about working with him. If you don't find a dress while she's here, you and I can go shopping later and text her pictures so she still feels like she was part of finding it."

"Why didn't I talk to you a couple of weeks ago? We've been slammed at work, and Mom still can't understand why I haven't looked through the ream of magazine pages she sent last week and answered all her questions. You really mean it about hiring Bradford to help?"

"Absolutely. If he's already booked for the date you chose, would you be open to something else close to that date?"

"Yes. We don't have a venue yet. That's the next thing on our list." There was a short pause and a sudden look of epiphany on Lanie's face. "But Bradford can help with that, too, right?" She grinned and did a little drum roll of excitement on the edge of the tabletop.

Kate laughed again. "He has a wealth of ideas for everything, so relax. You have to stay calm enough not to pick out a maid of honor dress that I'll refuse to wear."

"Hey. You just told me how big you owe me. If I decide on chartreuse with big, zigzag fuchsia stripes, you're wearing it."

They were comparing ugly bridesmaid's dresses they had seen at weddings and giggling like teenagers when their dinner arrived. When they left the restaurant, Lanie hugged Kate tight and said, "I don't know how to thank you for this wedding gift. With all the stuff we both have, I can't think of much Frank and I really need. Peace of mind is the best gift you could give us. Frank is going to be just as excited as I am. I have to put up with my mother, and then he has to put up with me ranting about it."

"Come on. I'll give you a ride home. You can tell me what kind of dress you want."

They talked about dresses and tuxes and venues on the way to Lanie's place and Kate went home to tell Castle to call Bradford again the next day.

"Looks like we're at that stage people always get to eventually where everybody we know is getting married," he answered. "But you were right to offer. Hell, with what she did for us, I'd be willing to pay for Bradford, the entire wedding, and the honeymoon; and I'd still feel like we owe her."

"She was happy with hiring Bradford."

"One more wedding after this, and we might as well adopt him, too. Or maybe we should just put him on retainer."

xxxxx

Wednesday was a half day of actual work for those who weren't called out to crime scenes. Beckett had okayed a holiday snackfest/Christmas Eve party starting early in the afternoon before the day off on Christmas, and most of those who were covering Christmas Eve duty were there to partake of the party and to relieve those who had Christmas off and wanted to get home. After taking time to thank the ones who had either volunteered or agreed to take holiday duty, she left a little before the normal end of shift. Outside the precinct, she got in her car, breathed a sigh of relief, and went home.

The family, Castles, Becketts, Farnsworths, and a Rodgers, had their Christmas Eve dinner at the loft, watched Rudolph before Jamie was tucked in, and enjoyed another classic Christmas movie before everyone went home. The loft was big enough to hold all of them comfortably, so they were all back for a lunch of leftovers and the exchange of gifts on Christmas day. Jamie now understood gift packages and opened them with enthusiasm. There were stockings for everyone with gifts encompassing serious to downright silly; and there was laughter, gratitude, and everything in between.

xxxxx

By the thirtieth, Beckett had all her ducks in a row. When Douglas O'Conner arrived mid-afternoon, she was ready. The desk sergeant let her know he was there; and before long, he appeared at her door smiling.

"Beckett, it's been a long time."

"Hey, O'Conner. It's good to see you again. Congratulations."

When she stood, he reached out to shake her hand. "Thanks. I didn't get the feeling Cortez at the desk was congratulating me, though. It feels like we're still in competition. When you walk in and are immediately told, rather solemnly, that you have big shoes to fill, it doesn't resonate with welcome," he said good naturedly.

"They'll come around. I'm sure I was given the temporary job because of the circumstances of Bronson's leaving and the fact that people here already knew me. They haven't tried to kick me out yet."

"I'm aware they tried to keep you, and that you've paved the path for me really well. I feel a little guilty about pushing you out after all that success. But I have a family now, and I can't afford to turn down captain's pay.

"You're not pushing me out. I was told at the beginning that I'd be leaving at the first of the year, or whenever Bronson's case was determined. The evidence is all in and overwhelming, so the new captain is here. Exactly what I expected. I'm happy for you. Want to try out the new desk?"

"No," he said, closing the door so they could discuss precinct business privately. "It's yours until tomorrow. I'll sit here." He dropped into a chair across from her.

"So you're a family man now?" she asked. "Do you have children?"

"Yeah, a little girl, Crystal…three years old." He was already pulling his wallet from his back pocket to show her a family picture.

"She's beautiful, so is your wife."

He took his wallet back and asked as he returned it to his pocket, "What about you? I know you're married now. I saw you and your husband in the paper not long ago. Do you have kids?"

"A little boy who just turned twenty-two months…Jamie, and a twenty-one year old, recently married stepdaughter, Alexis, who feels a lot like mine."

"Well, I showed you mine, you gonna show me yours?" he joked.

Beckett chuckled and opened the bottom desk drawer to find pictures in her purse. There was one with Martha, Castle, Beckett, and both children, one of Jamie at full charming smile, and one of Alexis's wedding pictures with JD.

"Geex, Beckett. Is anybody in your family not model worthy?" O'Conner asked with a smile. "Wait a minute. Is that Martha Rodgers?"

"Mother-in-law," Beckett explained. "Son-in-law," she pointed out JD. "We love him like he was always ours."

Handing the pictures back, he said, "You look different…happier. You'd always go out with us at the academy, but you always seemed to have a little bit of a shield around you. You never let anybody get too close."

"Rick has been a big help with that. He and Jamie will be here tomorrow if you want to meet them."

"I'd like that."

"I have the office mostly cleared of my things. The rest I'll take home tonight. They're already boxed." There was a little pause before she said, "Well, let me show you what's here. I'll start with this. The folder she handed him was input from three community groups she had met with over the last couple of months, their ideas and concerns. "I told them that I was here only temporarily, didn't know who would permanently replace Captain Bronson, and could make no promises on how the information would be followed up. But I did tell them I could promise that their concerns would be presented to the new captain, so this is me keeping my promises." She handed him the folder.

"We used to talk about things like this at lunches at the academy…and then go back to trying to beat each other's butts at whatever afterward," he said with a smile. "Thanks. As soon as I settle into the job, I'll follow up with them. I still think it's important, too."

One more thing I don't want to forget. Here's Mason's file. He and Bronson were friends…go all the way back to the academy together; but none of the men who were removed even hinted that he was ever involved with anything illegal. A few even firmly declared that he wasn't. He's a good man. She went on to explain his injury and its residual effect on his mobility, as well as Ryan's assessment of his tech abilities. I approached Bronson about the possibility of tech training for him to give him a job that didn't require his team covering for his difficulty with field work, and Bronson actually spoke to HR about it. Mason is a good detective, and he's conscientious. Not the kind of personnel we want to lose. And he wants to work. He hates the idea of leaving on disability. I've followed up with HR and looked into available programs for retraining. There are classes available. They're all full right now, but I was given several options for classes the department would accept for tech training. They're willing to work with him on paid time to take the classes if he's willing to pay for them himself. I'd like to think you'll do whatever you can to help facilitate that."

"I'll do whatever I need to. Does he have the finances to take the classes?"

Beckett sighed. "There's a scholarship. The thing is, it isn't exactly a scholarship, but Mason needs to believe it is. He's a proud man who would balk at anything that smacks of charity. My husband has met him, has a lot of respect for him, and has heard me talk about him. Castle has already paid for the classes. He sees it as supporting a man who gave a lot to the city and deserves having someone give back to him."

"Then I'll toe the line about the 'scholarship'. That's generous of your husband."

"It's who he is. He has a good heart. They're both good men."

From there they discussed personnel matters, a couple of difficult cases that were close to being closed for lack of evidence, residual problems from Bronson's sins, administrative concerns, etc.

Near the end of the day, O'Conner sighed. "First command. It's a little overwhelming. How did you do all this in just a couple of months?"

"Captain Gates is a good mentor. And check lists helped me to remember things that shouldn't be forgotten. Several different ones. You can have copies if you want them. They kept my head above water."

"Oh, god, yes! Would it help if I beg?"

She grinned. "I left copies in the top desk drawer. I thought I could quietly remove them if you'd rather figure it out yourself. I'm glad you're going to be here. Our personalities, work ethics, and values are close enough it won't seem like that much of a change. This precinct has already had enough upheaval."

"So tomorrow morning, you can tell me how you've worked with that. I know from the academy that you were always thinking a step ahead. I'm willing to use your ideas, but you know I'm always willing to give credit where it's due, too. And I have the feeling that, especially around here, somebody would find a way to rat me out if I didn't."

"Tomorrow morning we'll tour the precinct, and then we'll talk," she said. "Right now, going home to our families sounds good to me."

"Me, too."

Beckett picked up the small box that held the last of the personal items that would go home with her, and they made their way to the elevator.

When they stepped inside, he teased, "I can't decide whether to be a gentleman and offer to carry that for you or to let you take it so it doesn't look like I can't get rid of you fast enough."

"It's a little bitty box, O'Conner. I think I can handle it," she answered playfully.

"Still Ms. Independent, I see."

"It's really good to see you again. We pushed each other hard, but it got the best out of both of us. You're more than good test results and a guide for getting things done efficiently. I think you'll have everybody here on your side in no time."

"As soon as I can convince them to forgive me for not being you."

As they reached the street, Beckett said "See you tomorrow," and O'Conner lifted his hand in a half wave as they parted.

xxxxx

"Hey. How did it go today? Was O'Conner the same as you remembered him?" Castle asked as he turned off the oven.

"Mommy" their son's voice called out as he ran for her.

"Just the same," she answered. "He's going to be a good fit there." Then she picked Jamie up and lavished attention on him for a couple of minutes. He was quiet and snuggly that day, so she held him close with a hand at the back of his head and swayed back and forth slightly, dropping little kisses on his head as she talked to Castle. "Are you still coming to the change of command tomorrow?"

"Of course. Afterward, I'll take you to lunch. Do you still want me to bring Jamie?"

"Yeah. Griffith and Washington would never forgive me if they didn't see him one more time…maybe Mason, too. And O'Conner's little girl is only three. She and his wife will be there tomorrow, too. Our little guy is usually pretty well behaved in public."

"You say that because you didn't see his meltdown at the grocer's this morning over the fall-apart-the-first-time-a-kid-plays-with-it toy he wanted. I'd thought about taking him to the toy store and getting him a nicer version, but I couldn't reward that behavior. The terrible twos might be closing in soon."

"We can't just close them out?" she asked..

"I know you're a little new at this, Sweetheart, but do you really think it works that way?"

"Well, a Mommy can dream, can't she?" she asked in her Mommy voice, rubbing noses with her son.

"Hey, Buddy," Castle said. "Want to help Daddy put things on the table?"

Jamie wiggled to get down, and Kate put him on the floor so he could go to his father. Castle handed him some napkins, and Jamie stretched to put them on the corner of the dining table before going back for pieces of silverware. They continued, Castle putting the dishes on the table and arranging the napkins and silverware that Jamie brought. Kate got the glasses and started putting dinner on the table while Castle hugged their son, told him what a good helper he had been, and put him in his high chair. Then they let Martha know dinner was ready and enjoyed their family meal.

xxxxx

The next morning, Beckett took O'Conner on a tour of the fifty-first, stopping on each floor to introduce him to the personnel there. They all stood as he was introduced; but he had them seated shortly, smiling and shaking hands with those near where they stood. Beckett also pointed out a couple of repairs due to be made soon and a couple of pieces of office equipment that would soon need replacing. They looked at the gym, the meeting room where things were being set up for the not quite normal change of command going on at the fifty-first, the entrances and exits, security, etc.

The handing over of the precinct was scheduled for eleven. It wasn't fancy. There was a podium and a microphone, and all the officers who were speaking wore their dress uniforms. Alvarez made the initial speech, briefly acknowledging the experimental program and the difficulty for all of them when their last captain and several of their colleagues had to leave the precinct. He presented their solve numbers both before and after the exchange program, factored in the personnel changes at the end of October, and the results for the months of November and December. September didn't show much of a change, but there was definite progress in October and more in November and December. "There were a lot of unexpected factors at play, so determining the reasons for the change in numbers isn't as cut and dried as it was at the other precinct involved in our program, but I believe a good part of the last two months' improvement falls to your interim captain," he told them. "There was no warning that she would have this job dropped in her lap overnight the way it was. However, in my opinion, she quickly rose to the challenge; and based on the random interviews Chief Dawson and I have conducted, it seems that most of you have the same opinion."

At that point, the audience broke into long and substantial applause, and Beckett looked both appreciative and embarrassed. Alvarez added his applause before indicating that they should be silent again. "That said, I believe you will continue to improve under the command of Captain O'Conner. He has proven his abilities and has left every position he has held with the good will of his colleagues, no matter their rank in the department. I will now give the floor to your interim captain, Lieutenant Katherine Beckett." Applause broke out again.

As Beckett approached the microphone, a little voice in the back of the room was heard saying excitedly, "It's Mommy," and was immediately shushed.

"Well, I guess you can tell that my husband brought my son with him today. For those who haven't met them, these are some of the men in my family, my husband, Richard Castle and our son, Jamie. Castle stood and smiled, saying, "Sorry for the interruption," and put his hand over his son's mouth briefly, winning some chuckles.

"I'll make this short." Beckett said, returning to her intended speech. "Captain O'Conner and I constantly vied for position at the academy, constantly in competition; but we also had respect for each other. I can assure you that I'm leaving you in good hands. But, in the spirit of competition …" she paused to look at O'Conner, then back at the assembled police personnel. "He gets to keep you; but he'll always have to remember that I got you first." When the chortling died down, she continued. "Your cooperation, as well as your support of my fledgling efforts in carrying out a captain's duties, have been both greatly valued and greatly appreciated. It made my job easier. Would the detectives from the twelfth stand please?" When they did, she added. "All of us will be leaving today, but I believe I can speak for both teams in saying that we will all take pride and friendships from this precinct in our hearts when we go." She motioned them to be seated. "Working with all of you has been an honor and a privilege, and I will always treasure my time here." Before she turned to stand next to Deputy Chief Alvarez, there was again substantial applause before someone in the front stood and the entire assembly rose in a standing ovation.

Alvarez brought the assembly back to order and introduced Captain O'Conner. The applause wasn't quite as enthusiast, but acceptable, and O'Conner acknowledged that good naturedly when he spoke. "I realize that I'll have to earn my own respect here, but I'll do my best make that happen. And in the spirit of competition…" He looked at Beckett, looked back at his audience, and said, "We'll see who can give the shortest speech." At that point, he took one of the pieces of paper he brought to the podium, tore it in half, and handed it to Beckett. She looked at it, smiled, and held up the two blank pieces of paper, mouthing "Cheating." That brought another round of chortles and a smattering of applause. "Lieutenant Beckett has obviously done an outstanding job here. She's certainly done an outstanding job of preparing what I need to make my own fledgling efforts at a captain's duties. I hope you can find it in your hearts to eventually give me the kind of cooperation, support, and respect you gave her. I, in turn, will make every effort to be worthy of it." He turned to Beckett again, tapped his watch, and grinned.

There was chuckling at that as Alvarez came back to the microphone to shake O'Conner's hand. "Congratulations, Captain O'Conner. We'll look for good things to continue at the fifty-first." Turning back to the assembly, he announced, "Dismissed."

There was hand shaking among the ranking officers in the front of the room and they interacted with the members of the audience who milled about and spoke to Beckett and O'Conner briefly before they went back to their duties. O'Conner introduced Beckett and Alvarez to his wife and daughter, and Castle appeared at Beckett's side just in time for her to introduce O'Conner to Castle and their son.

Alvarez had met Castle, but had never seen Jamie. Looking back and forth between Jamie and Castle, he smiled and said, "Well if there were ten more little brown-haired boys this age in the room, I doubt anybody would have trouble deciding this one is yours."

"Probably not," Castle answered proudly as Beckett turned to him.

"Lieutenant Beckett, close out anything else you need to do, then go home and enjoy your family," Alvarez told her. "Captain Gates won't expect to see you back at the twelfth until Friday."

"Thank you, Sir."

"I should thank you, too," Castle told him. "She's been going non-stop most of the last two weeks."

"Castle," she scolded, looking embarrassed.

"What? You married a man who still worries about you."

Alvarez laughed. "My wife and I have the same argument. I'm going to remove myself from this one and find some lunch. Enjoy your day off, Beckett."

Beckett took time to give Jamie some attention, and she and Castle went to be sure she hadn't left anything in the captain's office. "I'll walk you out, Beckett," O'Conner said. "My wife and daughter just left for lunch with her mother."

"Anxious to get rid of me?" she teased.

"Appreciation. You did a lot of work to help me out."

Reaching the edge of the bullpen, Beckett went to say goodbye to the homicide detectives, but it was empty.

"I wonder what they're up to," she said.

"Maybe something to embarrass you. Wouldn't that be fun?" Castle teased.

He got an eye roll for his trouble.

"She still does that?" O'Conner asked.

"He brings it out in me," she answered as they entered the elevator.

The homicide unit was waiting in the lobby in two rows, one at each side of the lobby, all at parade rest. Mason stepped forward and spoke for them, handing her two cards as he met her. "Captain…and we know you aren't yet, but you sure could pass for one. You were with us in homicide before you were with everybody else. You showed us respect while you made us more effective and then raised morale and a sense of pride in the entire precinct, and we won't forget that. If you ever need us, we'll be there."

"Thank you.' Looking around at the group, she added, "All of you. I'll miss you."

Castle and O'Conner held back to allow Beckett her moment and waited at a slight distance, Castle suspecting there could be more to come.

Mason went back to his place in line, Lieutenant Stiles gave the command, and the homicide unit along with Sergeant Cortez from the desk, snapped to attention and into a salute. Beckett returned it and walked to the exit only to find that the uniformed officers who weren't on duty elsewhere were standing at attention on either side of the entrance. She walked to the sidewalk, and by the time she turned and returned the new salute she was offered, O'Conner had joined the officers in the honor.

As she and Castle walked to their car, Captain O'Conner dismissed the officers, shook hands with them, and said, "I've heard good things about you, ladies and gentlemen. I guess it's time for me to get busy on earning my place around here. Stay safe. We need you." From there, everybody went their own way.

The entire operation had taken only a few minutes, but it had a definite effect on Beckett.

"I told Ryan and Esposito that we're going to Frenchy's for lunch," Castle told her as he held the car door open for her. He's going to see if Demming's team wants to join us, too. I didn't think you'd mind."

"I have to stop crying first," she answered as he strapped Jamie in his car seat and got behind the wheel of the Mercedes. She hadn't wiped a single tear until Castle closed the car door, and even then she didn't make it obvious. "They'd give me such grief over that. It was kind of like running the gauntlet. And yes, I know. It was the best gauntlet I've ever seen. But even without the tears, the boys will still give me a hard time over it."

Castle grinned and glanced at his wife. "Tears or not, I couldn't be more proud of you."

"Thanks for being there, and for lunch, and being proud of me, and loving me, and worrying about me even if it's embarrassing..."

"They really got to you, didn't they?"

"Yeah," she admitted, new tears running down each cheek. "I'm happy to be going back to the twelfth, but I'll miss them. Four months is long enough to get attached to people."

"So, KB, don't you feel at least a little bit extraordinary today?" he asked mischievously.

She smacked him on the arm, and Castle chuckled; but it raised an echoing chuckle from her, so he felt his job was done.

They walked into Frenchy's to find that Demming's team had somehow arrived first, and someone was already pushing tables together to accommodate all of them. When Ryan and Esposito got there, they both stood behind the empty chairs in front of Beckett, executed a sharp salute, and Esposito said, "Permission to sit, Sir."

"Castle and the rest of the table laughed as Beckett muttered, "Just shut up and sit down,"

Jamie got Esposito's attention by calling out, "Tio Javi," and gave him a twenty-two month old's version of a salute.

"Hey, what about Uncle Kevin?" Ryan asked, showing him another salute, and got one back with a little grin.

"Where did he learn that, Beckett?" One of Demming's team asked. "You have him salute when you tell him to put away his toys?"

"Do you have any memory of how many people he saw do that today?" she asked them. Esposito started to open his mouth; but Beckett said, "Shut up," again and he just laughed and picked up the menu.

All of them had New Year's Eve and New Year's Day off, so they were in no hurry. They talked about leaving the fifty-first, going back to the twelfth, and a variety of other subjects until their plates were clean. Most of them were going out for New Year's Eve, and someone asked what Castle and Beckett were planning.

"We're staying home this year," she told them.

"Didn't you do that last year, too?" Ryan asked.

"We liked it," Castle answered with a shrug.

"Not going near that," Ryan answered as desert arrived.

xxxxx

Castle and Beckett went home and tucked Jamie in for an afternoon nap, and then talked about things changing again, and what Rook and Nikki would be up to next. Rick brought his laptop and showed Kate a section of a chapter he wasn't happy with, they talked through a few options. Suddenly they both said the same thing at the same time, and were both happy with it.

"That was almost as much fun as theorizing," he said, giving her a soft but electric kiss about the time that they heard, "Daaaaaddeeeeee," from upstairs.

"I'll go, Kate told him. I've been wiped out all week. It's time I do my share."

"I'll get him a little snack while you're up there."

They spent time with Jamie, fixed dinner while he played on his own, and tucked him in later. After that they watched a New Year's Eve rom com. Then they went to bed and enjoyed their time together the way they had during the mornings of their anniversary weekend…until the mostly ignored TV they brought into the bedroom started a countdown as the ball dropped in Time's Square.

And at the stroke of twelve, they celebrated the new midnight tradition they had started the year before.


	118. Chapter 118

Chapter 118

"Don't get up yet," Castle sort of groaned as Kate startled from sleep.

"Is the baby monitor on?" she asked, sounding worried. "It's a little after seven, and I haven't heard a sound from Jamie. He doesn't usually sleep quite this late."

That caught Castle's attention, too, and he lifted on one elbow to check the time and listen.

Kate swung her legs over the side of the bed and said. "If he's still asleep, I'll be right back, but I have to check."

"I'll be right behind you."

They went upstairs as quietly and quickly as they could and eased into their son's room. Kate leaned over the crib where the quiet sounds of her little boy's breathing could be heard. He snuffled softly in his sleep, his hand moved slightly, and she mouthed, "He's okay," to Castle.

When they were in the hall, she grabbed her husband around the waist. "I was so scared for a couple of minutes. Does it ever get any better? Can you ever just assume they slept longer than usual?" She was speaking softly to avoid waking their son.

"He's still going to be your little boy, even when he's grown," he answered just as quietly, holding her close. "But right now he's so little, and he's so dependent on us. Does it help to know I was worried for a few minutes, too?" he asked as they walked down the stairs.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. And no, you never entirely stop worrying about your babies; but as they grow up, you worry differently. Let's go back to bed and see if he lets us sleep a little longer."

"He'll probably give us just enough time to get comfortable and settled down and then be wide awake and ready to seize the day." The last few words were said dramatically enough to make Martha proud.

"But now we know he can do that. He's fine."

"Good for him. His parents are still recovering," she answered.

Castle teased, "And by the way, you've been around my mother way too much." He got a backhanded swat on the arm for his trouble.

They slid back under the covers and snuggled together, anticipating being back upstairs in a few minutes, but it was half an hour later when the drowsy parents heard their son making his I'm-almost-awake noises. They waited until they knew he was fully awake before they left the bed, and then they both went to get him.

As they all sat down for breakfast, Kate said, "We know that this year is probably going to bring some changes. Do you think this might be the first one…a little more time in the mornings?"

"I wouldn't complain about that. But it would probably mean a shorter nap in the afternoon."

Although they were talking to each other, they were still interacting with Jamie. They now had the process down to a science. "The boys both took their sergeant's exam last month. They should hear something soon. Karpowski has already made sergeant and has taken over for Weston; so unless somebody else at the twelfth retires, the boys will probably be transferred. I'm pretty sure both of them passed the exam."

"Are you going to miss feeling like a captain?"

"Maybe, but I'll enjoy being a detective again for a while, too. As I understand it, there's at least one other person in line for captain before me. There should be more, but both Alvarez and the chief seemed to be telling me I may have a good chance soon. I'm not holding my breath until it happens, though. It isn't every day that a captain retires or gets booted out for corruption. If I hadn't already been there and had a complete understanding of the situation and familiarity with the precinct, I probably wouldn't have been interim for the fifty-first so soon after passing the exam."

"With impressively high marks. And the whole reason you were there in the first place was an impressively high closure rate. And now you have some impressive experience running a precinct. Face it, Kate. You're extraordinary in more eyes than mine."

Jamie finished his breakfast and held out his arms, saying, "Mommy."

She wiped his hands and face before she picked him up, hugged him to her, and said, "I love you, Baby Boy."

Jamie put his arms around her neck and squeezed, saying "Love you, Mommy."

"See? There's somebody else who thinks you're extraordinary." Then Castle asked with a grin, "He melted you right down into a little mommy puddle just then, didn't he?"

"Ignore Daddy, Peanut. We're just going to have our own little lovefest over here, aren't we?" she said, squeezing her little boy and then kissing all over his face.

Jamie giggled and squirmed and came back for more; and they made a game of saying "Love you" back and forth, both of them laughing and giggling and snuggling. Castle sat back and smiled, basking in the feel of family. Kate Beckett was in full mommy mode and unabashedly loving on their baby. Life couldn't be better.

Later in the morning, they went to a park near the loft. On the way home, they took Jamie for carefully cooled hot chocolate, and then spent the rest of the day relaxing at home.

xxxxx

Both teams returning from the fifty-first timed their return together, and they were greeted with applause when they went to report in to the captain. Gates came out to welcome them back and convey the glowing reports from the brass regarding their influence at the other precinct. She told the Robbery detectives, "You made the twelfth proud, gentlemen. Good work, and welcome home. I'd like to talk to all of you after you've settled back in; but for now, I'll let you reacquaint yourselves with your unit and set up your desks again."

She was answered with variations of "Glad to be back."

Turning to Beckett's team as the others left, she said, "FBI, rescued children, corruption uncovered… You've had quite an adventure."

"Yes, Sir, we have," Esposito answered.

"Lieutenant, does that sort of thing follow you around, or do you actively look for it?" Her face showed that Gates was teasing, something no one at the twelfth would ever have expected in the first few months she was there.

"I don't intentionally look for it, but it does seem to find me anyway," Beckett answered.

"Well, in spite of that, I'm glad to have all of you back."

There were murmurs of "Thank you, Sir" from the three partners.

"I don't have you on rotation until Monday, so you can use today to settle back into the precinct and start catching up. Sully's team picked up a case on Tuesday, but the only contact we know of at the moment is the victim's brother, who can't be reached until he's back in town on Monday. Sully will get you up to speed, and if you find anything more, you can look into it today.

As they all turned to go back to their desks, Gates said, "Lieutenant, come and give me a review of your time at the fifty-first." She ushered Beckett into her office, and closed the door.

"I understand from the chief and the deputy chief that you exceeded expectations as acting captain, and they were already speaking of you in superlatives before then. None of that surprises me." She sat down at her desk and indicated Beckett should sit, too.

"Thank you, Captain."

"From their questions and discussions with me, it sounds like they have you on a fast track for a command position. I'm happy for you."

"I expect someone else will take the next opening. After that, maybe something will happen," Beckett responded.

"How do you feel about going back to detective work now?"

"I'm looking forward to it. Ryan and Esposito and I have been together long enough to feel like family. Even Castle sees them as family. I know all of us are going to be moving in different directions before long, so working with my team a little longer has some appeal. I did miss being directly involved with the cases."

Gates nodded in understanding. "I had dinner with Lin Jackson last night."

"Is she still with IA?"

Gates nodded again. "Bronson and his cronies will be charged with accepting bribes, obstructing police investigations, and aiding and abetting theft and the distribution and sale of drugs. All of them are likely to lose their pensions, so they've let their families down, too. Bronson and Egan will be additionally charged with obstruction of the murder investigation and reckless endangerment. They knew the younger Tandy was out of control and a threat to the public, as well as to any officers or agents trying to arrest him; but they still didn't bring him in."

"The FBI was here because Tandy had taken the children hostage before any of this hit the fan. We found him just as just as he was going to kill those children. He had everything he needed in the back of his van to chloroform them, kill them, and weight their bodies to throw them into deep water somewhere. The kids were so afraid when we found them. Whatever Bronson and Egan get, they deserve it."

"Seeing children threatened and frightened is heartbreaking," the captain agreed.

"Have Bronson and Egan been indicted yet?"

"Next week, according to Lin…all of them. All the reports were finalized right before the holidays, and the prosecutor handling the cases will be back at work today to review and prepare. Needless to say, this should remain between the two of us until it's made public next week."

"I understand." There was a little pause before Beckett asked, "Lieutenant Stiles didn't want to leave here. Did the teams from the fifty-first rise to your expectations?"

"They were a bit reluctant at first, but once they saw that I wasn't the only person here who expected more of them, they began to improve. Two of the other teams helped, and the rest of our people encouraged. What about the other precinct? I hear their numbers improved."

"They did. And the morale. I felt good about the progress."

"I only received one SOS call from you while you were there," Gates noted with a smile. "You must have managed your new duties well."

"Some days were a struggle, but I managed. Your mentoring was a big help. Thank you again for that."

"I'll let you get back to your team. Sully will have everybody but the team leader up to speed by now."

"Actually, unless you have an objection, I think I'll let Sully continue to run this case. We sent him back to run the other team. I'd like to see how he does with this. He's good. I trust him."

"No objections. You trained him well; and as you've said, it may not be long before he has to do this without the benefit of you and your team. It's good to have you back, Lieutenant."

"And it's good to be back," Beckett said as she stood. "I'm going to catch up on the case and see if I can make my desk look like somebody works there again."

The captain smiled as Beckett walked out the door.

"You ready to go over everything again for the cow's tail here, Sully?" she asked.

"We were just shooting the breeze until the captain finished with you," he answered. "We can start now."

"You've been on this from the outset, so you're running this show. I'll take the next one."

"Really?"

"Do I hand over a case without being sure…or coerced by a higher authority figure?"

"No."

"Do I look coerced?"

"No."

"Then get on with it, Detective."

"Yes, Ma'am."

By the end of the day, the four of them had found another little piece of information that looked like it could have some importance, but again it would require someone to interpret what that might be. The neighbors liked the victim, but none of them were particularly close to her and didn't have much information to offer except that she had a boyfriend. Interviewing the victim's co-workers would have to wait for Monday as well, since the office wouldn't reopen until then. With everything indicating that nothing else would happen before Monday, the team went home looking forward to an entire weekend off.

But before she left, Beckett hunted down Castle's old, ugly chair and found a place for it next to her desk where it wouldn't be in the way.

xxxxx

The weekend went by quickly and quietly. Alexis and JD came by, and Lanie called to say she and Frank had met with Bradford and couldn't thank them enough for the gift. On Sunday, they built a blanket fort in the living room and had a finger food dinner as they watched a movie with Jamie.

As they came downstairs after tucking him in, Castle was saying, "I can't believe that was Jamie's first blanket fort. How could I have let him be almost two without a single blanket fort?"

"He'll never know he could have had it earlier, but he's probably going to want to do it again. Wanna leave it up a little longer and watch something that isn't animated?"

"Sure. You get the nest ready. I'll get the wine."

When the movie ended and they were cuddled together on the floor with their pillows and blankets and the blanket tent above them, Kate said," I like that there's still a goofy nine year old in there somewhere. This was a nice way to end my weekend off."

"And I like that the kid in you comes out to play with him, too."

"My nine year old needs to escape now and then. You talked her into loosening up…at least with you." They didn't say much for a while, then she broke the silence with, "I found your chair before I left on Friday and put it back next to my desk."

"Why did you go to the trouble? I haven't been there much for a while. I'm surprised they didn't throw it out as soon as you left for the fifty-first."

"Before I left, I told the custodian it better be somewhere I could find it when I got back. He laughed and shook his head, but he saved it. It's yours, and I miss you there. It feels wrong without it. Sooner or later we'll need your help. And you and Jamie take me to lunch sometimes and have to wait for me, and..."

When he noticed that she looked a little embarrassed about it, he kissed her head and smiled. "I miss being there, too, but I also love being here with our son. You know I'll come back if you want me there for a case now and then."

"But not for anything dangerous. We have Jamie now. We can't both do that anymore."

"I know. But I hate not being there to have your back."

"I know. But you know I'm right."

He rested his forehead against hers and sighed, "Yeah. You are."

They stayed a while longer before cleaning up, dismantling the fort and going to bed.

xxxxx

Beckett was in early on Monday morning. "Morning Espo," she said when he came in.

"You're early. Still catching up?"

That and taking another look while it's quiet." She turned from the murder board to face him. "Valentine's Day isn't far away. How's the wedding going?"

"Good, I think. Maria and her mom are working on it all the time…with a lot of their friends."

"Anything we can do to help?"

"No. I think they want to do it all. They always look happy about it. Sometimes they even have my mother over to help. The church isn't too big, but it's where Maria's gone to church since she was a kid. The people there are like her family. One of the ladies is making all the dresses, including Maria's. The others are going to make the food or help with the flowers and decorations, or make…I don't know…things…like those girly little packs of bird seed to throw at us when we leave. But they're all so excited, I can't ask her to do it any other way. It won't be as fancy as yours, but…"

"You know, if that's what he'd wanted, I would have been just as happy to marry Castle at home without all the fuss. It isn't how fancy it is. It's making your commitment to each other and sharing it with the people who are important to you, and it sounds like that's exactly what you'll have. So does this mean you're about to become a church going man?" she teased.

Esposito groaned and plopped down in Castle's chair. "She's roped me into going to a couple of things Gabe was in…and Christmas mass. Father Reuben is a good guy. I like him, and it's not that I don't know how to act at church. We always went to church when I was a kid, and it all comes back once you're there. The place we went back then was a lot like Maria's church. I was even an acolyte when I was twelve if you can believe that."

"Really?" Beckett sat down and leaned back in her chair as if she were waiting for the rest of the story.

"But I got in with a bad crowd when I was a teenager and drifted away from it. I managed to get myself together enough to finish high school. Then I enlisted and was in combat… That makes you ask a lot of questions about what you were taught." There was a little pause, and he looked down as he said, "And being a sniper felt about as far from the church as I could get. I've never been back. We've talked about it, and Maria understands; but I think she still hopes I'll come around eventually."

"Is she okay with it if you don't?"

"She says she is. I hope so."

Beckett nodded in answer. "I'm looking forward to the wedding. If there's anything we can do, let us know."

"Ryan and I have our tuxes ready, and my mother and her friends are taking care of the rehearsal dinner. There's not a whole lot for me to do."

"Trust me. You should be happy about that," Ryan said as he came in and caught the last part of the conversation."

Sully wasn't far behind him. "Happy about what?" he asked as he walked to his desk.

"Happy that the women in Maria's family are taking care of almost everything for the wedding. Jenny took me through every painful detail. I didn't mind that she wanted me to help her make decisions, but she and her mother and sisters worried about every little thing like the world might stop turning if one of them didn't work out." He paused and chuckled. "To tell the truth, the closer it got to the wedding, the more I began to wonder how I had passed muster. I'm a little surprised I left the experience feeling like the family found me acceptable."

"You two are so sickeningly in love. Jenny's mother would never have won that argument," Esposito answered.

"I might get there one day and not mind it," Sully stated as he sat down and pulled the case file from his desk drawer. "But right now, it sounds like a nightmare."

"Like a lot of other things, it was worth it." With a little grin, Ryan added, "Which is a lot easier to say now that it's over."

"Looking at Ryan and Esposito, Sully said, "The victim's office opens at nine. You two take the co-workers. The brother's plane was due at LaGuardia at seven. Beckett and I will give him time to get back to his apartment and then go to inform him and see if he has any information that could help."

"You got it," Esposito answered. "So, Beckett, you find anything while you were staring at the board in the quiet?"

"Not yet. I'm gonna get coffee. Be right back."

"I notice Castle's chair is back." Ryan pointed out after she left.

"She did that after we left yesterday?" Sully asked. "Why?"

"She misses him, Dork." Esposito answered. "She wants him to feel like he still belongs here, even if he only stops by now and then."

"And you probably shouldn't mention that we noticed." Ryan added.

"Got it," Sully said as Ryan sat down at his own desk.

Later, both sets of partners went on their separate assignments. When Beckett and Sully met with their victim's brother, he seemed heartbroken, saying their parents were both gone and she was the only family he'd had left. He identified the bracelet they had found on her body as one her boyfriend gave her for her birthday in early December.

"She saw him having dinner and looking cozy with somebody else and broke up with him about a week after that. She'd had some suspicions anyway," he told them. "He didn't handle it well, though, kept trying to get her to take him back. Other than that, she didn't have any enemies or anything. She was easygoing, People usually liked her. And I didn't like Gerard…"

"That's her ex's name?"

"Yeah. Gerard Mann. He's annoying. I couldn't talk to my sister alone for even a minute if he was there. He had to be in the middle of everything. But I can't see him killing anybody."

The detectives asked a few more questions, gave him their card and asked that he call if he thought of anything else later. They again expressed their condolences, and went back to the precinct.

"Did you get anything from the co-workers?" Sully asked when Ryan and Esposito came back.

"That she seemed close to her brother but not happy with him lately and that she had broken up with her boyfriend recently; but she was having trouble getting him to leave her alone. A couple of the women said she was a good friend. They'd have a girl's night now and then, but the boyfriend didn't like it much. He and her brother both had keys to the apartment, but she had the locks changed after she broke up with the boyfriend."

"That accounts for the extra key we found in the locksmith's envelope. She probably meant it for her brother," Sully answered.

"It probably accounts for those unopened notes you found that were signed "G", too. They sounded a little obsessed, and Gerard is sounding possessive. Never a good combination," Beckett noted. "No address on the envelopes sounds like he probably slid them under the door, so she knew he had been there. That had to be intimidating."

"See what you can find on him so we have some background. The victim's brother told us where he works," Sully answered. "We wanted to see what you found before we followed up."

"I'd say we bring him in for questioning." Beckett told them. "But we should present it like we're asking for his help."

"Me, too. I'll send uniforms to pick him up." Sully pulled out his phone to make the call.

"We know Sarah and Randall Wright's parents died in a fire at their home eight years ago…unsolved arson. Their father was a corporate executive, and the two of them inherited a lot of money and a big property, divided equally between them. I don't see anything about what each of them did with the inheritance, though," Beckett observed. "Sarah had a nice place. She could have used her inheritance to buy it or make a substantial down payment, but nothing in it was worth more than her job allowed. I don't remember Sarah's financials looking like she lived extravagantly at all. Maybe we should look into the brother's habits, and Gerard's."

"On it," Ryan said.

As Beckett and Sully prepared the questions they wanted to ask Gerard Mann, Ryan and Esposito offered occasional suggestions as they looked at social media posts for the brother and Gerard.

After the two of them had been browsing social media for a while, Esposito asked, "Hey, did you get a name for the woman Gerard was having dinner with…the reason for the breakup? I'm seeing the same woman in a lot of his posts. They're not overtly together. It might not be her, but she's obviously in the crowd around him a lot. Sometimes Sarah Wright is there with him, sometimes not."

"Already on our list to ask," Beckett responded. "Send me a good picture. I'll print a copy and we can surprise him with it. I'll try facial recognition, too."

"Looks like the brother doesn't live as well within his means as his sister, Ryan told them. "I see pictures of a fancier apartment than hers, expensive tech equipment, and some expensive looking vacations."

"We might need his financials, too," Sully said.

Since they needed his fingerprints, they asked Gerard if he'd like something to drink; and he asked for a bottle of water. Gerard Mann didn't look trustworthy. He said all the right things and looked and sounded upset, but something didn't ring quite true. There hadn't been time to run facial recognition on the woman in question, but her picture brought a quickly covered flash of concern when they showed it to Gerard and mentioned how many pictures she had been in where he was close by. He gave them a name, Thelma Whitten, and admitted she was the one with him when Sarah decided to break off their relationship; but he insisted they were just friends. They got the date and place of the dinner and asked about the notes he slid under Sarah's door.

"What makes you think I slid anything under her door?"

"According to her friends, you were jealous of her time, very possessive, and wouldn't take no for an answer when you wanted her to take you back. She changed the locks after the breakup, and you didn't have access to her mailbox, so we thought you must have gone to the apartment and slid the notes under the door to plead your case. They were all signed "G"…like Gerard." Sully shrugged as if he could be wrong.

"Nope. Wasn't me. I loved her, but I finally gave up on her. I hated doing it; but she didn't want me around, and I had other options."

They asked a few more questions before standing, giving him their cards, and thanking him for his time. "If anything else comes up, we may need to speak to you again later. If you think of anything that might help, call either of us." Sully told him

"Sure. No problem. I hope you catch whoever did this to her," he answered, shaking their hands.

"Thanks for your help," Beckett said.

He finished the last swallow of his water and looked around with the empty bottle in his hand.

"The trash can is right outside the door," Sully told him with a smile, pointing it out as they left.

Beckett stopped and waited until Gerard reached the elevator, then she pointed down the hall and told Sully, "Restroom."

"Need to wash the sleaze off your hand?"

" He really thought we believed he was helping, didn't he?"

"Sure looked like it," he said, using a pen in the top of the small water bottle to remove it from the trash can. "I'll get this to the lab to compare to the notes."

When Beckett got back, Sully had reported what they found to the boys, who had already run facial recognition on the woman's picture. Her name came up as Barbara Quincy, with the alias Sonia Mashevka. I guess now we have a second alias, Thelma Whitten."

"Does she have a record?" Beckett asked Esposito.

"She spent some jail time for petty scams about ten years ago. She was arrested for check fraud a year after the jail stint, but she jumped bail and disappeared. You think she could be a partner in something instead of an extra girlfriend?"

"Maybe both?" Sully answered, checking his emails. "Nothing from the lab yet. Everything slowed down with the holidays and the staff a little short with the holiday vacation time. Karpowski has been waiting longer than we have. They told her they were backlogged, but everybody should be back at work today, though."

"Well, at least we have a little more information to work with now," Ryan sighed. "It's almost five. We saved the social media pages."

"It doesn't look like we're getting any more lab results today," Sully said. "We were all here early. Let's go home and pick this up tomorrow morning."

There were sounds of agreement, and Sully went to update the captain briefly before they left.

xxxxx

When everything was quiet that evening, Castle asked about the case, and Beckett told him what they had learned.

"Did you look up her aliases?"

"We probably would have earlier in the day, but Sully suggested we go home. I guess that's our first thing in the morning job."

"It doesn't have to be. We're only looking at social media, right? No police business where my computer would be unwelcome."

"Okay." She grinned. "Can I have a chair beside _your_ desk?"

"I'll even find you a better looking one than mine."

"I miss doing this with you," she said as he took a chair into his office and placed it next to his. "I like this. It's part of us."

He kissed her forehead and opened his computer. "Well, let's see if we can find anything to theorize over. That always turned me on. I wanted to grab you and kiss you senseless every time we came to the same conclusion together."

"And I wanted you to. Every time. Even when I thought you were the page six image of Richard Castle, playboy, celebrity author."

"Really?"

"Chemistry is chemistry. What can I say?" she asked flirtatiously. "Get busy, celebrity author. You made me want to theorize."

He grinned at her and pulled up Facebook first.


End file.
